Female Performance and Participation in Computer Science (original) (raw)
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The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between gender and achievement in the various subjects of CS. For this reason, the degrees (89 degrees) of all graduate students who enrolled from 2002 to 2008 (a 6-year period of graduation) at the Department of CS and Technology, University of Peloponnese, Greece were studied. To this end, the grades of these students in both; compulsory courses and electives were studied and quantitatively analysed. These courses are grouped into: compulsory courses and electives of the “Theoretical Computer Science” (TCS) division, compulsory courses of “Mathematics & Physics” (M&P) and electives of “General Education” (GE) that cover a wide range of subjects that can be applied to many different careers and students can choose them according to their interests. In terms of methodology this study can be characterized as a case study. The analysis of the data shows, that: (a) male students have slightly better, or even, mean grades in all of the mandatory courses in TSC division and in most of M&P compulsory courses, (b) both male and female students have low mean grades in compulsory “Mathematics” courses (mean grades<7,5), (c) female students have better mean grades in most of the electives in TCS division and GE, (d) in the aforementioned courses, female students have more “excellent” mean grades (grade >=8,5) than male students, and (e) there is a tendency for female students to perform slightly better than male students in those courses which are chosen by more female students.
Essential factors that affect students’ choices to study computer science: gender differences
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In this paper, an essential aspect regarding the multilateral issue of under-representation of women in Computer Science (CS) is presented. It is based on research conducted with a sample of 77 students aged 17, 52 of which were girls. These students were about to decide on their future undergraduate studies. The goal of this study was to determine the factors affecting the decisions of both girls and boys whether or not to pursue undergraduate computer courses. Questionnaires were used, addressing issues in the following 4 main categories: a) the reasons students chose/chose not to study CS, b) the way students’ family and friends, the media and the school environment contribute to their decision, c) the students’ perception of their prospective future after studying CS and d) the students’ perception of the gender that better fits the profile of a computer scientist. The results were quite illuminating: a) more boys than girls choose to study CS. Boys and girls choose/choose not t...
Participation Rates in CS: One International Issue or a Multiplicity of National Ones?
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ABSTRACT The proportion of female students studying Computing related subjects at undergraduate-degree level is decreasing. This decline in the number of female applicants for Computer Science (CS) degree programs is undoubtedly worrying. In the early 1980s some 35% of applicants for CS degrees at UK Universities were women, but now the figure is closer to 10%; this statistic is not confined to one country.
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In a setting that prioritises the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), sustainable development cannot be achieved without the contribution of female talent. This paper is focused on studying the reasons for the gender gap and the offered strategies to reduce it. The debate on the reasons for the low enrolment rates of girls in technological degrees remains open in the literature. This study investigates the causes of why girls do not choose a computer engineering degree and makes a comparison between ex-ante (secondary school) and ex-post (higher education). Based on a survey of students from both secondary school (229) and higher education (171), a quantitative study on gender differences was performed. The chi-squared test was applied to compute the corresponding p-value. Gender significant differences concerning goals were found (such as, at secondary school, girls preferred to help people, whereas boys preferred to be rich or to have a lot of holidays), and degree...
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Lynch, Julianne 2009, Declining participation in computing education: An Australia perspective on the "gender and lT" problem, Journal for computing teachers, Spring, pp. 1-12. Participation in post-compulsory computing education has declined over recent years, both in the senior years of secondary school and at university. This trend has been observed in most developed countries, despite reported and projected skills shortages in Information Technology (IT) industries. Within the computing education enrollment mix, girls and women continue to be under-represented and recent years have seen female participation fall even more rapidly than that of males. This article reports on findings of an Australian study which explored secondary school students’ beliefs about and attitudes towards computing education and careers in IT. Factors that might discourage girls in particular from pursuing post-compulsory computing education and careers are discussed, along with broader implications for school education in an era when information and communication technologies are an integral part of our daily lives. Findings include the persistence among both boys and girls of inaccurate and outdated views of the field of IT and low expectations of both school IT curricula and pedagogy in terms of their relevance and interest for students. Many of the issues identified as discouraging students in general from pursuing computing education appear to have a greater discouraging effect on girls, and this is compounded by stereotypical views of the field as male-dominated and unwelcoming to women and girls.
Gender Gap in Computer Science: Preferences and Performance
The aim of the present study is to investigate both the performance and preferences of males and females Computer Science (CS) graduates. In order to attain the above goal, a quantitative case study was conducted regarding 89 degrees, acquired from 2006 to 2012, from the Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Peloponnese, Greece. The analysis of the data revealed that in terms of performance, no significant differences between the mean grades of males and females exist, in almost most of the courses included in the curriculum of the aforementioned CS department. Any statistically significant differences in performances were present in almost equal number of courses in favor of males and females. It seems also, that females performed better in the courses they selected more than males. Regarding preferences, in CS courses, it seems that gender differences are existent. Males preferred more than females did core programming courses and advanced topics of Software...
Factors Influencing Women’s Decision to Study Computer Science: Is It Context Dependent?
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Aim/Purpose: Our research goal was to examine the factors that motivate women to enroll in Computer Science (CS) courses in order to better understand the small number of women in the field of CS. Background: This work is in line with the growing interest in better understanding the problem of the underrepresentation of women in the field of CS. Methodology: We focused on a college that differs in its high numbers of female CS students. The student population there consists mostly of religious Jews; some of them are Haredi, who, because of their unique lifestyle, are expected to be the breadwinners in their family. Following group interviews with 18 students, a questionnaire was administered to all the female students and 449 of them responded. We analyzed it statistically. We compared the responses of the Haredi and non-Haredi students. Contribution: The main contribution of this work lies in the idea that studying the factors underlying women’s presence in a CS program in unique c...