skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


  • NSF Public Access
  • Search Results
  • The Intersection of Being Black and Being a Woman: Examining the Effect of Social Computing Relationships on Computer Science Career Choice
Title: The Intersection of Being Black and Being a Woman: Examining the Effect of Social Computing Relationships on Computer Science Career Choice
Computer science (CS) has been identified as one of the fastest-growing professions, with demand for CS professionals far outpacing the supply of CS graduates. The necessity for a trained CS workforce has compelled industry and academia to evaluate strategies for broadening participation in CS. The current literature in CS education emphasizes the importance of social relationships and supports for individuals from underrepresented groups. Unfortunately, this literature has largely been limited to either the exploration of issues of women or that of underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. These limited views generalize characteristics of specific underrepresented groups without considering intersections between these groups. This quantitative study ( n = 3,206) addressed that shortcoming by leveraging inferential statistical methods to examine (i) the similarities and differences between the social CS-related experiences of Black women, Black men, and non-Black women in the United States; (ii) the relationship between these experiences and CS career choices; and (iii) the activities during which significant social experiences might occur. The results indicate that Black women's social experiences are often different from the experiences of both Black men and non-Black women. In particular, both Black men and non-Black women had more CS friends than Black women, whereas having these friends was more significant for the CS career choice for Black women. Introductions to CS in school, before college, were negatively related to career choice for all groups, whereas home support was positive for both Black women and men. This work suggests that considering intersectionality is important to understanding the needs of different individuals, as well as the importance of social supports for persistence in CS.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1845884
PAR ID:
10221743
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
ACM Transactions on Computing Education
Volume:
20
Issue:
2
ISSN:
1946-6226
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1 to 15
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, SIGCSE 2023: Proceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 2)
    Lack of diversity and high dropout rates among underrepresented students plague the CS discipline. We developed, administered, and validated survey scales measuring social factors that impact the retention and graduation of under-represented CS undergrads at two institutions. Results revealed significant differences between students who identify as men vs. women in terms of computing identity and confidence, and between black and non-black students in terms of familiarity with future opportunities. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education)
    Although it is well known that Black women are underrepresented in computing, less is known about their pre-college experiences. We hypothesize that inequities at the K-12 level result in Black women's underrepresentation in computing, because Black women have accumulated less social capital and are less embedded in courses and organizations related to computing prior to college. This paper reports the initial findings from the first round of a survey designed to gather the pre-college computing experiences of Black women and their peers. Black women in our sample were less likely to report participating in formal computer science (CS) education in school, slightly more likely to report participation in outside-of-school computing programs, about equally as likely to pursue computing experiences independently, and more likely to have had no pre-college computing experiences at all. We found that Black women were less likely to report that they were told they would be a good computer scientist, especially by friends, teachers, and guidance counselors, thus reflecting weaker social connections and lower levels of social capital. These findings suggest that organizational embeddedness or social ties from pre-college computing experiences may indeed be a factor in Black women's underrepresentation in computing and that access to these experiences outside of the formal classroom may be particularly important. The survey is one part of a study that will feature a second round of data collection in another state, analysis of state-level longitudinal data, and interviews with Black women. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; (, International journal of gender science and technology)
    Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE) provide valuable opportunities to large numbers of students relatively early in their academic careers and have the potential to attract and retain women and students from underrepresented minority groups both in the sciences and in other technical fields requiring quantitative research literacy. To evaluate the relative success of a multidisciplinary CURE, we compared background characteristics, course experiences and outcomes of men and women under-represented (URM) and non-underrepresented students. Though URM and non-URM students of both genders differed on many background characteristics, and self-reported course experiences, with few exceptions, positive course outcomes and predictors of those outcomes did not differ by URM/gender group. The Passion-Driven Statistics CURE aims to equip the future STEM workforce with the data analysis skills and reasoning needed across industries. Additional research is needed to determine whether this CURE may influence educational and career trajectories for women and URM students. 
    more » « less
  4. ; (, Journal for Multicultural Education)
    null (Ed.)
    Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the narratives of 93 Black women in computing in the USA to identify salient themes that are at the intersection of race and gender in the field of computer science. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a multi-method approach with a survey to describe the sample and a series of focus groups for in-depth analysis of themes. The qualitative methodology uses a grounded theory and consensual qualitative research approach with a research team that includes computer scientists and social scientists to collect and analyze data. Given the highly technical field of computer science and the intersectional experiences of the participants, this approach was optimal to capture and code data through the lens of Black women in computing. Findings The authors found four main themes that represented specific needs for Black women in the computing community. The first is the importance of linking Black women in computing (i.e. their recruitment, retention and career growth) to the bottom line of organizational and personal accountability. The second is effective cultural and educational supports for Black women in computing across pathways, starting in middle school. The third is to provide leadership development as a part of their educational and workplace experience. The fourth is a collection of empirical research and scholarship about and for Black women as a part of the computing literature. Originality/value Black women comprise one of the most underrepresented subgroups in the area of computer science in the USA. There is very little research about Black women in computing. To promote broadened participation in computing, there is a critical need to understand the narratives of successful Black women in the space. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; (, Journal of Computing in Higher Education)
    This paper offers a synthesis on computing identity and the experiences of women and minoritized populations in computing and computer science in higher education. Examining computing identity and its role in the computing experiences of minoritized undergraduates can help us better understand ways to engage and support women and minoritized individuals in the computing field thus increasing participation and persistence of these groups in computing. In this article, we present a review of research literature on computing identity within the experiences of women and minoritized undergraduate students in computing. The research questions guiding this work are: (1) What research literature exists about computing identity?, (2) According to existing literature, what are the experiences of women and racially minoritized undergraduates in computing (e.g., persons who identify as Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous people)?, and (3) What theoretical frameworks are used to guide existing computing identity literature? Emergent themes include the need to focus on exposure to computing, persistence, career expectations, and engagement. While there is no consensus on a computer identity framework, there is research guided by social cognitive career theory, social identity theory, and practice theory. We conclude that computing identity, including its multiple conceptualizations, offers multiple opportunities for informing and broadening participation of minoritized populations in computing. Future research should include further conceptual exploration of computing identity. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email