Developing a hardware and programming curriculum for middle school girls

• Authors: Jeri Countryman;Alegra Feldman;Linda Kekelis;Ellen Spertus
• Venue: ACM SIGCSE Bulletin - Women and Computing
• Year: 2002

If you ask most children-or even most adults-to draw a picture of a computer scientist, you are likely to get a picture of a man. Despite the personal and professional rewards careers in technology, women are underrepresented in high-tech industry, and most girls do not imagine a career technology. Positions in the technology industry are among the most professionally challenging and highest paying. Yet, by their choices and preparation, girls limit their ability to work in technology fields in the future. For example, at the high school level where students begin to study and prepare for careers, girls enroll in fewer computer science courses---particularly advanced level classes---than boys do.The reasons for the disparity between boys' and girls' involvement in technology are multifaceted. Boys in our culture, much more than girls, are encouraged to engage in hands-on experimentation that gives them an advantage in terms of self-confidence and a willingness to experiment with technology. Children's first exposure to computers often comes through games and most computer games, with their violent themes and gender stereotypes, appeal to boys. Parents who may fail to encourage their daughters to experiment with technology often reinforce differences inadvertently. They are less inclined to enroll them in after-school and summer computer classes.Schools should help to level the playing field. And in fact, some schools have taken steps to reduce the gender divide in technology by setting policies of equal access, offering more gender-neutral software, and providing computer training and support for teachers [1]. Despite these efforts by some school districts, many teachers remain unprepared to integrate technology into the curriculum or to ensure its equitable use by students. And with enormous caseloads, counselors can do little to offer guidance to students and their families about academic and career opportunities in technology.In addition to striving to increase the number of girls involved with technology it is also important to consider how girls are participating in the computer culture. A common alternative to computer science courses-and a common point of entry for girls into the computer world-has been courses on computer "tools" such as databases, page layout, graphics, online publishing, and other "productivity software" [2]. These classes may teach basic skills rather than promote higher-order learning [3]. As such, we are challenged to create innovative ways for understanding the role that computers play in the education of girls and for improving their access to and use of computers.