4.++Supporting+Articles

=SUPPORTING ARTICLES:=

Cooper's observations, in our featured article, have explored the influence of gender stereotypes, attribution patterns and stereotype threats upon computer anxiety. This computer anxiety directly affects girls' attitudes towards computers and their performance. We found a number of articles which supported and extended Cooper's work and have shared three examples on this page. As you read through these article summaries, note similar research findings and further comments on the gender digital divide. Of special note are the statistics about women and Information Technology and how female computer anxiety is manifested. Again, we encourage you to access the original articles for more detailed accounts.

**//Summary of the Most Relevant Findings://**

 * In August 2002, the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration reported the majority of the online population was female (p.23).
 * Although the online statistics appear encouraging, these statistics do not preclude a disappearance of the gender digital divide as “equal access is considerably different from equitable access” and male domination of online communications is still evident (p. 24).
 * Research shows that women are discouraged from pursuits of mathematics, sciences and computer sciences as early as elementary school (p. 24).
 * Video games portray stereotypical roles for women, they appeal primarily to males and are considered an “initial point of interest” for a majority of IT professionals (p.25).
 * In 1996-97, less than one in six information sciences degrees were conferred on women and this gap continues to increase (p. 24).
 * “Glaring inequalities…remain despite equality in Internet access [and] illustrate the urgency for a deeper, broader understanding of the digital divide and a deeper, broader approach for eliminating it (p. 25).
 * This issue moves beyond a simple question of Internet access and holds basis in “social, cultural, and economic ramifications”, suggesting that old inequalities are being “recycled” in “a new cyber form” (pp. 25-26).

//**To eliminate this gender divide Gorski makes the following suggestions:**//


 * The definition of access should be widened to include “support and encouragement to pursue and value technology-related fields…and also to include access to non-hostile, inclusive software and Internet content” (p. 26).
 * To critically examine how technologies are used and how they are being taught (p. 26).
 * Question educational and societal inequities being cognizant that those who make up the digital divide are “the same groups which are historically disenfranchised” (p.26).
 * Reject “any solution that aims to “close” and not “eliminate” the divide” (p. 27)
 * That we reframe the gender divide issue by viewing the task of eliminating the divide as an “equity issue in schools and larger society with enormous social justice implications” (p. 26).

==Looker, F., & Thiessen, V. (2003). [|The digital divide in Canadian schools]: [|Factors affecting student access to the use of information technology] Ottawa: Statistics Canada.==

//**Summary of the Most Relevant Findings:**//
 * High school males are more likely than high school females to enter jobs in ICT (p.2).
 * Women in the ICT sector drop out at twice the rate of men and cite "differential treatment" as the reason (p.2).
 * Women state they are less interested in careers in ICT and also see themselves with lower levels of ability with parental and school influences being "implicated in reinforcing this gender divide" (p.3).
 * Initiatives to overcome the gender divide are shown to be marginally successful - but it must be noted that these initiatives are usually driven by highly trained and motivated teachers which may be what is making the difference (p.3).
 * 2000 data shows little difference in the proportion of men and women using the internet - the difference is in "where and why males and females use ICT" (p. 7).
 * Females are slightly less likely to have a computer in the home (p.7).
 * "Males are more likely than females to undertake computer programming" and to use computers in more diverse ways than females (pp. 8-9).
 * "Differences in use of and attitudes toward ICT are fairly small, and there seem to be possibilities for further reducing them" (p.21).

==Bryson, M., Petrina, S. & Braundy, M. (2003). [|Conditions for Success? Gender in Technology-Intensive Courses in British Columbia Secondary Schools.] //Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education.// 3(2), pp. 185-193. ==

//**Summary of the Most Relevant Findings:**//
 * "Only 20% of the high-tech positions in BC, Canada, and the United States are filled by women" (p.186).
 * High school girls are "one-fourth as likely to complete a computer education course as boys" (p. 186).
 * The girls who do participate in the courses achieve better on average than the boys (p. 191).
 * Girls are more likely to enroll in data entry courses while boys are more likely to enroll in advanced computer science and high-end graphics courses (pp. 186-187).
 * The status of girls in technology courses has not improved over the past 15 years (p. 188).
 * The authors conclude that gender inequalities are "systemic in the educational system" (p. 188).
 * The authors' somewhat surprising and thought-provoking concluding recommendation is "accountable, gender-specific, intensive experiences in technology for all boys and girls rather than chance integration" at all K-12 levels. They argue that the move towards integration/infusion of technology outcomes in all curriculum further lessens the chance that the proper interventions to address the gender divide is possible (p. 192).

Additional Local Supporting Evidence/Research:
 summary by Rhonda Morrissette
 * [|Adolescent Parent Centre]**

"The Adolescent Parent Centre (APC) is a special school in Winnipeg School Division for young women who are pregnant or have babies that are two years old or younger. APC operates as a satellite program of the [|Winnipeg Adult Education Centre (WAEC).] "

I conducted a survey in spring 2007 to assess the varying levels of proficiency in critical literacy between staff and the different programs at my school, and was asked to gather data on home access and use of technology at the same time. Three of the questions provide fascinating insights to this gender digital divide discussion.

//**APC Students** **(gr. 9-12)**// - 56% //**All Other Grade 9-12 students (Male and Female mixed group) **// - 73%
 * 1. Do you have access to an internet connected computer in your home?**

//**APC Students:**// 0-10 times - 84% 10-40+ times - 16%  //**All Other Grade 9-12 students (male and female mixed group) :**// 0-10 times - 64% 10-40+ times - 36%
 * 2. How many times do you use the Internet during a typical week?**

These results confirm the conclusion of Looker & Thiesen in the CDR Research paper[| The digital divide in Canadian schools] that "Female youths and those from families from low levels of parental education are also less likely to have access to computers in their homes; [and] they tend to spend less time on the computer" (2003, abstract).
 * 3. Why do you use the Internet?**
 * Findings:**

Although these results do not take in account differences in age or socio-economic status between school locations, they certainly indicate that the girls at the Adolescent Parent Centre have less access to technology outside of school, and that they use technology less often and for different reasons than boys/men.

It's important to know as much as possible about our students. This data gives administrators and technology committee members a unique opportunity to provide adequate resources, initiatives and strategies to open up new possibilities in futures in technology for our Adolescent Parent Centre students.

When you are finished examining these articles, please continue on to the Anticipation Chart Revisited.