Gender and computing: persisting differences

Abstract

Summary Four hundred and twenty‐nine students attending five Scottish secondary schools, drawn from the first, third and sixth years, completed a questionnaire concerned with experience of, and attitudes to, computers and their use. Statistically significant differences between the sexes were found in a number of areas. In general, girls reported less experience of using computers at school, although there were no gender differences in the use of computers for playing games. Boys were significantly more likely than girls to own computers and also reported using computers more frequently outside school, although there were no significant gender differences in the use of computers outside school for word processing. Further analyses carried out on a subsample of 196 pupils indicated significant gender differences on two attitudinal scales: positive orientation to computers (boys scored more) and the tendency to endorse sex‐stereotypical views (boys were more likely to do this). Significant age differences were also found on this subsample, in that in general older students reported less enthusiasm for computers than younger and the youngest students made most use of computers outside school. An interaction of age with gender was shown, in that while there were no gender differences on the scale endorsing sex‐stereotyped views for the youngest age group, older girls were significantly less likely to endorse sex‐stereotyped views than their male peers.

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