Improving the Learning Environment in Beginning Programming Classes: An Experiment in Gender Equity

The under-representation of women in computing is well documented. This imbalance creates numerous problems including challenges of staffing and equity as well as more subtle problems such as a lack of balanced perspective on innovation and social implications. While there is universal agreement that females are equally capable of succeeding in a technical arena, there is a diversity of opinions as causes and solutions to this problem. One particularly interesting theory proposed by DePalma is based on trend differences between computing and other science disciplines. DePalma suggests that the positive trends in other science fields can likewise be achieved in computing if similar science pedagogies are implemented. This paper reports on an empirical study conducted to test some of DePalma’s recommendations. While our investigation is preliminary, it does provide positive support for the theory that techniques that work in other science disciplines may also prove effective in computing. The results of our findings are presented along with a discussion and implications for future work