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.
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
: include these here if the journal requires them