are you experienced?

Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007

Gender & ITEducation Are You Experienced?

College Students and Early Computer Influences

Sharon [email protected] 29, 2007

Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007

Topic• Information Technology

– CS – Applied

• Early interests = IT career?

• Influences– Parents: mother, father, both– Other socializers

• Family members – aunt, uncle• Teachers

• Voice


Why Interesting? Underrepresentation!

• CS Bachelor’s degrees (U.S. Department of Education, 2006)

– 8.1 percentage point drop– 1979-80 compared to 2004-05

• % women in the workforce (Cohen & Greenwald, 2003)

– IT: 41% to 34.9% (1996 to 2002) – Overall: 46.6% U.S. workforce

• Job Prospects (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006-07; U.S. Department of Commerce, 2003)

– FAVORABLE– Salary expectations $35k-$100K+


The Literature – Parental Effects• Children imitate parents’ behavior (Jacobs &

Bleeker, 2004)

• Motivation, increased enjoyment (Eccles, 1993)

• Parental computer use = positive influence (Simpkins et al., 2005)

• Parental expectations (Bleeker & Jacobs, 2004; Jacobs, 2005; Linver & Davis-Kean, 2005)

– Early interest– Course selection– Career choice– Females


The Literature – Social Factors

• Stereotypes (Cooper, 2006; Eccles & Jacobs, 1986)

– Performance anxiety and stress– Not grounded in reality– Conform to negative expectations

• Eccles & Jacobs study (1986)– Science, December 1980– Sex differences – mathematical ability– Confirmed mothers’ beliefs– Fathers challenged the evidence


Data – Round 1

• Fall 2004, Spring 2005

• 136 students– 64% - female– 36% - male

• Nationality– 82% - U.S.– 20% - non-U.S. locations


Methods• Face-to-face interviews

• 36 interview questions

• Questions of interest– There is research that suggests that males

start using computers earlier than females and on their own more than females. Is that consistent with your experience?

– (If so) Why do you think that is? – (If not) What has your experience been?– Was that typical for your peer group?


Results• 41 females; 12 males early computer

influences

• Fathers – Females – all disciplines

• The Managerial Woman (Henning & Jardim, 1977)• “My dad has an interest in computers, and he always

encouraged me to play with them. So there’s always a push for me to…I wasn’t limited to do anything.”

» Female undergraduate in CS

– Males – LIS, but also a factor in CS

• Mothers– Females – Informatics, MIS– Males – CS, Information Schools

• Other socializers


Influences on Computer Use

0%

20%

40%

60%

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120%

CS

Info

rmat

ics

Info

Schoo

lIS

TLI

SM

IS

Father(Female)

Mother(Female)

OtherMale(Female)

OtherFemale(Female) 0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

CS

Info

rmat

ics

Info

School

IST

LISM

IS

Father(Male)

Mother(Male)

OtherMale(Male)

OtherFemale(Male)

Father


Father Influence

• “So I didn’t have any experience on taking apart a computer or any of that or really even programming but I think that my dad put a lot of confidence in me. Like he would get a new computer and he wouldn’t have time to figure out how to work it and so he would say, why don’t you sit down and figure out how to work this thing for a couple of days and then let me know how to do it. And so I’d fiddle around with it for a while.”

» Female graduate student in CS


Father Influence

• “I would just say my sisters have always been scared. My mom has always been scared. My dad has always been great with computers... he has always been good. And I mean there is just I would say a lot of women I have met are more scared of computers than they should be. I have no reason why.”

» Male undergraduate in Informatics


Influences on Computer Use

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

CS

Info

rmat

ics

Info

Schoo

lIS

TLI

SM

IS

Father(Female)

Mother(Female)

OtherMale(Female)

OtherFemale(Female) 0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

CS

Info

rmat

ics

Info

School

IST

LISM

IS

Father(Male)

Mother(Male)

OtherMale(Male)

OtherFemale(Male)

Mother


Mother Influence

• “My mom was really the one who thought that I should get into these things and she saw that I had an interest in them. I mean my mom…she was probably a little more progressive in some sense in terms of understanding what computers could be for the future and so she really provided me with that space to get interested.”

» Male graduate student in LIS


Parental Influence• “My parents were always about getting more

technology – new technology. They’re both in a very science-based field and so I’ve been surrounded by science and math growing up all the time, and so – as well as English, too, ‘cause my mom was like a really big – both my parents are very much into reading, so I mean, I’m like a very well-rounded person because I love math and science but I also love English. My parents are very encouraging. If I showed any interest in anything, they’re just like, ‘Oh, I'll get you this.’ So, I mean, I think that was a really big help growing up; at least getting into things.”



Other Influences

• Female IT instructors – HS, college

• Other socializers – aunts, uncles

• Lose the fear – license to make mistakes

– “I think that’s why a lot of younger kids are a lot better at computers than their parents, because they’re not afraid to try things. I think adults are very afraid of breaking something and not being able to use it and the kids are like, ‘I don’t care.’ And you break it; you learn how to fix it.”



Summary Quote

• “I think since I got pushed into video games and stuff, I learned computers really quick and I liked them a lot. Whereas a lot of females don’t really get into it as much or they’re kind of discouraged from playing with the computer as much as like a Barbie or something like that.”



Interpretation• Parental support/encouragement

important (e.g., Eccles, 1993; Jacobs & Bleaker, 2004; Linver & Davis-Kean, 2005; Simpkins et al., 2005; Watt et al., 2006)

• Fathers– “Play” with the computer = confidence– Do not fear the computerfix– Challenge stereotypes in favor of daughter

(Eccles & Jacobs, 1986)

• Mothers (Jacobs & Bleeker, 2004; Simpkins et al., 2005)

– Encouraged technological exploration– Material encouragement

• Male students more frequently• Female students – Informatics, MIS


Conclusion – The Future

• Barriers, but…– Parents, other socializers confidence– Grow up with computers comfort– Gave up other activities – television

• Educational changes attract students (Jacobs, 2005)

• Older teenage girls > boys (Lenhart et al., 2005)– Email, information searches– Eliminate leaky pipeline?


There’s Hope…

• “So I think as time goes on, we’ll start to see that more girls are using computers at an earlier age. Like I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”



Thank you!

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