Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/188613

Title

Happenstance and compromise: a gendered analysis of students' computing degree course selection

Author(s)

Lang, Catherine

Abstract

The number of students choosing to study computing at university continues to decline this century, with an even sharper decline in female students. This article presents the results of a series of interviews with university students studying computing courses in Australia that uncovered the influence of happenstance and compromise on course choice. This investigation provides an insight into the contributing factors into the continued downturn of student diversity in computing bachelor degree courses. Many females interviewed made decisions based on happenstance, many males interviewed had chosen computing as a compromise course, and family helped in the decision-making to a large degree in both genders. The major implication from this investigation is the finding that students of both genders appear to be socialised away from this discipline, which is perceived as a support or insurance skill, not a career in itself, in all but the most technical-oriented (usually male) student.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology

Source

Computer Science Education, Vol. 20, no. 4 (Dec 2010), pp. 317-345

Publication year

2010

FOR Code(s)

130103 Higher Education;  130306 Educational Technology and Computing;  139999 Education not elsewhere classified

Keyword(s)

Career choice;  Computing;  Gender;  Higher education

Publisher

Routledge

ISSN

0899-3408

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2010.527699

Copyright

Copyright © 2010 Taylor & Francis.

Peer reviewed