Intellectual Merit: This mixed-method study will investigate how different aspects of computing are embedded within masculine and feminine gender schemas, and how this embedding interacts with students' perceptions of these aspects, as well as with course-taking and career intentions. Computing differs from other STEM fields in that it is associated with a pervasive everyday object which people encounter from an early age. The computer, moreover, incorporates a complex set of possible practices which are deeply entangled with gender schemas. For example, interest in "looking under the hood" and approaching an artifact as interesting per se, as if it were a toy, is associated with masculinity in Western cultures, whereas using objects as a tool within a social context, with attention to social rewards, is associated with femininity. This toy vs. tool duality may manifest in computing with boys showing interest in fixing or hacking the computer, and with girls being attracted to blogs and social networking. It is these dualities, and the specific uses of computing associated with them, that maintain relatively stable gender associations. While boys and girls both use computers, the modalities of computer use that continue to be associated with computer courses, majors and careers appear to be embedded within a masculine cultural schema. Thus, everyday use can equalize across genders while career-oriented attitudes and behaviors see an increasing gender disparity. This research begins with a qualitative exploration and then develops theoretically based, updated scales which measure how current computing practices of middle school students are lived and gendered. These new measures will be used in a comprehensive survey to be administered to 2,000 students in the Howard and Prince George's County, Maryland, public schools. The study incorporates two potentially transformative concepts: recognition of the importance of the cultural context of computing and development of updated measures which operationalize theoretical concepts that have not been quantitatively explored in this context. The research also moves away from a "deficit model" where girls' lack of enthusiasm is seen as a result of deficiencies in girls, and, focus on why computing majors are failing to attract girls.
Broader Impacts: The findings and the new measures will help educators and researchers understand what girls find unattractive about computer courses and occupations. This is important for design and implementation of computer science curricula in high schools and for efforts to increase inclusive practices in computing majors and professions. The findings will also provide guidelines for designing curricula in high school that are attractive to girls as well as boys, and for publicizing aspects of computing jobs that are not strictly associated with masculine gender schemas. A diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students will develop research skills and an understanding of opportunities in higher education. UMBC's partnership with school districts will be enhanced. Middle school students will be exposed to research and a diverse group of researchers. Findings will be disseminated broadly, across sociology, education and IT disciplines and to educators as well as parents.
