Confidence, Connection, and Comfort

Ying, Kimberly Michelle; Rodríguez, Fernando J.; Dibble, Alexandra Lauren; Martin, Alexia Charis; Boyer, Kristy Elizabeth; Thomas, Sanethia; Gilbert, Juan E.

doi:10.1145/3408877.3432548

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…For instance, modern technologies, such as 3D visualization and robotics, received special attention from female students [132], [150], [166], [175]. In addition, it is important to emphasize the social aspect of computing [142], [181] and introduce collaborative exercises, such as pair programming [154], [178]. Moreover, some changes could be made in the promotion of the programs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

State-of-the-Art Review on Current Approaches to Female Inclusiveness in Software Engineering and Computer Science in Higher Education

Kovaleva,

Kasurinen,

Kindsiko

et al. 2024

IEEE Access

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Software engineering (SE) and computer science (CS) programs in universities worldwide are marked by a gender gap, which subsequently translates into a gender gap at the industry level. However, there are positive activities that can help attract more women to these male-dominant professions. This study maps the literature related to the achievement of gender balance in SE and CS university-level education and identifies future research directions. More specifically, this article reports on a systematic mapping study of female-inclusive SE and CS tertiary education programs. The authors collected 882 publications between 2015 and 2022 from five databases (ACM, IEEE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct), selecting 143 peer-reviewed papers for further analysis. The results showed that the main academic contributors were researchers from the USA. The majority of the publications contained observations and explanations regarding the gender gap in computing education. However, an important part of the literature considered proposals and practical activities for achieving gender balance in SE and CS programs. Finally, the authors classified the literature related to female-inclusive SE and CS tertiary education programs, identified the main research focuses and regional distribution, and considered ideas for future research.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

State-of-the-Art Review on Current Approaches to Female Inclusiveness in Software Engineering and Computer Science in Higher Education

Kovaleva,

Kasurinen,

Kindsiko

et al. 2024

IEEE Access

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“…One possible explanation is a misalignment between the goals of the group; underrepresented groups in computing education appear to value communal goals to a higher degree than the majority of the student body [26], [27], [28], [11]. It is also possible that women generally are less satisfied in men-majority groups (but not all-women or women-majority groups) [49], [50], [21].…”

Section: Potential Gender Differences In Course Outcome (Rq4)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gender-heterogeneous groups have generally been shown to perform better in most aspects [18], [19], [20]. On the other hand, some research has shown that all-women CS1 classes lead to greater social connections and comfort, greater feelings of support within their class, more confidence in their CS knowledge, and a more welcoming classroom environment compared to women in the traditional class [21]. Considering that women students constitute a minority of the total class body, is it more optimal to opt for as many heterogeneous groups as possible, even if the groups are comprised of more men than women?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Differences in the Group Dynamics of Smaller CS1 Project Groups

Westh,

Inie,

Barkhuus

et al. 2023

2023 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)

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Abundant research has investigated gender differences from the perspective of the individual, but little research has explored gender differences from a group perspective. This paper presents a survey-based quantitative exploration of gender differences when N =138 students working in smaller (3 students) groups that are either men-majority (WMM) or menonly (MMM). The study was conducted during four weeks of CS1 project work, and the investigation focused on student struggle, task division, group satisfaction, and course outcomes. We observed four significant gender differences: (i) Many women students express a lack of confidence early in the project work, as do many men students that are part of mixed-gender (WMM) groups, but not men that are part of men-only (MMM) groups; (ii) In men-majority groups, women perform more 'nontechnical' tasks than men (e.g., analysis, design, and report editing); and (iii) women students in men-majority groups are less satisfied with several aspects of the group work than men students in the same groups. These findings add to our understanding of group dynamics and collaboration (including what to avoid and where to pay extra attention) when assigning projects in smaller groups in computing education.

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“…However, earlier studies could show that dependent on how students are grouped, they will have different experiences, and this is especially visible in CS classrooms [17]. The gender interaction analysis [31] shows that young children choose to interact with peers of the same sex or peers interested in similar types of activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies [16] inform on the factors that shaped girls' choices as regards CS/SE field. A vital inclusion factor among the proposed recommendations [14]- [17] is the creation of welcoming and inclusive environments specifically for girls in CS classrooms in addition to an engaging curriculum incorporating relevant real-world problems into the CS classroom [18]- [21]. An inclusive classroom environment is one where "all [...] members feel welcomed and valued for who they are and what they bring to the table.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engaging Girls in Computer Science: Do Single-Gender Interdisciplinary Classes Help?

Marquardt

Wagner

Happe

2023

2023 IEEE/ACM 45th International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering Education and Training (ICSE-SEET)

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Computing-driven innovation cannot reach its full potential if only a fraction of the population is involved. Without girls and their non-stereotypical contribution, the innovation potential is severely limited. In computer science (CS) and software engineering (SE), the gender gap persists without any positive trend. Many girls find it challenging to identify with the subject of CS. However, we can capitalize on their interests and create environments for girls through interdisciplinary subcultures to spark and foster enthusiasm for CS. This paper presents and discusses the results of an intervention in which we applied a novel interdisciplinary online course in data science to get girls excited about CS and programming by contributing to the grand goal of solving colony collapse disorder from biology and geoecology. The results show the potential of such programs to get girls excited about programming, but also important implications in terms of the learning environment. The startling results show that girls from single-gender classes (SGCs) are significantly more open to CS-related topics and that the intervention evoked significantly more positive feelings in them than in girls from mixed-gender classes (MGCs). The findings highlight the importance of how CS-related topics are introduced in school and the crucial impact of the learning environment to meet the requirements of truly gender-inclusive education.

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Confidence, Connection, and Comfort

Cited by 14 publications

References 28 publications

State-of-the-Art Review on Current Approaches to Female Inclusiveness in Software Engineering and Computer Science in Higher Education

State-of-the-Art Review on Current Approaches to Female Inclusiveness in Software Engineering and Computer Science in Higher Education

Gender Differences in the Group Dynamics of Smaller CS1 Project Groups

Engaging Girls in Computer Science: Do Single-Gender Interdisciplinary Classes Help?

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