We present the use of the World Wide Web (Web) to facilitate collaborative group work in 2 teaching environments: high school and graduate school. In the first case, high school students (N = 19) participating in a university minicourse worked in small groups for 25 hr conducting research and preparing a report on the Web. In the second case, psychology graduate students (N = 8) used personal Web sites for their seminar work. We found that the Web environment facilitated group work by providing (a) clear demarcations of individual members' contributions, (b) a structure for group members' participation, (c) easy access to group members' contributions, (d) individual work space, and (e) commensurable resources for each group member.
In a three-year study, female students from all-female computer science (CS) classes were compared to male and female students from mixed-gender CS classes. Participants were 250 students enrolled in an elective Grade 11 CS course (63 females from three all-female classes and 155 males and 32 females from nine mixed-gender classes). Participants completed a questionnaire assessing perceived support from teachers and parents, computer-related attitudes, and future academic and occupational intentions. Females from all-female classes reported higher levels of perceived teacher support, confidence, and future academic and occupational intentions than did females from mixed-gender classes. Females from all-female classes reported levels as high as those reported by males on perceived teacher support, whereas males reported higher levels than did females from mixed-gender classes on perceived teacher support, confidence, intrinsic value, and future intentions. The present study provides some initial empirical evidence supporting the positive effects of all-female classes in CS at the high school level.
Low enrollment rates in high school computer science (CS) courses suggest that students may be planning ineffectively for a future labor market. Female students enroll in these courses at far lower rates than their male peers and represent a small proportion of the high-technology workforce. To increase participation, all-female and mixed-gender CS classes were offered in grade 11 at one high school in Canada. Enrollment patterns were observed for three years. Results show increased participation, which increased the number of CS courses offered at the school. Implications are discussed.
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