ERIC Number: EJ1390966
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0899 3408
EISSN: EISSN-1744-5175
Available Date: N/A
Nevertheless, They Persisted: Factors That Promote Persistence for Women and Racially/Ethnically Minoritized Students in Undergraduate Computing
Computer Science Education, v33 n2 p260-285 2023
Background and Context: As computing fields aim to both expand and diversify, narrowing representation gaps in undergraduate computing majors requires focus on retaining women and racially/ethnically minoritized students to the point of degree attainment. Objective: This study addresses the factors that contribute to persistence in computing majors among undergraduate students who took introductory computing courses during the first two years of college. Method: Student survey data from 15 research universities in the United States were used to explore differences in persistence patterns by students' gender and racial/ethnic identities. Further, we used logistic regression to examine factors that promote persistence in computing majors, with attention to conditional effects by gender and race/ethnicity. Findings: Results show that women are less likely than men to persist in computing majors two years following completion of the introductory CS course. Findings suggest that proximal socialization experiences, specifically those related to students' self-confidence, sense of fit, and in-class experiences, are important to student persistence in computing fields. Implications: The results suggest that peer experiences in computing are central to student persistence in the major. Hence, computing departments can act on these findings by strengthening the community within their majors and fostering positive peer interactions among students. Implications
Descriptors: Majors (Students), Undergraduate Students, Academic Persistence, Computer Science Education, Gender Differences, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Socialization, Student Attitudes, Student Experience, STEM Education, Institutional Characteristics, Student Characteristics, Predictor Variables, Self Efficacy, Influences
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A