STEM-CP: BPEC - Learning From Young Women Who Participate in Computing: Longitudinal Research on the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Program

科罗拉多大学的国家妇女信息技术中心（NCWIT）将调查影响年轻女性在高中和高中毕业后对计算机兴趣和追求的特征和外部因素。目前的研究提供了很多关于是什么阻碍了女性参与计算机行业的证据，但对于一些女性为什么以及如何在面对许多挑战时坚持不懈，研究只是零散的见解。自2007年以来，NCWIT的计算机抱负（AiC）项目吸引了数千名女性申请者。项目团队将对AiC申请人进行调查、访谈和焦点小组讨论。对结果数据集的分析将使计算机社区能够更多地了解哪些环境鼓励或阻碍了年轻女性对计算机的追求。NCWIT将分析来自AiC应用门户网站和项目的数据，创建一个关于女性从高中到大学和早期职业生涯的计算机路径的数据集。这个独特的、庞大的、全国性的数据集将通过调查、访谈和焦点小组来建立。本项目将采用准实验研究设计进行纵向混合方法研究，以回答以下研究问题：1)什么因素支持年轻女性对计算机的追求，这些因素如何影响她们的兴趣、自我效能感、结果预期、感知到的社会支持/障碍，以及随着时间的推移坚持计算机的意图？2)年轻女性在计算机领域遇到了哪些挑战，这些挑战如何影响她们的兴趣、自我效能感、结果预期、感知到的社会支持/障碍以及长期坚持计算机的意图？3)哪些因素导致了一些从事计算机活动、学习或职业的女性，尽管在进入该领域面临许多挑战，但她们为何以及如何坚持下去？

The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) at the University or Colorado will investigate the characteristics and external factors influencing young women's interest in and pursuit of computing during and after high school. Current research provides much evidence about what inhibits female participation in computing, but only piecemeal insights into why, and how, some women persist in the face of many challenges. NCWIT's Aspirations in Computing (AiC) program has attracted thousands of female applicants since 2007. The project team will conduct surveys, interviews and focus groups with AiC applicants. Analyses of the resulting dataset will enable the computing community to learn more about what circumstances encourage or hinder young women's pursuit of computing.NCWIT will analyze data from the AiC application portal and program to create a dataset on women's pathways in computing from high school to college and early career. This unique, large, national dataset will be built upon through surveys, interviews and focus groups. This project will use a quasi-experimental research design to conduct a longitudinal, mixed methods study to answer the following research questions: 1) What factors support young women's pursuit of computing, and how do these influence their interest, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, perceived social supports/barriers, and intent to persist in computing over time? 2) What challenges do young women encounter in the field of computing, and how do these influence their interest, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, perceived social supports/barriers, and intent to persist in computing over time? 3) What factors contribute to why, and how, some women pursuing computing activities, study or careers, persist despite many challenges to their inclusion in the field?