1. Women, Mathematics and Computer Science Orit Hazzan Department of Education in Technology and Science Technion, Haifa, Israel 32000 oritha@techunix.technion.ac.il

2. Outline Data from Israeli high-school Research setting Preliminary data analysis: –Questionnaire –Teacher workshop

3. Data from Israeli high schools: - Highest level 1999Matriculation CSMathLiteratureBible 3,990 (72%) 5,602 (57%) 757 (16%) 2,538 (39%) Boys 1,538 (28%) 4,179 (43%) 4,041 (84%) 3,992 (61%) Girls

4. Research Setting Focus: –High Schools (Gal-Ezer, J., Beeri, C., Harel, D., Yehudai, A. (1995). A high school program in Computer Science. Computer, 73-80.) –Army For future research: –Academia (from B.Sc. to academic positions) –Industry

5. Research Setting: Three stages First stage: Description of the situation in Israel: Numbers (quantitative research) Attitudes (qualitative research) – Next Slides Second stage: Identify the reasons why boys and girls choose CS (or not) Third stage: Based on 1 and 2 - recommendations

6. Women in CS: How we research the topic? Quantitative data analysis Interviews Questionnaires Teacher workshop 

7. Attitudes CS Boys and girls in CS What Who Teachers (CS teachers, others) Principals Advisors High-school pupils Pre-service teachers Soldiers

8. Questionnaire: multiple-choice & open questions (14 teachers). Attitudes Definite Yes YesNeutralNoDefinite No 6512 There is a difference in girls’ and boys’ attitude towards CS 5711 Pupils who choose the highest level of matriculation in CS, select the highest level also in other subjects 6251 Girls and boys choose CS for the same reasons

9. Attitudes – Teacher explanations There is a difference in girls’ and boys’ attitude towards CS: Definitely Yes (6 teachers): Girls work more precisely and by the book; Boys work more by tricks. Girls are shy to show that they do not know and do not understand. This is especially true in mixed groups. Yes (5 teachers): Especially in the lab the boys feel free.

10. Attitudes – Teacher explanations Pupils who choose the highest level of matriculation in CS, select the highest level also in other subjects. If yes, please specify what subjects: Definitely Yes (5 teachers) & Yes (7 teachers): In all answers appear either Mathematics or Physics/Chemistry/Biology or both.

11. Attitudes – Teacher explanations Girls and boys choose CS for the same reasons. If yes – please specify the reasons; if not – which reasons fit boys? Which reasons fit girls? Yes (6 teachers): Both genders conceive the subject as an intellectual and social challenge. No (5 teachers): For boys – it is practical; it talks to them, a profession for the future. It is boring for the girls, it is difficult for them. The boys think about the future, to be part of the hi-tech sector; The girls do not have the same financial motivation.

12. Teacher workshop –Activities (will be elaborated) –At its end the teachers get research tasks (for payment) Purpose: –Teachers’ involvement in the topic –Teachers’ involvement in data collection –Teachers’ awareness –Variety of resources and points of view (different schools, different teachers). Data collection – Attitudes

13. Teacher workshop: Activities Both genders BoysGirls Encourage Discourage Factors that encourage/discourage girls and boys from choosing CS.

14. Some data Example from one of the workshops: # of factors that influence the selection of CS in high school Both genders BoysGirls 410 Encourage 317 Discourage

15. Some Data Both gendersBoysGirls Cool A lot of money Dynamic career Hi-tech Bill Gates0 Encourage High requirements The hi-tech crisis Requires a lot of work 7 Next Slide Discourage Example from one of the workshops: Factors that influence the selection of CS in high school

16. Some Data Factors that discourage girls from learning CS: A technological field The male image of the field Culture (boys get Lego, girls get Barbie) Principals, teachers, advisors’ influence Requires a lot of work Fear of learning a topic that they will not succeed in Connection to the kind of work in the future

17. Preliminary findings Teacher explanations: Why girls do not choose CS? –Emotional (e.g., fear from failure) –Cognitive (e.g., it’s difficult) –Pedagogical (e.g., the learning environment) –Social (e.g., the nature of the profession) Teacher explanations of these kinds appear in all activities.

18. Preliminary findings Central factor: The image of the profession 1.The name: Students (and sometimes teachers) connect CS to computer applications. That leads to the connection of computers to computer games, nerds, etc. 2.The tendency to examine the future work place is unique for CS (usually it does not exist in Mathematics, Biology, Physics).

19. Possible actions Activities suggested by the teachers: –The profession image: Demonstration of CS in connection with attractive topics, such as biotechnology, genetic. – Joint project of boys and girls –Separate classes for girls (similar phenomenon was described with respect to physics) –Collaboration with hi-tech companies