Gender & Computing Why Actively Recruit Girls to CS?

1. Gender & ComputingWhy Actively Recruit Girls to CS? Joanne McGrath Cohoon UVA Associate Professor NCWIT Senior Research Scientist Michigan Tapestry Workshop August 1, 2012

2. Why Do We Need to Actively Recruit Girls to CS?

3. 30% of jobs for college grads will be in computing in 2020

4. Not Just Predicted, but Current

5. More than double students ifCS drew from the majority

6. How CS got the women it has • Positive experiences • Encouraged • Math or logic confidence • Rewarding, flexible career • Enjoy programming • Persuaded by friends • Path to helping career • Self-expression • Communication • Defy stereotypes

7. What keeps other women out of CS • Lack of information/misconceptions • Little support and encouragement • Educational policies allow choices influenced by stereotypes • Stereotypes reduce confidence andinterest

8. Few students, parents, or teachers (people) know what computer scientists do Too many sources misinform, steer girls away Lack of information abounds

9. Too Little Support & Encouragement • Peers and authorities • You’re studying what? • Women need to explain their choice of CS …but men don’t • - Cohoon 2006 • Isolation • Feeling like you do not belong • - Kissinger et al. 2009

10. Policies allow stereotype-based choice -Carter 2006 -Charles & Bradley 2006 Or force choice between academic interests or goals

11. Stereotypes and stereotype threat

12. Mental shortcuts for generalizing knowledge to other situations Stereotypes are good …

13. May lead to mistakes - miscategorization And stereotypes are bad African Americans

14. Easy to form, harder to change • Explicit and implicit preferences for certain groups formed by imagining or by inducing • Gregg et al. 2006

15. Common Mistaken Stereotype: Feminine ≠Technical Lagesen 2005

16. Stereotypes can create threatening situations • Stereotype threat • Fear of confirming negative beliefs about my group • Hinders performance • Affects confidence, choices and aspirations • Leads to harsh personal standards, opting out if not met • Correll2004 Not just about gender, e.g., age stereotypes reduce memory effectiveness - Chasteen et al. 2005

17. Stereotype Threat masks ability and reduces learning and persistence Calculus Test Results • Remove threat and Anglo women test better • Good et al. 2008 • Note-taking skill reduced by stereotype threat (ST) • Appel et al. 2011 • Feelings of belonging impaired by ST • Good et al. 2012 • Good, Aronson, Harder, 2008

18. Removing threat improves performance • Interventions showed “Black students significantly outperformed White students with the same level of past performance.” • Substantial effect • Logel et al. 2012

19. Gender imbalance in room Stereotyped physical space Attention called to gender Belief that ability is inherent ST is easy to trigger and particularly affects motivated students

21. Some of the Interventions that Work • Self-affirmation of values – Purdie-Vaughns & Garcia 2011 • Emphasize growth in intelligence - Aronson et al 2002 • Normalize – Good et al. 2008 But only for students in your class

22. Actively Recruit using messages that counter stereotypes

23. 1. Four reasons few women study CS

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27. What can you do about it? • What could you do to undermine the stereotypes and mitigate stereotype threat?

28. NCWIT is the National Center for Women & Information Technology Mobilizing for Change: NCWIT Our coalition includes more than 250 universities, corporations, and non-profits.