"Girls Are Crafty, That's Why I Like Coding": Increasing Occupational Identity of Girls of Color With Computational Thinking During Collaborative Problem-Solving

• In Event: Science Teaching and Learning: Gender and Science

Abstract

Many efforts aimed at increasing diversity in STEM occupations concentrate on skill development through education, job placement, and industry incentives. It is no secret that girls and people of color continue to be largely absent from the fields of computer science. Our study looks at the effects of these influences on the STEM occupational identity of girls of color during CT activities during collaborative problem solving (CPS). We used a case study to understand girls’ ability to a collaborative problem within CT activities. The participants include 100 self-identified girls in grades 3-8 across the five schools. The themes from the interviews which are: opportunity matters, shifting roles, collaborative culture of growth, topics that encourage persistence.

Authors

• Cassie Fay Quigley, University of Pittsburgh

• Danielle Christine Herro, Clemson University

• Holly Maribeth Plank, University of Pittsburgh

• Aileen Owens, South Fayette School District