Female Under-Representation in Computing Education and Industry - A Survey of Issues and Interventions

This survey paper examines the issue of female under-representation in computing education and industry, which has been shown from empirical studies to be a problem for over two decades. While various measures and intervention strategies have been implemented to increase the interest of girls in computing education and industry, the level of success has been discouraging. The primary contribution of this paper is to provide an analysis of the extensive research work in this area. It outlines the progressive decline in female representation in computing education. It also presents the key arguments that attempt to explain the decline and intervention strategies. We conclude that there is a need to further explore strategies that will encourage young female learners to interact more with computer educational games

E-EFL in the Saudi tertiary classroom

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThis study explores how digital technologies have been introduced and used in a Saudi e-EFL Higher Education classroom and the degree to which this reflected self-efficacious and heutagogical learning. Despite recent educational reforms in Saudi, the limitations of the educational system make it ill-suited to the needs of the international job market, leaving Saudi graduates under-equipped in an increasingly globalised workforce. Therefore, this quantitative study collected from 41 teachers and 343 university students aims to identify the e-learning experiences of Saudi e-EFL teachers and learners in order to gauge the influence of e-learning integration on the desired progression to learner-centred learning. Additional qualitative data were collected from teachers to be discussed within quantitative data. The data were interpreted and factors influencing learning and teaching methods with digital technologies were analysed against demographic data. The findings revealed that e-EFL teachers are unable to understand how they use ICT technologies and the pedagogical approach they adopt to influence student learning and their capacity to work in a self-directed manner. The present study makes an important contribution to existing research as it provides vital insights for the Saudi educational community to integrate pedagogical transformations into the equation of educational reforms and practices. At a broader level, these insights provide an empirical basis for policymakers and researchers to turn their attention to an issue with the potential to derail important educational reforms aligned with the fulfilment of the Saudi’s 2030 Vision which aims to prepare a self-directed workforce for effective participation in national socio-economic development and in the global knowledge economy. Recommendations are made to integrate training in technology, pedagogy and content knowledge for teachers as they would benefit from a better understanding of epistemological, pedagogical and technical issues and skills to promote students’ heutagogical learning

Assessing Basic School Teachers’ Competence in the Application of Information and Communications Technology in Teaching: Implications for the New Ghanaian Curriculum

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provides access to information through telecommunication technologies to interact in the digital world and continues to evolve to bring remarkable changes in the educational system. ICT integration in teaching is quite complicated and challenging because teachers need to be equipped with the right competencies for teaching practices. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess basic school teachers’ competence in the application of Information and Communications Technology in teaching. The study used descriptive survey design by which simple random sample was used to select 285 teachers from Tano South municipality of Ahafo Region, Ghana. Data collection was done using closed-ended questionnaire. Data analysis was done with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 25). The study results revealed that teachers are instruments of change in educational establishments. They play significant roles in the implementation of ICT in education. Teachers’ competence in integration of ICT in the classroom would bring new, stimulating and fulfilling learning experiences to policy makers, educators and learners.  Based on these findings, it was recommended that teachers should be provided with administrative support to enable them integrate ICT into classroom activities in order to promote student learning. Teachers should be given regular-based ICT training workshops to possess the requisite knowledge and skills so that they can effectively support their students’ ICT usage in classrooms. Also, provision of ICT infrastructure and resources in schools should be given maximum premium since access is a necessary condition to the integration of ICT in education

Factors influencing the learning of introductory computer programing at the Durban University of Technology.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Computer programming is an extremely difficult skill to master for students who are novice computer programmers. The preceding assertion is based on reports of high failure rates in introductory computer programming courses offered by tertiary education institutions. This is not just a South African problem but a number of cross-institutional and multi-national studies show that the problem is well known and is common (Grover et al., 2016). The current study investigated the factors influencing the learning of introductory computer programing at Durban University of Technology (DUT). The objectives of the study were to understand the influence of previous experience on students’ learning of introductory computer programming as well as to understand the influence of self-efficacy on students’ learning of introductory computer programming. The study also focused on understanding the influence of the ‘mental model ‘representation of the problem domain on students’ learning of introductory computer programming, and to understand the influence of the ‘mental model’ representation of the problem domain on students’ self-efficacy in the learning of introductory computer programming. The study adopted the quantitative research method to investigate the subject matter. This study embraced a survey research strategy and data collection carried out was over a short period. The study used simple random sampling to select 200 respondents at DUT. Data were collected using questionnaires. Data quality control was ensured by conducting a reliability and validity test on the data collection instrument used in this study. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from DUT. The quantitative data collected were analyzed using the SPSS, version 25.0. The study utilized statistics such as frequency, descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Cronbach’s alpha and Spearman correlation). The overall findings from the study suggested that the self-efficacy level of the research participants was high. The results of the study revealed that there was a moderate positive relationship between self-efficacy and computer programming. Furthermore, it found was that the mental model adopted by students when solving computer programming problems positively influences student performance in computer programming. An outcome of the study is the recommendation that the teaching and learning of computer programming should focus on language structure and the correct mental interpretation of the problem domain so that students could improve their performance

Is change on the horizon for Maori and Pacifica female high school students when it comes to ICT?

