Christine Ogan, Jean C. Robinson, Manju Ahuja, and Susan C. Herring
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262033459
- eISBN:
- 9780262255929
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262033459.003.0009
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Information Technology
This chapter reports on a study that compares the demographics, attitudes, and computing-related behaviors of undergraduate and graduate students majoring in computer science with those majoring in ...
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This chapter reports on a study that compares the demographics, attitudes, and computing-related behaviors of undergraduate and graduate students majoring in computer science with those majoring in applied IT disciplines. The results show that women do not feel as good about their abilities related to computers and computer programming as men do. The lack of confidence might stem from a lack of encouragement from teachers, friends, and family since half of women in the applied IT group and one-quarter of women in the computer science group said nobody had encouraged them to go into an IT field. The biggest differences between men and women in the two groups are demographic: men and women in the applied IT units tend to be older, and men and women in computer science tend to fall into traditional age groups for undergraduate and graduate students.Less
This chapter reports on a study that compares the demographics, attitudes, and computing-related behaviors of undergraduate and graduate students majoring in computer science with those majoring in applied IT disciplines. The results show that women do not feel as good about their abilities related to computers and computer programming as men do. The lack of confidence might stem from a lack of encouragement from teachers, friends, and family since half of women in the applied IT group and one-quarter of women in the computer science group said nobody had encouraged them to go into an IT field. The biggest differences between men and women in the two groups are demographic: men and women in the applied IT units tend to be older, and men and women in computer science tend to fall into traditional age groups for undergraduate and graduate students.
Lecia J. Barker, Eric Snow, Kathy Garvin-Doxas, and Tim Weston
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262033459
- eISBN:
- 9780262255929
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262033459.003.0004
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Information Technology
This chapter presents the results of a survey administered to a large and mixed-demographic group of middle school girls in an attempt to better understand what interests them with respect to ...
More
This chapter presents the results of a survey administered to a large and mixed-demographic group of middle school girls in an attempt to better understand what interests them with respect to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in general and IT in particular. It begins with a review of the relevant literature on girls, recruiting for academic programs, and career aspirations. It then describes the event, research methods, and results of the study. It is argued that recruiting is an important but understudied aspect of increasing the participation of women in IT disciplines. The function of recruiting is persuasion, or communication intended to influence, reinforce, or change another's beliefs, values, attitudes, or actions. Recommendations for recruiters are provided based on the study.Less
This chapter presents the results of a survey administered to a large and mixed-demographic group of middle school girls in an attempt to better understand what interests them with respect to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in general and IT in particular. It begins with a review of the relevant literature on girls, recruiting for academic programs, and career aspirations. It then describes the event, research methods, and results of the study. It is argued that recruiting is an important but understudied aspect of increasing the participation of women in IT disciplines. The function of recruiting is persuasion, or communication intended to influence, reinforce, or change another's beliefs, values, attitudes, or actions. Recommendations for recruiters are provided based on the study.