Admissions, Organization, Culture, and Policy: Understanding the Postsecondary Structures that Shape Women’s Entry into Computing Bachelor’s Programs
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Katie Smith, Temple University
Version: View help for Version V2
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Project Citation:
Smith, Katie. Admissions, Organization, Culture, and Policy: Understanding the Postsecondary Structures that Shape Women’s Entry into Computing Bachelor’s Programs. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2024-11-14. https://doi.org/10.3886/E208623V2
Project Description
Summary:
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Despite the growing popularity of computing bachelor’s programs, women remain vastly underrepresented in these fields. Using Social Cognitive Career Theory and intersectionality as guiding theories, this qualitative study explores how postsecondary institutions shape women’s experiences choosing and entering computing bachelor’s programs. Twenty-eight of 40 participants entered their institutions with plans to study computing, while 12 developed a new (or renewed) interest in computing as undergraduates. Findings outline four postsecondary structures that shaped participant entry into computing majors, including university-level admissions and participant perceptions of financial and cultural accessibility; academic college-level organization and admissions processes; institutional computing cultures, namely introductory course experiences and social environments; and major declaration policies. Findings also show how these structures differentially shaped participant experiences based on intersecting minoritized social identities, such as race/ethnicity and social class. Overall, findings illustrate the precarious relationship between computing interest development, major intent, and major enrollment for undergraduate women in computing.
Funding Sources:
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Spencer Foundation (202100266)
Scope of Project
Subject Terms:
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Qualitative;
Undergraduate;
Women;
Computer Science;
Information Science;
Computer Engineering;
Cybersecurity;
Computing;
Diversity;
Equity;
Social Cognitive Career Theory;
Intersectionality
Geographic Coverage:
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United States
Collection Date(s):
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2/1/2022 – 11/1/2022
Universe:
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40 undergraduate women enrolled in computing majors at U.S. institutions
Data Type(s):
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survey data;
text
Methodology
Response Rate:
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34 of 40 participants (85%) completed all three study phases.
Sampling:
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Participants were eligible if they were age 18+, self-identified as women, were enrolled in a U.S. computing bachelor’s program, and had accepted a summer computing internship (based on criteria for a larger study on women's career development in computing). Initial criteria required that participants be CS majors, but eligibility was later expanded to other computer majors to reach study capacity. Study information was emailed to Association for Computing Machinery-Women (ACM-W) campus chapters at U.S. institutions with public contact information. The first 40 eligible participants who completed an electronic demographic survey were invited to participate.
Collection Mode(s):
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face-to-face interview;
web-based survey
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