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Programming Skills are Not Enough: a Greedy Strategy to Attract More Girls to Study Computer Science

Tiziana Catarci, Luca Podo, Daniel Raffini, Paola Velardi

TL;DR

The paper tackles the gender gap in ICT by proposing a greedy educational strategy that weaves hard CS skills with soft skills and societal relevance to appeal to girls. It formalizes a grid-based methodology and tests it through two Sapienza-led projects: WomENcourage 2019 and G4GRETA, complemented by a structured follow-up to gauge long-term effects on university CS enrollment. The contributions include a practical framework for integrating interdisciplinary themes, soft-skill development, and sustained evaluation, plus real-world case studies and initial follow-up results. The work highlights the need for early, multi-stakeholder action and systematic assessment to translate interventions into scalable improvements in female participation in computer science.

Abstract

It has been observed in many studies that female students in general are unwilling to undertake a course of study in ICT. Recent literature has also pointed out that undermining the prejudices of girls with respect to these disciplines is very difficult in adolescence, suggesting that, to be effective, awareness programs on computer disciplines should be offered in pre-school or lower school age. On the other hand, even assuming that large-scale computer literacy programs can be immediately activated in lower schools and kindergartens, we can't wait for >15-20 years before we can appreciate the effectiveness of these programs. The scarcity of women in ICT has a tangible negative impact on countries' technological innovation, which requires immediate action. In this paper, we describe a strategy, and the details of a number of programs coordinated by the Engineering and Computer Science Departments at Sapienza University, to make high school girl students aware of the importance of new technologies and ICT. In addition to describing the theoretical approach, the paper offers some project examples.

Programming Skills are Not Enough: a Greedy Strategy to Attract More Girls to Study Computer Science

TL;DR

The paper tackles the gender gap in ICT by proposing a greedy educational strategy that weaves hard CS skills with soft skills and societal relevance to appeal to girls. It formalizes a grid-based methodology and tests it through two Sapienza-led projects: WomENcourage 2019 and G4GRETA, complemented by a structured follow-up to gauge long-term effects on university CS enrollment. The contributions include a practical framework for integrating interdisciplinary themes, soft-skill development, and sustained evaluation, plus real-world case studies and initial follow-up results. The work highlights the need for early, multi-stakeholder action and systematic assessment to translate interventions into scalable improvements in female participation in computer science.

Abstract

It has been observed in many studies that female students in general are unwilling to undertake a course of study in ICT. Recent literature has also pointed out that undermining the prejudices of girls with respect to these disciplines is very difficult in adolescence, suggesting that, to be effective, awareness programs on computer disciplines should be offered in pre-school or lower school age. On the other hand, even assuming that large-scale computer literacy programs can be immediately activated in lower schools and kindergartens, we can't wait for >15-20 years before we can appreciate the effectiveness of these programs. The scarcity of women in ICT has a tangible negative impact on countries' technological innovation, which requires immediate action. In this paper, we describe a strategy, and the details of a number of programs coordinated by the Engineering and Computer Science Departments at Sapienza University, to make high school girl students aware of the importance of new technologies and ICT. In addition to describing the theoretical approach, the paper offers some project examples.
Paper Structure (12 sections, 9 figures)

This paper contains 12 sections, 9 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction and Motivations
  2. Literature review
  3. Methodology
  4. Project 1: WomENcourage 2019
  5. Description
  6. Summary and results
  7. Project 2: G4GRETA
  8. Description
  9. Follow-up program
  10. Survey Results
  11. Engagement strategy and use of peer models
  12. Discussion and Concluding Remarks

Figures (9)

  • Figure 1: One amongst the many infographics generated in real-time during the WomENcourage 2019 event, synthesizing the relevant keywords of the event.
  • Figure 2: A team engaged in a teambuilding game during the first edition of G4GRETA
  • Figure 3: Evaluation of the design thinking activity and self-perception of improvement
  • Figure 4: Evaluation of the coding activity and self-perception of improvement
  • Figure 5: Evaluation of the lesson on technology for the environment and perceived improvement in awareness
  • ...and 4 more figures