Exploring female participation and performance in computer science in English schools

The Subject choice, attainment and representation in computing project will explore factors that influence female participation and performance in secondary school level computing education with a particular focus on computer science (CS) exams.

Research into computing education has shown that females are poorly represented in CS qualifications including the recently introduced Computer Science GCSE. Data also shows females underperform compared to male counterparts when attainment in other subjects is taken into account. Nonetheless, the reasons for this phenomenon and its impact on their future academic and career choices remains unclear.

This study will use a mix-methods design including analysis of  the National Pupil Database and School Workforce Census, and  qualitative data collected from school managers, students, and school documentation. The research team will explore factors such as student gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, attitudes towards computing, self-efficacy beliefs, teacher qualifications and individual school computing curriculum, school type and geographical location.

The research will be conducted in two strands. Strand 1 will be a statistical analysis of national data on computing education, including student participation, achievement, and school staffing. This information will inform Strand 2 through key metrics and identify case study schools. Strand 2 will comprise of 20 case studies, including schools with ranging levels of female CS participation. Student surveys will provide information about the reasons for subject choices, views on computing in school and digital technology, future study and career aspirations. Qualitative interviews with staff and document analysis will explore school context, views about what can increase female participation and attainment in CS. Participating CS students will be invited to opt in to allowing the researchers to track their future subject choices and outcomes to provide a longitudinal perspective of their trajectories.

This study aims to inform development of policy and education interventions to reduce the participation and attainment gaps between male and female students in computing.