GSE/RES Beyond the Deficit Model: Gender Schemas, Computing, Preferences, and IT Careeer Choices

智力优势：这项混合方法研究将调查计算机的不同方面如何嵌入男性和女性性别图式，以及这种嵌入如何与学生对这些方面的看法以及课程和职业意向相互作用。计算与其他STEM领域的不同之处在于，它与人们从小就接触的无处不在的日常物品有关。此外，计算机包含了一套复杂的可能的实践，这些实践与性别图式深深纠缠在一起。例如，在西方文化中，对“看引擎顶下”的兴趣，以及把一件人工制品当作有趣的东西来对待，就像它是一个玩具一样，与男性气质有关，而在社会背景下，把物品当作工具来使用，并关注社会回报，则与女性气质有关。这种玩具vs工具的二元性可能在计算机领域表现出来，男孩表现出对修理或破解计算机的兴趣，而女孩则被博客和社交网络所吸引。正是这些二元性，以及与之相关的计算的具体用途，维持了相对稳定的性别联系。虽然男孩和女孩都使用计算机，但与计算机课程、专业和职业相关的计算机使用方式似乎植根于男性文化模式。因此，日常使用可以在性别之间平衡，而以职业为导向的态度和行为则显示出越来越大的性别差异。本研究从定性探索开始，然后开发基于理论的更新量表，测量中学生当前的计算机实践是如何生活和性别的。这些新措施将用于对马里兰州霍华德和乔治王子县公立学校的2000名学生进行的全面调查。这项研究包含了两个潜在的变革概念：认识到计算的文化背景的重要性和发展更新的措施，这些措施将在这一背景下尚未进行定量探索的理论概念付诸实施。这项研究也抛弃了“缺陷模型”，将女孩缺乏热情视为女孩数量不足的结果，转而关注计算机专业无法吸引女孩的原因。更广泛的影响：这些发现和新措施将帮助教育工作者和研究人员了解女孩对计算机课程和职业不感兴趣的原因。这对于高中计算机科学课程的设计和实施，以及在计算机专业和专业中增加包容性实践的努力都是重要的。研究结果还将为高中课程设计提供指导，使其既能吸引女孩，也能吸引男孩，并为宣传与男性性别模式没有严格联系的计算机工作提供指导。多元化的本科生和研究生将在高等教育中培养研究技能和对机会的理解。UMBC与学区的伙伴关系将得到加强。中学生将接触到研究和不同的研究人员群体。调查结果将广泛传播到社会学、教育学和信息技术学科，并传播给教育工作者和家长。

Intellectual Merit: This mixed-method study will investigate how different aspects of computing are embedded within masculine and feminine gender schemas, and how this embedding interacts with students' perceptions of these aspects, as well as with course-taking and career intentions. Computing differs from other STEM fields in that it is associated with a pervasive everyday object which people encounter from an early age. The computer, moreover, incorporates a complex set of possible practices which are deeply entangled with gender schemas. For example, interest in "looking under the hood" and approaching an artifact as interesting per se, as if it were a toy, is associated with masculinity in Western cultures, whereas using objects as a tool within a social context, with attention to social rewards, is associated with femininity. This toy vs. tool duality may manifest in computing with boys showing interest in fixing or hacking the computer, and with girls being attracted to blogs and social networking. It is these dualities, and the specific uses of computing associated with them, that maintain relatively stable gender associations. While boys and girls both use computers, the modalities of computer use that continue to be associated with computer courses, majors and careers appear to be embedded within a masculine cultural schema. Thus, everyday use can equalize across genders while career-oriented attitudes and behaviors see an increasing gender disparity. This research begins with a qualitative exploration and then develops theoretically based, updated scales which measure how current computing practices of middle school students are lived and gendered. These new measures will be used in a comprehensive survey to be administered to 2,000 students in the Howard and Prince George's County, Maryland, public schools. The study incorporates two potentially transformative concepts: recognition of the importance of the cultural context of computing and development of updated measures which operationalize theoretical concepts that have not been quantitatively explored in this context. The research also moves away from a "deficit model" where girls' lack of enthusiasm is seen as a result of deficiencies in girls, and, focus on why computing majors are failing to attract girls. Broader Impacts: The findings and the new measures will help educators and researchers understand what girls find unattractive about computer courses and occupations. This is important for design and implementation of computer science curricula in high schools and for efforts to increase inclusive practices in computing majors and professions. The findings will also provide guidelines for designing curricula in high school that are attractive to girls as well as boys, and for publicizing aspects of computing jobs that are not strictly associated with masculine gender schemas. A diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students will develop research skills and an understanding of opportunities in higher education. UMBC's partnership with school districts will be enhanced. Middle school students will be exposed to research and a diverse group of researchers. Findings will be disseminated broadly, across sociology, education and IT disciplines and to educators as well as parents.