ERIC Number: EJ1178449
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0305-764X
EISSN: N/A
Technical Boys and Creative Girls: The Career Aspirations of Digitally Skilled Youths
Wong, Billy; Kemp, Peter E. J.
Cambridge Journal of Education, v48 n3 p301-316 2018
Digital technology is increasingly central to our lives, particularly among young people. However, there remains a concern from government and businesses of a digital skills gap because many youths, especially girls, tend to be consumers rather than creators of technology. Drawing on 32 semi-structured interviews with digitally skilled teenagers (aged 13-19), this article investigates their digital career aspirations and examines how identities and discourses of gender can interact with the type of digital careers that are of interest to these youths. While it was found that digitally skilled young people still articulate traditional gendered discourses of digital competence, especially around technical abilities, the growing importance of creativity as a career pathway into digital technology is highlighted. Implications of the findings are discussed in relation to the new computing curriculum in England, which prioritises technical computing skills, and the discontinuation of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), which facilitates a broader usage of software and digital productivity.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Secondary School Students, Adolescents, Computer Science Education, Summer Schools, Occupational Aspiration, Information Technology, Achievement Gap, Semi Structured Interviews, Technological Literacy, Self Concept, Discourse Analysis, Creativity, Curriculum, Educational Change, Academic Aspiration, Gender Differences, Qualitative Research
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A