Factors contributing to the underrepresentation of girls in year 11 outdoor education at a selected government school

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors contributing to the underrepresentation of girls in the Year 11 Outdoor Education course in a selected government school. Enrolment statistics provided by the Secondary Education Authority indicate a possible gender orientation of the course which is problematic under the Social justice in education: Policy and guidelines for gender equity (Ministry of Education, 1991 ). In Western Australian schools, enrolments in Outdoor Education have increased steadily since lower school units were introduced in 1987. However, the participation rate has consistently been about two times greater for boys than for girls. Of concern to feminist researchers in education is the way in which the hidden curriculum conveys and reaffirms messages of inequalities between the sexes. Outdoor Education offered an ideal framework within which the assumptions of prevailing cultural ideologies concerned with gender identities and relations could be explored and challenged. The project is a descriptive-analytical study, utilising mixed-mode methods of research: that is, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected in order to investigate factors affecting the selection, or nonselection, of Year 11 Outdoor Education. The research strategy involved the completion of a questionnaire by (a) all Year 10 Outdoor Education students, (b) other Year 10 students who had selected Year 11 Outdoor Education, and (c) a randomly selected group of Year 10 students who had not participated in or selected Outdoor Education. The results of the questionnaire were analysed to determine trends, similarities, and differences in the attitudes of girls and boys towards Outdoor Education. The inclusion of questionnaire data from boys allowed the researcher to observe commonalities and note areas where opinions and attitudes of girls and boys contrasted. These contrasting attitudes were of particular interest because they indicated areas where girls differed to boys in their reasons for selecting, or not selecting, Outdoor Education. Findings from the study indicate that selection, or nonselection, of Year 11 Outdoor Education by girls and boys was influenced by several main factors. The factor which appeared most to perpetuate the underrepresentation of girls in Year 11 Outdoor Education was the permeating effect of the masculine gender orientation of the course. The masculinisation of Outdoor Education: negatively affected many girls\u27 enjoyment of, or potential to enjoy, the course; resulted in many girls perceiving the course as irrelevant to their personal and career ambitions; and led to many girls conceptualising challenge and adventure as being coercive, and therefore not desirable for girls\u27 involvement. Finally, recommendations based on the findings are made to three key groups: The Ministry of Education; Heads of Department in schools; and Outdoor Education teachers. The suggested strategies encompass both policy changes from Ministerial level down, as well as more fundamental shifts in attitude by outdoor educators and school administrators. Mentoring of female outdoor education teachers, revision of the educational objectives for Outdoor Education courses to reflect a balance of interpersonal skills and technical skills, and provision of opportunities for a variety of learning styles to suit the needs of both girls and boys, are among essential strategies required to achieve social justice in education for girls and boys

Designing and Evaluating Accessible E-Learning for Students with Visual Impairments in K-12 Computing Education

This dissertation explores the pathways for making K-12 computing education more accessible for blind or visually impaired (BVI) learners. As computer science (CS) expands into K-12 education, more concerted efforts are required to ensure all students have equitable access to opportunities to pursue a career in computing. To determine their viability with BVI learners, I conducted three studies to assess current accessibility in CS curricula, materials, and learning environments. Study one was interviews with visually impaired developers; study two was interviews with K-12 teachers of visually impaired students; study three was a remote observation within a computer science course. My exploration revealed that most of CS education lacks the necessary accommodations for BVI students to learn at an equitable pace with sighted students. However, electronic learning (e-learning) was a theme that showed to provide the most accessible learning experience for BVI students, although even there, usability and accessibility challenges were present in online learning platforms. My dissertation engaged in a human-centered approach across three studies towards designing, developing, and evaluating an online learning management system (LMS) with the critical design elements to improve navigation and interaction with BVI users. Study one was a survey exploring the perception of readiness for taking online courses between sighted and visually impaired students. The findings from the survey fueled study two, which employed participatory design with storytelling with K-12 teachers and BVI students to learn more about their experiences using LMSs and how they imagine such systems to be more accessible. The findings led to developing the accessible learning content management system (ALCMS), a web-based platform for managing courses, course content, and course roster, evaluated in study three with high school students, both sighted and visually impaired, to determine its usability and accessibility. This research contributes with recommendations for including features and design elements to improve accessibility in existing LMSs and building new ones

Engaging Equity Pedagogies in Computer Science Learning Environments

In this position paper, we advocate for the use of equity-focused teaching and learning as an essential practice within computer science classrooms. We provide an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of various equity pedagogies (Banks & Banks, 1995), such as culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995, 2006) and share how they have been utilized in CS classrooms. First, we provide a brief history of CS education and issues of equity within public schools in the United States. In sharing our definition of equity, along with our rationale for how and why these strategies can be taken up in computer science (CS) learning environments, we demonstrate how researchers and educators can shift the focus from access and achievement to social justice. After explaining the differences between the relevant theoretical frameworks, we provide practical examples from research of how both practitioners and researchers might use and/or examine equity-focused teaching practices. Resources for further learning are also included

