Geeks welcome here: Exploring the relationship between student identities and academic success in undergraduate computer science education

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Geeks welcome here Exploring the relationship
between student identities and academic success
in undergraduate computer science education

• Peter Chalk, Faculty of Life Sciences
  Computing,
• London Metropolitan University (IPSE EdD)
• Presentation for EdD Module, 24 Oct 2012

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Introduction A subject in crisis?

• Industry, profession and government putting the
  spotlight on IT education in schools
• Report titled Running on empty the failure to
  teach K-12 computer science in the digital age
  (ACM/ CSTA, 2010)
• policies... are deeply confused, conflicted or
  inadequate (ibid, p6)
• Michael Gove at BETT 2012 (Guardian 12.1.12, p9)
  wants a
• more rigorous computer science curriculum... to
  meet high standards of intellectual depth and
  practical value

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A known problem in computer science education in
HE

• Failure, drop out, transfer Reports include
• Beaubouef, T. and Mason, J. (2005) Why the high
  attrition rate for computer science students
  Some thoughts and observations, ACM SIGCSE
  Inroads Bulletin, 37.2 103106.
• Research into CS as a subject includes
• Predictors of success in a first programming
  course (Simon, Fincher, S Robins, A ACE 2006)
• We believe that learning to program is
  problematic
• - Further exploration of possible diagnostic
  tasks is required

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Other indicators include

• Profile of applicants
• 38 working class compared to 30 in the sector
  (CaSE report cited in THE 15.3.12)
• 17 women (NSF report cited in Ong, M CACM July
  2011)
• NSS satisfaction scores (HEA 2012)
• e.g. Unistats for Kent,
• 80 for CS, 88 for uni

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Aim of research

• To develop an understanding of the relationship
  between students' identities, experiences and
  success in undergraduate computer science
  education (CSE),...
• by exploring students' perceptions and
  experiences, and...
• by examining the disciplinary/ institutional
  cultures and practices, of CSE.

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Aim of this talk

• Present new primary data mainly in the form of
  extracts from interview transcripts, and...
• propose approaches to analysing it.
• It is hoped that findings will contribute to
  understandings of success, failure and dropout in
  CSE, with implications for policy and practice.

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Literature review The theoretical framework

• Develop Bourdieu's concepts of habitus,
  capitals, field and practice,...
• as applied to understanding relationships between
  student identities and the field of CSE.
• For example, a post-Bourdieuan framework
  suggested by the work of Lousie Archer and
  others.
• internalised structures, schemes of
  perception, conception and action common to all
  members of the same group (Outline of a theory
  of practice, 1977, p86)

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Louise Archer (2010) on habitus

• ... the notion of family (science) habitus is
  being deployed as a tool to examine the extent to
  which families construct a collective
  relationship with science sense through their
  everyday attitudes and practices and the extent
  to which this is shaped by their possession of
  particular sorts of economic, social and cultural
  capital. (BERA paper) my emphasis

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Research methodology

• Qualititative based on open-question interviews
• student life history narrative, motivation
  expectations, ambitions aspirations,
• student biographical data,
• staff on CS identity, how subject constructed and
  what they look for in student interviews,
• Plus documents/ observations from universities
  visited.
• Diverse mix (purposive sample) but NOT intended
  to be representative in any way this research
  is not attempting to draw conclusions based on
  sampling in any form. It is looking at
  constructions of identities through authentic
  narratives. A grounded analysis approach.

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Interviews completed

• Students (20 in total)
• 6 at pre-92 (2 female) and 14 at post-92 (3
  female)
• Most Computer Science first years
• At Downtown, City Centre Castletown
  post-92,
• And Uptown Central inner-city pre-92
• CS staff (four) one pre-92, three post-92 (all 4
  male) from unis where most students were
  interviewed.

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Example questions in student interview schedule

• Why did you choose computer science?
• What are your expectations of the course?
• What have been your interests, or hobbies?
• Were there any influences over your choice of
  study, interests or ambition?
• What aspect of computers interests you?
• Some students find computing difficult, why do
  you think this is?

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Responses coded in NVivo for Why choose Computer
Science?

• ltInternals\Interviews - Students\Alon Castletowngt
  - 2 references coded 6.09 Coverage
  Reference 1 - 4.62 Coverage
• I suppose I really like informatics but not just
  that, informatics, maths and physics. I was
  unsure what to choose, between something in
  computing or aerospace engineering. But at the
  moment it seems like computing is more right for
  me.
• Reference 2 - 1.47 Coverage
• Computing, in itself, I really liked it and I
  really want to be good at it.
• ltInternals\Interviews - Students\Asif Castletowngt
  - 1 reference coded 1.14 Coverage
• Reference 1 - 1.14 Coverage
• As a child I liked, loved, computers, I was just
  fascinated by them. So thats why I chose
  computer science.

