Is being clever enough? Young people’s construction of the ideal student in computer science education

Billy Wong; Jessica M.M. Hamer; Meggie Copsey-Blake; Peter E.J. Kemp

doi:10.1080/00131911.2024.2379430

Is being clever enough? Young people’s construction of the ideal student in computer science education

Billy Wong^*, Jessica M.M. Hamer, Meggie Copsey-Blake, Peter E.J. Kemp

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Education, Communication & Society

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Popular discourses of computing and computer science can often frame the sector and the people within it as highly intelligent yet socially challenged, contributing to stereotypes that can potentially exclude those perceived to lack these skills or characteristics. For young people, such stereotypes can influence their educational and career aspirations, especially if there are discrepancies between their own identity and perceptions of what is desirable for computer science students. Drawing on open-ended questionnaire data from 3235 young people in England (aged 11–16), we collected 9442 keywords that students used to describe their “ideal student” in computer science education. An understanding of these perceptions allows us to recognise the prevailing stereotypes that may be shaping young people’s views and aspirations. In this paper, we employ an innovative large-scale descriptive analysis of the most common words that students use to describe the ideal computer science student, including its differences, if any, by students’ demographic background (e.g. gender, ethnicity, free school meal) and responses to the questionnaire (e.g. aspirations to be a computer scientist). We tentatively identified eight clusters of popular ideal student characteristics, namely being Smart & Clever; Knowledgeable & Interested; Determined & Hardworking; Kind & Helpful; Creative; Independent; Confident; and Collaborative. By examining how students imagine the ideal student in computer science, we gain better understanding of their educational aspirations and choice of study and provide educators with valuable insights to potentially challenge and reshape these perceptions. These insights can inform educational interventions to foster a more inclusive computing education.

Original language	English
Journal	EDUCATIONAL REVIEW
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2024.2379430
Publication status	Published - 11 Aug 2024

Keywords

computer science
computing education
computing student
Ideal student
student identity

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1080/00131911.2024.2379430

Cite this

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abstract = "Popular discourses of computing and computer science can often frame the sector and the people within it as highly intelligent yet socially challenged, contributing to stereotypes that can potentially exclude those perceived to lack these skills or characteristics. For young people, such stereotypes can influence their educational and career aspirations, especially if there are discrepancies between their own identity and perceptions of what is desirable for computer science students. Drawing on open-ended questionnaire data from 3235 young people in England (aged 11–16), we collected 9442 keywords that students used to describe their “ideal student” in computer science education. An understanding of these perceptions allows us to recognise the prevailing stereotypes that may be shaping young people{\textquoteright}s views and aspirations. In this paper, we employ an innovative large-scale descriptive analysis of the most common words that students use to describe the ideal computer science student, including its differences, if any, by students{\textquoteright} demographic background (e.g. gender, ethnicity, free school meal) and responses to the questionnaire (e.g. aspirations to be a computer scientist). We tentatively identified eight clusters of popular ideal student characteristics, namely being Smart & Clever; Knowledgeable & Interested; Determined & Hardworking; Kind & Helpful; Creative; Independent; Confident; and Collaborative. By examining how students imagine the ideal student in computer science, we gain better understanding of their educational aspirations and choice of study and provide educators with valuable insights to potentially challenge and reshape these perceptions. These insights can inform educational interventions to foster a more inclusive computing education.",

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Is being clever enough? Young people’s construction of the ideal student in computer science education

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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