More Like this

1. Making Apps: An Approach to Recruiting Youth to Computer Science

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3425710  

   Clarke-Midura, Jody ; Sun, Chongning ; Pantic, Katarina ( November 2020 , ACM Transactions on Computing Education)

   null (Ed.)

   In response to the need to broaden participation in computer science, we designed a summer camp to teach middle-school-aged youth to code apps with MIT App Inventor. For the past four summers, we have observed significant gains in youth's interest and self-efficacy in computer science, after attending our camps. The majority of these youth, however, were youth from our local community. To provide equal access across the state and secure more diversity, we were interested in examining the effect of the camp on a broader population of youth. Thus, we partnered with an outreach program to reach and test our camps on youth from low-income high-poverty areas in the Intermountain West. During the summer of 2019, we conducted two sets of camps: locally advertised app camps that attracted youth from our local community and a second set of camps as part of a larger outreach program for youth from low-income high-poverty areas. The camps for both populations followed the same design of personnel, camp activities, structure, and curriculum. However, the background of the participants was slightly different. Using survey data, we found that the local sample experienced significant gains in both self-efficacy and interest, while the outreach group only reported significant gains in self-efficacy after attending the camp. However, the qualitative data collected from the outreach participants indicated that they had a positive experience both with the camp and their mentors. In this article, we discuss the camp design and findings in relation to strategies for broadening participation in Computer Science education. 

   more » « less
2. How Constructivist Learning Impacts Secondary Girls’ STEM Career Interests

   https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v12i2.6793  

   Xu, Y ; Yang, M ; Zhang, S ; Muthukumar, V ( January 2024 , Journal of Education and Training Studies)

   This is a quantitative study that examines how constructivist learning in a summer camp impacted middle school and high school girls’ STEM knowledge, self-efficacy, and ultimately, their interests in future STEM learning and growth. An online survey was used to collect information from thirty-one girls at the end of a five-week summer camp. The results are mostly confirmative of past studies that used student-centered project-based authentic STEM learning with significant gains in students’ understanding of STEM, self-efficacy, and interests in STEM for future development. The unique contribution of the study, though, is the finding that, when given the opportunity to engage in active learning and problem-solving, girls’ interest in STEM subjects could be substantially boosted; the constructivist learning environment along with their gains in STEM knowledge can compensate any insufficiency in self-efficacy in this regard. This study provides insight about the importance of instructional approach in STEM education.

    

   more » « less
3. From Assessment to Research: Evolution of the Study of a Two-Day Intervention for ChemE Sophomores

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--34692  

   Cicciarelli, Bradley ; Sherer, Eric ; Martin, Baker ; Orr, Marisa ( June 2020 , ASEE Conferences)

   This paper describes the evolution of our assessment of a two-day workshop for rising chemical engineering (ChemE) sophomores into a more rigorous evaluation of the mechanisms behind its impact. In 2016, we implemented a voluntary two-day workshop (the "ChemE Camp") for rising chemical engineering sophomore students to try to improve their retention in our program. To assess the impact of the camp, we developed and administered surveys to camp attendees before the camp and to all ChemE students at the beginning and toward the end of the sophomore year. Student feedback about the camp was overwhelmingly positive, and the survey results indicated that students who attended the camp entered the sophomore year feeling more prepared for the curriculum and more comfortable with the ChemE major than those who did not. Camp attendees also reported a larger network of potential study partners than non-attendees and performed better in the Material and Energy Balances (MEB) course. To explain these observed effects, we enlisted the help of an engineering education researcher. After review of the relevant literature in learning theories, we decided to focus on the constructs of self-efficacy and social support. We then improved the design and rigor of our study and refined our surveys by introducing subscales from validated instruments of self-efficacy and social integration. Preliminary results suggest that the camp is having a positive effect on the self-efficacy, social and academic integration, and intent to persist of the students who attend, and data collection is ongoing to determine whether these effects are lasting. Here we describe our journey from the original development of the camp and assessment tools to our current research examining the factors that affect the achievement and persistence of ChemE sophomore students. 

   more » « less
4. How Mother and Father Support Affect Youths' Interest in Computer Science

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3230977.3231003  

   Clarke-Midura, Jody ; Poole, Frederick J. ; Pantic, Katarina ; Sun, Chongning ; Allan, Vicki ( August 2018 , ICER ’18, August 13–15, 2018, Espoo, Finland)

   Parental support is a predictor of children’s career interest and aspirations. However, mother and father support affects youth ca- reer choices differently. To understand how perceived mothers’ and fathers’ support affect career interest in computer science (CS), we developed two path models using both mother and father sup- port gains to predict youths’ interest in CS. We hypothesized that perceived father’s and mother’s support would relate to youths’ interest in CS via youths’ perception of CS utility value as a media- tor. We found that both mother and father support leads to interest in CS. However, father support was found to affect CS interest via the mediator utility-value beliefs. To provide explanations for these differences we used student interview data to explore how participants in our study perceived parental support. 

   more » « less
5. Engaging Black Female Students in a Year-Long Preparatory Experience for AP CS Principles

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3408877.3432560  

   Escobar, Martha ; Gray, Jeff ; Haynie, Kathleen ; Qazi, Mohammed A. ; Rawajfih, Yasmeen ; McClendon, Pamela ; Tucker, Donnita ; Johnson, Wendy ( March 2021 , Proceedings of ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE’21))

   null (Ed.)

   In 2020, over 116,000 students took the Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) Exam. Although Black female students have participated in AP CSP at higher rates than for the AP CSA course, their representation is still disproportionately lower than the school population of Black females. In this Experience Report, we present the early results of an NSF-sponsored effort that provides an AP CSP preparatory experience and CS career awareness to Black female students from rural, urban, and suburban communities in the state of Alabama. At the project’s core is a peer-learning community (PLC) facilitated by Black female teachers with deep knowledge of AP CSP. An intensive summer experience prepares students for the AP CSP course through culturally-responsive, project-based learning experiences designed to connect advanced computing concepts to the students’ personal lives and career aspirations. Interactions and support continue throughout the academic year to facilitate AP exam readiness. Online interactions among the PLC members serve to mitigate the barriers that young women of color typically encounter when pursuing CS education, increasing their persistence and success in CS. We examined whether students’ project participation enhances self-efficacy and perceived competency in CS, increases positive attitudes, awareness, and desire to pursue CS studies and careers, and mitigates perceived socio-cultural barriers to pursue studies and careers in CS. Our initial findings include AP CSP examination qualifying rates (87.5%) that exceed the 2019 national/statewide rates for all subgroups (including Alabama White male students), increased perceptions of Black females as belonging in CS, and gains in computing self-efficacy throughout the academic year. 

   more » « less