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Coding fragments to free nodes letting the data
speak for itself answers to question why choose
CS?
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Early Life Matt, Asif and Rupert
(Castletown Uni) on family

• Matts grandfather is quite into hardware
  stuff, hes an electrician, and I got some stuff
  from him, and I was always interested in how
  stuff works. You cant understand how it works
  without taking it apart my emphasis
• Asifs brother is 6 years older and works for a
  computer company. He brings new hardware into the
  house, hard drives and motherboards and
  everything and I was just like to learn sic,
  whats going on with them.
• Rupert I have a smaller sister, shes 8 so she
  cant help me, but I helped her so now when she
  is on the computer she uses the internet,
  Mozilla, she goes to games or paint, she really
  likes it, I motivate her, she watched me how I
  work and when I left it she came to use the
  computer. animated

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Practical experience interest Denise

• Denise (NVQ car mechanics, City Centre Uni,
  single parent, council estate, described her
  interviewer as giving her a chance) exhibits
  both family and how things work themes
• My granddad was an inventor... Probably once a
  week but he used to take down to the workshops
  in his garden
• I was finding it quite hard to learn stuff that
  you cant touch. So I did car mechanics,
  obviously you can take the engine apart.

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Construction of student identity/ image (as geek?)

• Q Do you help friends or family with their
  computers?
• Rupert (Castletown) All the time laugh all the
  time. I always succeed and they are happy, all
  the time. In high school I had to do networking
  in my informatics class. And when a computer
  crashed and something went wrong I had to go and
  fix it.
• Q Do people ask you to help them?
• Alon (Castletown) Yes, sure, when they get a
  virus, when someone intrudes, how can they
  prevent that, when they want new windows
  installed, things like that.

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Section of nVivo coding tree for Identity
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Why do students drop out? Student view

• Half the time there were only two of us in our
  group being relied upon when we were talking
  they were just oblivious to whats going on, they
  didnt have the motivation and just chose the
  course because they had no other option maybe.
  (Asif, Castletown)
• I always thought that kids coming to uni at 18
  are into computer games, they like gadgets and
  electrical things and want the coolest things so
  they think Ill do computing. They find its
  not what they expected, its a way of thinking
  thats completely alien to them, its a very,
  very strict, logical way of thinking. They find
  it boring and they cant cope with it and they
  drop out. (Calvin, Downtown).

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Wrong choice of course staff view
...they apply for courses without a clear idea
of where they are going. (Dennis, staff, City
Centre Uni) ... students have a limited
understanding of what computer science is.
(James, staff, Uptown Uni) - This raises the
issue of how computer science is constructed as a
subject
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Computer science identity? Staff view

• Dennis (City Centre, post92) ...any sort of
  analytical ability so anyone who has been
  interested in any way in finding out how things
  work with a view to copying them or improving
  them or making use of them.
• James (Uptown, pre92) blend of formal thinking
  and mathematics and applying it to applications,
  and wanting to do something useful.
• Arthur (Castletown, post92) you have to be a
  little bit techy, youve got to be interested in
  how it all hangs together and works... who can
  sequence things and have a little bit of abstract
  thought

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Imagined futures Want to work in computing

• Alicia Im looking forward to work in
  computing, a masters and a PhD in software
  engineering. Im really looking forward to
  that... Im thinking of working for google, on
  new software, maybe at Microsoft, developing
  games, databases, new graphical movies, maybe I
  end up doing that, at Hollywood, 3d movies.
• Asif Freelance programmer, maybe for a company
  such as Microsoft or Sony, or IBM, Intel, working
  with those kind of major companies, making
  programs for them. In my sandwich year Im hoping
  to work for a company local, then from there,
  once Ive finished my degree, go on to a
  different country and work for a company over
  there.
• Calvin Id rather be a coder, Id enjoy being a
  junior programmer because I like the coding
  aspect a lot. Id like to be a higher level
  software engineer and design at a higher level.

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Discussion Beyond Bourdieu? Alternative model of
science identity

• From Carlone Johnson (2007) on women of colour
  in science education (cite Wenger on community of
  practice)
• She is competent she demonstrates meaningful
  knowledge and understanding of science content
  and is motivated to understand the world
  scientifically. She also has the requisite skills
  to perform for others her competence with
  scientific practices (e.g., uses of scientific
  tools, fluency with all forms of scientific talk
  and ways of acting, and interacting in various
  formal and informal scientific settings).
  Further, she recognizes herself, and gets
  recognized by others, as a science person.
• Model helps to identify/ organise themes in the
  data?

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Competence, Performance, Recognition

• Q Do you help others with computing?
• Sarthi Yes, my friends when they dont have a
  computer science background and they find it
  difficult to do their presentations, or install
  or reinstall their laptops.
• Q Do they see you as their technical adviser?
• Sarthi Yes, it feels great, that you know
  something that is used everywhere and which some
  people are not aware of, and to be good at it.

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Conclusions no questions yes!

• Are Bourdieus concepts of cultural capital,
  habitus etc useful?
• Can they be extended beyond his ideas about
  class?
• eg institutional habitus (applying to field of
  CSE)
• eg family habitus (Archer)
• eg computer science habitus
• Does the data support any of the above?
• Other models of identity a better fit?

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References not in text

• Archer, L (2010) Science is not for me?
  exploring childrens and families engagement
  with science through the lens of identity, BERA
  1st-4th September, University of Warwick.
• Carlone, H B Johnson, A (2007) Understanding
  the Science Experiences of Successful Women of
  Color Science Identity as an Analytic Lens,
  Journal of Research in Science Teaching, VOL. 44,
  NO. 8, PP. 11871218.