Alison Hunter Manukau Institute of Technology, New Zealand Raewyn Boersen Eastern Institute of Technology, New Zealand

Population 4.5 million, nearest large neighbour Australia, 3 hours flying away, area about same as UK.

 First one 1989, introduced programming to year old girls, ran 11 years, champion retired (COBOL)  Redesigned and refocused in 2008 by some of the same initiators  Now 13 x NZ sites, 12 x international sites  Expanding organically by those who are passionate about girls and programming  or

Name of event Judging Publicity Format Rewards Timing Targets 14 year old girls (year 10) Industry involvement Organisation structure Host sites Teaching materials Programming language PC4G Carefully Designed

 5 years of High school, (years 9-13) ages  Two types - single-sex & co-educational  Majority public i.e. government run, minority privately owned  New Digital Technology curriculum for examination years (Years 11, 12 & 13) with five IT strands  Low uptake ◦ 55 x Programming & Computer Science (P&CS) ◦ 507 x Mathematics  Girls studying P&CS strand relatively low (23%, 24% and 31% respectively)  Majority of schools use criterion-based assessments

 What evidence is there that participation in the PC4G encourages girls to consider a career in programming?  Sub-questions: How did the girls’ respond emotionally to the Challenge; was it an encouraging experience? What were the girls’ perceptions of gender capabilities and stereotyping? How effectively did the Challenge increase the girls’ understanding of programming?

 Small pilot study  Written survey to collect quantitative and some qualitative data – six sections  Ethical implications substantial due to age of girls  Participants ◦ 12 of 13 schools ◦ 23 of 40 girls  Response rate of 58% (incentivised)

 Quantitative data ◦ Frequency distributions of responses in percentage format ◦ Easiest for reading  Demographics of the 23 participants ◦ 22 use a computer at home ◦ 22 own their own device ◦ 20 had programmed before  Findings from 3 of the 6 sections presented in 4 tables

Table 1: Effectiveness of PC4G Strongly Disagree DisagreeAgreeStrongly Agree The PC4G has made me more interested in programming 0%17%39%43% The PC4G helped me learn about programming 0% 48%52% I will now look for opportunities to find out more about programming 0%9%61%30% I would like to do the PC4G again0% 33%67%

Table 2: Emotional Responses Strongly Disagree DisagreeAgreeStrongly Agree The PC4G was a fun way to learn programming 0% 43%57% I was nervous before I started the PC4G 0%26%48%26% Taking part in the PC4G was challenging but enjoyable 0% 52%48% I was proud of what I achieved in the PC4G 4%0%43%52%

Table 3: Gender Capabilities and Stereotyping Strongly Disagree DisagreeAgreeStrongly Agree It was good that there were no boys competing in the PC4G 0%27% 45% If boys had been included in the PC4G then most likely a boys’ team would have won 17%65%0%17% I will be considered a geek now that I have competed in the PC4G 32%50%5%14% I don’t mind if people think I’m a geek 0%4%35%61%

Table 4: Increased Understanding of Programming Strongly Disagree DisagreeAgreeStrongly Agree I enjoyed the problem solving part of programming most 0%13%48%39% I enjoyed the coding part of programming most 0%32%45%23% I liked being able to test immediately if our code worked 0%4%48% I realised that I needed to be very logical and pay attention to detail 0%9%39%52%

 A positive experience  PC4G increased the girls’ understanding of programming  Stereotypical views although persisting, are minimal, little negative impact ◦ Majority believe that they would be as capable at programming as boys ◦ Being labelled a geek ok  Girls able to rate their preference for three of programming’s component tasks Fun + a sense of achievement + wish to repeat = evidence PC4G encourages girls to consider a career in programming

 The pilot will be refined and areas of limitations addressed  The research is to be extended to more sites and in more countries  A longitudinal study may also be undertaken to see how the girls’ interest in programming is either nurtured and developed or wanes