ERIC Number: EJ944814
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Jul
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1946-6226
EISSN: N/A
Why Latino High School Students Select Computer Science as a Major: Analysis of a Success Story
Zimmerman, Thomas G.; Johnson, David; Wambsgans, Cynthia; Fuentes, Antonio
ACM Transactions on Computing Education, v11 n2 Article 10 Jul 2011
This article reports on a public school that is succeeding in encouraging Latino high school students to select Computer Science (CS) as a major. The students attend a charter high school designed to encourage low-income Latino students to attend college and attain proficiency in English, Spanish, and computers. Using data from surveys and by analyzing test scores, the authors quantify the characteristics of students who are likely to choose CS as a major. A survey of 139 tenth- through twelfth-grade Latino students is used to determine factors that influence CS major selection. The survey includes questions from a previous study (836 high school math students from 9 public and private schools) as a control. Additional questions measure student interest in 20 STEM, business, and humanities subjects. Standardized test scores are correlated with factors affecting choice of CS as a major. Environment and intervention programs in, after, and outside of school are examined to consider their impact on student development. The article provides a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the relationship among academic environment and performance, subject interests, gender, and teaching methods that influence the interest of Latino high school students in choosing CS as a major. (Contains 1 table and 6 figures.)
Descriptors: High Schools, Private Schools, Intervention, Student Interests, Standardized Tests, Computer Science, Educational Environment, Student Development, Humanities, Public Schools, Qualitative Research, Statistical Analysis, Hispanic American Students, High School Students, Charter Schools, Low Income Groups, Constructivism (Learning), STEM Education, Computer Science Education, Majors (Students), Student Characteristics, Scores, Language Proficiency, English, Spanish, Correlation, Gender Differences, Teaching Methods, Student Surveys, Academic Achievement, After School Programs, Experiential Learning
Association for Computing Machinery. 2 Penn Plaza Suite 701, New York, NY 10121. Tel: 800-342-6626; Tel: 212-626-0500; Fax: 212-944-1318; e-mail: acmhelp@acm.org; Web site: http://www.acm.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 10; Grade 11; Grade 12; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A