THE INFLUENCE OF AN AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM ON COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSE AND CAREER SELECTION

Abstract

For nearly three decades, researchers have studied the persistent underrepresentation of women in computer science and computing-related fields. Findings indicate that recruitment and retention strategies result in short-term gains in interest and diversity in computer science. One recruitment strategy that shows promise to increase student interest in computer science is after-school programs. To increase the number of students exposed to and interested in computer science and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, a suburban school district in southeastern Pennsylvania started an after-school program. This fee-based program offers seven-week long robotics, programming, and science experiment courses for elementary and middle school students. This study used a quantitative approach with the expectancy-value model as the theoretical framework to examine whether there are lasting effects from this after-school program on course and career selection. The results show a higher likelihood of study participants, each of whom participated in an after-school program, to select computer science in high school than the general high school population. The results also show that the rate of computer science choice for this group is also significant when accounting for the gender of the participants. Family dynamics may have been the influencing factor. The results are not supportive of the after-school program influencing participants to study computer science at the collegiate level, but there is some support for study participants interest in a computing career.