This paper explores some of the factors that discourage the participation of Māori and Pacific girls in ICT in New Zealand. Despite many ICT job opportunities, there has been a steady decrease in the percentage of girls, especial Māori and Pacific girls entering into ICT study, and pursuing ICT careers. This study used a modified version of the conceptual framework designed by Bernhardt (2014) based on the 'STEMcell' model. The STEMcell framework was used to explores the factors that discourage participation in ICT through such concepts as cultural, social, structural and social IT that contribute to the likelihood of student’s career choice in ICT. An online questionnaire gathered data from year 11 students studying at high schools within Wellington, New Zealand. The findings indicated that Pacific girl’s more than Māori girls reported that their family members were seen as role models, which could impact on their future career choices. The statistical results also show that stereotypes are still alive in both Māori and Pacific year 11 student’s perceptions and that both Pacific and Māori girls from year 11 are unlikely to follow a career in ICT. Currently, the number of Māori and Pacific girls enrolling in ICT subjects at secondary school is still substantially below that for boys and, until changes are made, Māori and Pacific girls going into the industry will be in the minority

Doing what works: a grounded theory case study of technology use by teachers of English at a Korean university

Despite considerable effort and expenditure by the Korean government and universities to promote technology use in tertiary education, few teachers of English in Korea regularly and consistently employ technology in their teaching. Moreover, research into the hindrances and enablers of technology use in English education in Korea has been limited for primary and secondary schools and conspicuously absent on the tertiary level. This case study examines what teachers in a general English department at a private university in Seoul undergo as they consider the use of technology both in and out of classrooms. It attempts to provide a holistic look into teacher decision-making in this context. It employs a grounded theory of investigation underpinned by a close reading of the diffusion of innovations theory by Rogers (2003). Data for the study involves three main techniques: semi-structured interviews, a survey questionnaire, and classroom observations. Analysis follows an iterative, grounded method and includes use of both qualitative and quantitative software programs (Atlas.ti 5.0 and SPSS 16.0 respectively). Results from the study form a substantive theory entitled 'what works' which helps explain the myriad of decisions that teachers make while trying to manage personal (internal) and administrative (external) goals and aims. Further, all decisions within this system are underpinned by 'what works' for teachers in any situation both in terms of reliability and consistency. Implications suggest that the use of technology in the classroom exacerbates preexisting pedagogical and infrastructure issues, leading to inconsistencies in representation and application, as well as an overall limitation of potential use by teachers

Teachers’ perceptions about the use of technology in the classroom in basic schools in Ghana

Abstract. The aim of this study is to examine teachers’ perceptions concerning the use of technology as a tool that enhances teaching and learning in the classroom for basic schools in Ghana. The study seeks to identify the gains and challenges associated with basic school teachers that could promote or impede the usage of technology in the classroom. Their teaching, problems that can cause the use of it and limitations. The study analyzed the teacher’s perceptions, whether negative and positive, towards technology use in the classroom. The study was conducted using a sample collected from four regions of Ghana. The number of participants involved was 200, and the instrument was a questionnaire with 60 questions based on a Likert-scale type. The main statistical tools used in analyzing the data included frequency, percentages, standard deviation, mean, and hierarchical regression analysis. The results from the study show that basic school teachers in Ghana generally exhibited a positive perception and attitude for using technology in the classroom. Participants who are younger or have less teaching experience were more willing to adopt to the use of technology in the classroom compared to teachers with much teaching experience. The conclusions of this study reveal that basic school teachers were generally of a positive attitude towards the use of technology in the classroom. They also consider technology to be optimistic to their pupils. The teachers acknowledged how beneficial the implementation and use of technology in classrooms could enhance their teaching performance. Also, most of the teachers suggest that limited resources and skills training could impede effective usage of technology in the classroom. This research work could for addressing some of the challenging associated with one main stakeholder such teachers with regards to the effective implementation of technology in the classroom for teaching and learning purposes

EXPLORING SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ PEDAGOGICAL BELIEFS AND THE INTEGRATION OF ICT IN THE CONTEXT OF A DEVELOPING COUNTRY: A TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL PERSPECTIVE

Information, and communication technologies (ICTs) have become rudimentary in communication and information sharing world over. Even more so for teachers because technologies have the potential to transform their practice and help their students learn. This study extends the technology acceptance model to establish how teachers’ pedagogical beliefs (PB) directly or indirectly influence ICT acceptance among secondary school teachers in Kenya. The research instruments were a survey (n = 234) whose quantitative data were analysed drawing on Ajzen’s (1985) technology acceptance model (TAM) to identify the challenges and the perceptions of challenge for teachers in using technology in the classroom. The findings from this study suggest that teacher’s accounts of appreciation and dissonances with the integration of technology in teaching mirrored similar issues in literature. However, the findings also revealed some nuanced shifts on teacher perceptions and attitudes to technology integration. Implications for policy and practice are discussed, and the development of a new teachers’ technology acceptance model is presented. This study fills the gap in the literature regarding knowledge of technology adoption practice from the points of view of teachers. Article visualizations