Analysis of a Simple, Low-cost Intervention's Impact on Retention of Women in Computer Science

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This project aims to serve the national interest in high-quality STEM education by studying an intervention designed to improve persistence of women in computer science. Engaging all people in learning about STEM, particularly computer science, is important for innovation, global competitiveness, and preparation for future careers that increasingly rely on computing. Women occupy just 28% of STEM jobs and account for only 17% of computer science majors and 21% of engineering majors. These differences in career choices arise partially from gender differences in self-assessment of STEM ability. This project will test whether educational institutions can use a simple intervention to increase the persistence of women in computer science. This intervention consists of email messages to students in introductory computer science courses. The messages contain contextual information about the student’s performance in class and encouragement regarding their effort and potential. For example, a message might reveal that the student is a top performer in the course and suggest that the student should explore getting involved in undergraduate computer science research. A pilot study found that changing the wording of a single email could increase women's intentions to stay in computer science by 18%. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention on a larger scale, and determine how to maximize its efficacy. If successful, the project will provide educational institutions with a simple, easily implemented tool to increase the number of women in computer science fields. This intervention could have positive effects on other groups that face negative stereotypes about their intellectual capacity and ability to succeed in computer sciences, and might be applicable to other STEM disciplines, as well. This project will use both a field experiment and an online experiment to test the intervention. The field experiment will be conducted across all the introductory computer science courses at a large research-based university. Multivariate analysis will be conducted to determine both the immediate and longitudinal effects of the intervention on self-assessed computer science ability and on persistence in computer science. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with some students in the field experiment to obtain nuanced data about students’ experience with the intervention. The online experiment will use short programming activities and will explore which pieces of contextual information are most effective. This knowledge will be critical for crafting efficient messages that can be used at scale, and for determining methods (other than emails) through which institutions can boost students’ self-assessment and persistence in computer science. Mediation analyses will be used in both the field and online experiments to illuminate the process through which the intervention impacts self-assessed computer science ability, and in turn, persistence. This research is expected to contribute to theoretical and practical knowledge of how institutions can intervene to promote gender equity and to increase knowledge about the social-psychological processes around self-assessments of ability and career choice that reproduce existing gender inequalities. This project is supported by the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program: Education and Human Resources Program, which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.