An Evaluation of Equity and Access for All Students in a School District\u27s Career and Technical Education Programs

There is a great deal of research regarding the need for equity and access in Career and Technical Education (CTE); however, very little research exists acknowledging strategies to achieve it. The purpose of this study was to evaluate equity and access in CTE programs, as well as to determine any barriers to CTE program enrollment, participation, and completion faced by students identified as economically challenged, students with disabilities, or English language learners. The context of this inquiry was high school CTE programs in one school district in the United States of America. My study demonstrates both qualitative and quantitative data that reveal what CTE teachers were doing in their 21st century classrooms to provide equity and access for all students, and it further acknowledges any barriers that those teachers identified

Female computer science and engineering undergraduates: reflections on participation in the academic landscape

Women continue to be underrepresented in computer science and technology related fields despite their significant contributions. The lack of diversity in technology related fields is problematic as it can result in the perpetuation of negative stereotypes and closed-minded, unchecked biases. As technology tools become integral to our daily lives it is essential that a diverse group of people contribute to the sociocultural environments where we participate and live. This dissertation is a phenomenological, interview-based, study designed to investigate the lived experience of women in undergraduate computer science and engineering programs. The purpose of this study was to better understand the factors that might encourage or discourage the participation women in the major and in the field. In order to grow the number of women in technical fields it is important to first understand what attracts them to the field and what supports they find helpful or not helpful. This study illuminated some recommendations that might guide the work of practitioners in secondary schools as well as higher education. Among other things, participants appreciated being challenged by the content and assignments, feeling support from faculty and peers, feeling a connection to the culture, effective encouragement to persist, and engaging interactions. All of the participants described having gone into their field to make a positive impact on society and they also all described the importance having at least one supportive female mentor. Participants described the importance of having spaces where they felt included and appreciated their professors and peers who pushed back against the historical CS-world stereotypes. While the experience of each participant was unique, and there were some very negative experiences, all six participants reported having mostly positive experience in their undergraduate programs

Discipline, Disparity, and Diplomas: Suspension and Grade Retention in a Southeastern State

This study was designed to explore how race and gender impact student success in a southeastern state. A mixed-methods design was implemented so that the quantitative data could be further explained and explored using qualitative research. The quantitative analysis was conducted using a three-factor ANOVA to analyze the number of days a student misses due to suspension and the number of grade level retentions; race, gender, and the district a student attends were used as the independent variables in the analyses. Purposive sampling and the development of a script for the qualitative interviews followed the quantitative analyses. Interviews with administrators in one district within the southeastern state were conducted to further explore the impact of race and gender on discipline and student grade level retention. The results of this study highlight the need for schools and districts to evaluate their discipline practices and explore the disparate number of males who are being retained in a grade level

Leadership Practices that Support Marginalized Students: District and School Leaders' Support for LGBTQ Youth

Thesis advisor: Lauri JohnsonLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth are a marginalized student population in school settings. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine whether and how district and school leaders’ knowledge, attitudes/beliefs, and practices regarding LGBTQ students affected school policies for advocacy, anti-discrimination, and proactive care for this marginalized population. It was part of a larger group case study of how leaders support marginalized students in a Massachusetts urban school district. Data was gathered and analyzed from eight semi-structured interviews, document reviews, and observation of a student organization meeting. Results showed that leaders created and sustained safe environments in schools for LGBTQ youth, made efforts to urge the normalization of LGBTQ advocacy and discourse, and afforded opportunities for LGBTQ student-led activism. The study also found that district and school leaders need to further their systemic efforts toward establishing and implementing inclusive LGBTQ curriculum and instruction. Implications of this study reveal that district and school leadership practices must be explicitly designed, implemented, and sustained in order to effectively support LGBTQ youth.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Exploring Approaches to Data Literacy Through a Critical Race Theory Perspective

In this paper, we describe and analyze a workshop developed for a work training program called DataWorks. In thisworkshop, data workers chose a topic of their interest, sourced and processed data on that topic, and used that data to createpresentations. Drawing from discourses of data literacy; epistemic agency and lived experience; and critical race theory, we analyze the workshops’ activities and outcomes. Through this analysis, three themes emerge: the tensions between epistemic agency and the context of work, encountering the ordinariness of racism through data work, and understanding the personal as communal and intersectional. Finally, critical race theory also prompts us to consider the very notions of data literacy that undergird our workshop activities. From this analysis, we offer a series of suggestions for approaching designing data literacy activities, taking into account critical race theory