Formal Research Experiences for First Year Students

Stout, Jane G.; Tamer, Burçin; Alvarado, Christine

doi:10.1145/3159450.3159472

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Kapoor & Gardner-McCune stressed that the computing education community needs to understand the impact that student experiences have on students' belongingness as they move between our CS degree programs and the larger CS communities of practice [10]. It has been shown to vary across factors such as gender and minority status [24], and is known to play a role in the transition from second-to third-level education, and is likely influenced both by student characteristics (or what they 'bring with them') in addition to environmental factors [4]. It is likely that there are also many factors affecting sense of belonging that cannot be controlled for [11].…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is likely that there are also many factors affecting sense of belonging that cannot be controlled for [11]. Sense of belonging has been shown to be affected not only by traditional educational environmental factors, but by activities such as video games [21], formal research activities [24], and specific technologies and tools such as web interfaces [14].…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stout, Tamer & Alvarado [24] assessed the impact and timing of formal research experiences on sense of belonging. They found that formal research experience during students' first year of study was associated with a strong sense of mentor support during the students' second year, and that this perceived mentor support predicted a strong sense of belonging for underrepresented students, but not for majority students.…”

Section: Sense Of Belonging In Computingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Sense of Belonging: The Intersectionality of Self-Identified Minority Status and Gender in Undergraduate Computer Science Students

Mooney

Becker

2020

United Kingdom &Amp; Ireland Computing Education Research Conference.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Creating inclusive learning environments for all students is of primary importance. Student sense of belonging is an important part of this. However, sense of belonging can show variations according to factors such as ethnicity and gender as well as influencing attributes such as motivation and persistence. We utilised a survey adapted from the "Math Sense of Belonging Scale" to examine the relationship between undergraduate computer science students' sense of belonging, gender identity, and self-declared minority status. We observed a lower sense of belonging in students who identified as women who also self-identified as being part of a minority group. However, students who identified as women who did not identify as belonging to a minority had a sense of belonging comparable to those identifying as men. Our results provide insight that may help us improve the sense of belonging of our undergraduate students, particularly those identifying as women and as belonging to a minority in computer science. It has also brought to our attention that action needs to be taken to mitigate the potentially disproportionately negative consequences that COVID-19 may have on these students due to reduced opportunities for social interaction and the negative impact that this has on sense of belonging.

show abstract

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sense Of Belonging In Computingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sense of Belonging: The Intersectionality of Self-Identified Minority Status and Gender in Undergraduate Computer Science Students

Mooney

Becker

2020

United Kingdom &Amp; Ireland Computing Education Research Conference.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other authors have shown that the learning experiences of computing students can impact sense of belonging. Stout, Tamer & Alvarado [36] found that first year formal research experiences were associated with a strong sense of mentor support the following year. This mentor support then predicted a positive sense of belonging for underrepresented students, but interestingly not for students in majority groups.…”

Section: Sense Of Belonging In Computingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is likely that there are also many factors affecting sense of belonging that cannot be controlled for [14]. Sense of belonging has been shown to be influenced not only by traditional educational environmental factors, but by activities such as video games [31], formal research activities [36], and specific technologies and tools such as web interfaces [21].…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on computing students' sense of belonging

Mooney

Becker

2021

ACM Inroads

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sense of belonging, or belongingness, describes how accepted one feels in their academic community and is an important factor in creating inclusive learning environments. Belongingness is influenced by many factors including: students' backgrounds and experiences; other people; environments (physical and virtual); academic discipline; external factors such as local, regional, and global issues; and time. 2020 has been dominated by several major events including the COVID-19 pandemic which dramatically impacted education. The Black Lives Matter movement has further raised global awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion not just in society, but in educational contexts. Climate change concerns, and politicallycharged news are also increasingly affecting our students.We have been monitoring our undergraduate computing students' sense of belonging for over three years, providing us with a unique opportunity to gauge recent changes during the pandemic. Our results surprised us. We found statistically significant reductions in the belongingness of students identifying as men as well as those not identifying as being part of a minority. However, investigating intersectionality of self-identified gender and minority status revealed more complicated and nuanced trends, illustrating important shifts in the belongingness of our students that we are only beginning to understand.

show abstract

Diversifying computer science: An examination of the potential influences of women‐in‐computing groups

Wu,

Uttal

2024

Science Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The gender imbalance in computer science (CS) is one of the most challenging issues in American education. CS is the only science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field in which women's representation has steadily declined in recent decades. In this study, we explored one potential approach that could be effective in increasing college women's participation in CS: participation in Women‐in‐Computing (WiC) groups. Through participant observation and individual interviews in a WiC group at a major research university, we investigated how students engage in WiC, the impacts of the WiC on identity and belonging, and the challenge of sustainability. The results were coded using a hybrid of grounded and deductive coding and indicate that WiC groups offer various programs and events that enable women in CS to fully participate, learn, and grow. WiC represents an identity, a community, a safe space, and a journey. The results also suggest that the WiC has had positive impacts on students' identity and belonging, as evidenced by increased self‐efficacy, reduced imposter syndrome, and enhanced sense of belonging and community. Furthermore, we outline three strategies employed by the WiC to ensure the group's sustainability. Our study sheds light on how WiC can encourage women to enter and persist in CS, and on some of the characteristics of a successful WiC. We demonstrate that WiC may be potentially effective in diversifying CS through identity‐based participation. Moreover, student leaders design both the structure of the group and the leadership continuity process to ensure sustainability.

show abstract

Formal Research Experiences for First Year Students

Cited by 18 publications

References 23 publications

Sense of Belonging: The Intersectionality of Self-Identified Minority Status and Gender in Undergraduate Computer Science Students

Sense of Belonging: The Intersectionality of Self-Identified Minority Status and Gender in Undergraduate Computer Science Students

Investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on computing students' sense of belonging

Diversifying computer science: An examination of the potential influences of women‐in‐computing groups

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About