Female Performance and Participation in Computer Science

Abstract

The change in the English computing curriculum and the shift towards computer science (CS) has been closely observed by other countries. Female participation remains a concern in most jurisdictions, but female attainment in CS is relatively unstudied. Using the English national pupil database, we analyzed all exam results (n = 5,370,064) for students taking secondary school exams in 2016, focusing on those students taking GCSE CS (n = 60,736), contrasting this against ICT (n = 67,359). Combining gender with ethnicity and the IDACI poverty indicator, we find that females from the poorest areas were more likely to take CS than those from the richest areas and that CS was more popular among ethnic minority females than white females. ICT was far more equitable for females and poorer students than CS. CS females typically got better grades than their male peers. However, when controlling for average attainment in other subjects, males got 0.31 of a grade higher. Female relative underperformance in CS was most acute among large female cohorts and with girls studying in mixed-gender schools. Girls did significantly better than boys in English when controlling for CS scores, supporting theories around female relative strengths lying outside STEM subjects. The move to introduce CS into the English curriculum and the removal of the ICT qualifications look to be having a negative impact on female participation and attainment in computing. Using the theory of self-efficacy, we argue that the shift towards CS might decrease the number of girls choosing further computing qualifications or pursuing computing as a career. Computing curriculum designers and teachers need to carefully consider the inclusive nature of their computing courses.

The trajectory of computer science education policy in Ireland: A document analysis narrative

“…However, the removal of the ICT qualification in the UK has resulted in a decline in computing provision in English schools, in terms of both hours being taught and qualifications achieved by students (Kemp et al, 2019). The data from examination sittings also indicates that the change of subject content is having a particularly negative impact on the participation and attainment of young women in computing (Kemp et al, 2019). Perhaps a similar path is being followed in Ireland; in a survey conducted in 2019, it was found that while 38% of the teachers teaching the subject were women, only 22% of the students taking it were women (LERO, 2019).…”

“…The move to computer science is analogous to what has happened in Ireland. However, the removal of the ICT qualification in the UK has resulted in a decline in computing provision in English schools, in terms of both hours being taught and qualifications achieved by students (Kemp et al, 2019). The data from examination sittings also indicates that the change of subject content is having a particularly negative impact on the participation and attainment of young women in computing (Kemp et al, 2019).…”

Gendered Narratives and Linguistic Force Dynamics: Influencing Career Paths of Women

“…Keeping in view the growing challenges of making the right career choice and the importance of appropriate career decisions, social scientists have been paying attention to the various facets involved in career selection and development. The number of studies dealing exclusively with female career development is huge, but to name just a few, (see Angervall, 2018;Arif & Ejaz, 2017;Eikhof, 2016;Kemp, Wong, & Berry, 2019;Masood, 2019). Gender studies scholars have been investigating the career choice phenomenon through the lens of feminist theories and issues related to sexism, gender discrimination, gender stereotypes, gendered role responsibilities etc.…”

The Efficacy of the Bioecological Model of Human Development in Predicting Primary Pupils’ Academic Achievement in Ghana and Its Curriculum Implications

“…On the contrary, boys are perceived to have advantage over girls in mathematics achievement. However, evidence suggests that boys generally receive more attention from teachers and dominate in the use of equipment in science, technology and computer studies than girls ( [31,32,33,34]). Generally, boys are reinforced for intellectual pursuits and girls for nurturing activities while attributing failure in boys to lack of motivation, and girls as lacking ability ( [35,36,26]).…”