Eliminating gender inequity : why women choose computer science

Abstract

This doctoral thesis explores the experiences of six women in an introductory computer science course at a small rural community college. Limited research exists that explores why women choose to enroll in computer science and this study helps to fill this void. This study found that stereotypes associated with computer science still exist. It also revealed that for some women studying computer science, stereotypical perceptions may be changing. Experiences in the classroom showed that women were frustrated being one of just a handful of women in the class and groupwork was problematic. Group dynamics allowed sexism to emerge as an issue; yet, the women were reluctant to identify the behaviors they experienced as sexism. The study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to evaluate stereotype threat, specifically the Multi-Threat Framework was used to categorize the threats that emerged. To my knowledge, this appears to be the first study to use this framework to examine gender inequity in computer science.