ERIC Number: ED597803
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr-28
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
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Solder and Wire or Needle and Thread: Can the Tools We Use Change the Way We Think?
Davis, Richard; Proctor, Christopher; Friend, Michelle; Blikstein, Paulo
AERA Online Paper Repository, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (San Antonio, TX, Apr 27-May 1, 2017)
The gender gap in computing has persisted--and grown--over the past 40 years. One class of solutions offered as a way to close the gap are software and hardware design tools created for girls. This study compares one such construction kit--the Adafruit Flora--to a comparable kit that was not designed with girls in mind--the Arduino Leonardo. Using an experimental design, we found that at the start of the study the girls held largely stereotypical attitudes, and that these attitudes became less stereotyped for the girls in the experimental groups. Furthermore, we found little difference between the two experimental groups, casting doubt on prior claims as to the effectiveness of gendered construction kits on girls' interest in and attitudes towards computing.
Descriptors: Experimental Groups, Control Groups, Females, Middle School Students, Single Sex Schools, Gender Differences, Student Attitudes, Computer Attitudes, Handicrafts, Attitude Measures, Association Measures, Workshops, Stereotypes, Sexual Identity, Computer Science Education, Art
AERA Online Paper Repository. Available from: American Educational Research Association. 1430 K Street NW Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: 202-238-3200; Fax: 202-238-3250; e-mail: subscriptions@aera.net; Web site: http://www.aera.net
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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