Share Paper: Are We Making Progress? Gender Perceptions of Identity, Math, Teamwork and Social Support in Introductory Computer Science

  1. Yolanda Reimer, Computer Science Department, University of Montana, United States
  2. Michael Coe, Cedar Lake Research Group, LLC, United States
Tuesday, March 30 2:05-2:25 PM Room 5

Abstract: Gender differences in perception and pursuit of computer science have been examined for many years and a wide variety of recommendations have been proposed to increase the number of women who engage in the field. Unfortunately, the percentage of women who obtain a bachelor’s degree in computer science remains stubbornly low, causing one to wonder how much progress, if any, we have made in our attempts to increase the appeal of CS to women. We present a current snapshot of how 120 students from eight different high schools perceive computer science based on four key metrics: identity, math, teamwork and ...