Computer science and technology : historiography VI (8 - part two)

Computer science and faith, continued [older re-upload

PREVALENCE AND CAUSES OF GENDER IMBALANCE IN SCIENCE EDUCATION IN UNIVERSITIES IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

The study set out to ascertain the prevalence of gender imbalance in science education in universities in Anambra State. It adopted a descriptive survey. The population is made up of 700 male and 350 female students of science education from Universities in the study area. Simple random sampling technique was used in selecting 100 male and 100 female students. Thus, 200 respondents participated in the study. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The instrument for data collection was a researcher developed questionnaire titled “Prevalence of Gender Imbalance in Science Education (PGISE)”. The validity of the instrument was established by three experts: one in Measurement and Evaluation and the two experts in Science education, both in Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Anambra State. The instrument was trial tested and data obtained was used to determine the internal consistency reliability using Cronbach Alpha statistical method. A reliability index of 0.79 was obtained. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while the null hypothesis was tested at .05 level of significance using t-test statistics. The findings revealed the causes of gender imbalance in science education in universities in Anambra State to include among others rigid sex-role stereotyping in science education curricular; masculine image of science education; cultural practices and scientific illiteracy among women. It also revealed among others that sex-role stereotyping in science curricula reduces female interest in leadership roles in science career and that rigid sex-role stereotyping reduces female participation in science curricular activities. It was recommended based on the findings that teachers should make their classrooms gender sensitive so as to reduce the prevalence of sex-role stereotyping in Nigerian universities.  Article visualizations

Gender and the Attraction for IT in Career Paths: A French Study

Different feminist theories have endeavored to explain the relationship between masculinity and technology. However, most of these theories focus on women’s under representation, and little attention has been paid to women who are attracted by technology. This communication describes an exploratory study carried out in an IT company located in France. We based our research on Hennion’s theory of taste as a practice, and we conducted nine semi-structured interviews with male and female IT professionals (IT architects, managers and consultants). Textual analysis and structural analysis have provided the following results: Most interviewees share an attraction for IT because of the ever-changing nature of IT and the diversity of their jobs. However, some differences were clearly expressed; male interviewees assume a hedonic posture, whereas women emphasized the empowerment they feel through mastering technology. Social recognition in the workplace appears to play a major role for women in pursuing a technical career

Integrating online learning into workplace information systems – Supporting the goal of lifelong learning

The authors have a significant history of research in online learning, and in recent years have published their work at the LACCEI conference. This paper focuses on the issues caused by the major skills gaps in STEM industries identified in the popular press, and confirmed through empirical research, and the changes to the workforce occasioned by the growing tide of automation. Both of these issues have a similar result on the STEM workforce, in the need to upskill and reskill staff to be productive in the changed landscape brought about by these issues and the accelerating pace of change through technological development. Fundamentally, they argue that there is a need to change the existing model of workplace learning to integrate learning as an integral component of the workplace, rather than an activity that takes place separate from that workplace, often in a separate location. From their own previous research they have encountered both worker and employer resistance to such integration, but they argue the need for cultural and technological change, to enable greater efficiency and availability of appropriate learning resources directly related to workplace activities. By integrating learning environments and resources with the primary information systems in the workplace, and enabling ""drill-down"" capability to link specific working issues with relevant learning resources, staff efficiency can be improved, better solutions can be developed, and acquisition of skills and knowledge can be improved. The authors provide an example of a working solution, in the tourism domain, from the Tourism Monitor project, which provides both an exemplar and some practical lessons that are relevant to the STEM industries. The Tourism Monitor dashboard provides statistical information collected by the Norwegian government on a number of key tourism datasets, providing information to support the management of tourism services and service organisations. By linking it to an instance of the Sakai VLE, and through that to learning materials developed by the project partners and the local University College, staff development can run alongside the creation and management of tourism services. The authors suggest that a similar model could be used for workplace learning in STEM industries, referencing their own work on developing online learning for collaborative heavyweight processes, such as dCCD, as reported at LACCEI last year. The model developed is novel and built from a considerable body of prior research, and provides an answer to the research question “How could the model of workforce education be changed to ensure the supply of IT and engineering skills in the workforce keeps up with demand?

Hacktivism and the male-only stereotype

This research explores hacktivism as a new form of online political activism. It uses qualitative interviews with a gender-equal sample of 10 self-defined hacktivists to address issues of gender and the discursive strategies used by males and females to handle the hacktivist community’s male-only stereotype. The semi-structured interviews are analysed using Foucauldian discourse analysis (FDA). The analysis indicates that male hacktivists relate to this dominant male-only representation through discursive techniques such as the suppression of gender (Male Oblivious Discourse) or mechanisms of vindication (Male Justification Discourse). Female hacktivists use the accentuation of gender and sexism to counteract male-dominant discourses and establish Female Discourses of Resistance (Emphasis Discourse; Negation Discourse). These gender-related argumentative positions and rhetorical mechanisms demonstrate how the male-only stereotype is created and maintained and how it affects not only hacktivists’ talk and sense-making but also their identity and the hacktivist actions they perform

As mulheres e os números: Uma perspectiva histórica sobre suas contribuições no desenvolvimento da matemática

This work intends to present the trajectory of some women throughout the history of Mathematics, emphasizing their contributions based on the studies of authors such as: Cecília de Souza Fernandez, Ana Maria Luz Fassarella do Amaral, Isabela Vasconcellos Viana (2019), Gilberto Geraldo Garbi (2007) and Cristiane Monteiro de Oliveira (2012). This is a bibliographic research, considering different moments in the course of history, seeking to highlight the process of struggle, recognition and contributions of women in the sciences, with an emphasis on Mathematics. The results obtained prove the brief female presence in texts on Mathematics, leading to reflection on the reasons that lead studies carried out by women to be dismissed and recognized.Este trabalho pretende apresentar a trajetória de algumas mulheres ao longo da história da Matemática, enfatizando as suas contribuições tomando como base os estudos dos autores(as) como: Cecília de Souza Fernandez, Ana Maria Luz Fassarella do Amaral, Isabela Vasconcellos Viana (2019), Gilberto Geraldo Garbi (2007) e Cristiane Monteiro de Oliveira (2012). Trata-se de uma pesquisa de natureza bibliográfica, sendo considerados diferentes momentos no decorrer da história, buscando evidenciar o processo de luta, reconhecimento e as contribuições das mulheres nas ciências, com ênfase na Matemática. Os resultados obtidos revelam a breve presença feminina nos textos sobre Matemática, levando a reflexão sobre os motivos que levam os estudos realizados por mulheres a serem raramente divulgados e reconhecidos