Social interactions and practices that positively influenced women’s retention in their computer science major

ABSTRACT

Background and Context

Despite over 30 years of research on broadening participation, women are still underrepresented in Computer Science (CS) education. While enrolment in CS majors has increased, women earn only 18% of the CS baccalaureate degrees in the US.

Objective

Most research focuses on why women leave CS. This study explores factors (i.e. social interactions and practices) that support retention from the perspective of women who persisted in their CS major.

Methods

We interviewed ten participants first by separating them in two focus groups and then by using individual in-depth interviews.

Findings

We identified four types of social interactions that support retention of women. In terms of practices, we present four of the most frequent practices, and four practices that characterised retention of women at the periphery. These findings add nuanced understanding of factors that support retention of women through the theoretical lens of legitimate peripheral participation in communities of practice.

Implications

This study has several implications for CS departments on how they can support women’s retention, such as by supporting internships, propagating work-life balance and training faculty and students on the importance of legitimacy and support.

KEYWORDS:

• Periphery
• legitimacy
• retention
• women
• computer science (CS)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [KP], upon reasonable request.

Subject classification codes

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Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Center for Women and Gender at Utah State University [A39849].