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Gendered differences in the participation of Australian tertiary computer science : Implications for schools
Chao, Shu-Hua Henderson, Michael
Chao, Shu-Hua
Henderson, Michael
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Abstract
The representation of males continues to dominate that of females in Information Technology (IT) related studies at both the secondary and tertiary levels. This mixed method study utilises Eccles et al. (1983) Expectancy Value Model for exploring the social, psychological and motivational factors that influence individuals’ participation in Computer Science (CS) or non Computer Science (NCS) undergraduate courses (or majors) in Taiwan and Australia. This paper reports on the Australian data set, from a selected university in Melbourne, of surveys (n=106) and subsequent interviews (n=7). It was found that the most important reason for choosing to study CS for 55% of females was “career prospects” as opposed to “personal interest” for CS males and the majority of the NCS sample. However the reasons indicated by interviewees were in contrast to the survey finding. A conclusion is that the strength of subjective task values (STVs) which individuals attach to IT related subjects and or activities at the secondary level could very likely affect their subsequent participation or non-participation in an IT related field such as CS at the undergraduate level.
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Date
2012
Type
Conference paper
Journal
Book
Australian Computers in Education Conference : 2 - 5 October 2012
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Issue
Page Range
101-107
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ACU Department
School of Education
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
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All rights reserved
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