Article
Does Outreach Impact Choices of Major for Underrepresented Undergraduate Students
International Computing Education Research Workshop
(2015)
Abstract
Over the last decade, there has been a concerted effort to bring more diverse voices to the technology field, with much of this being done through outreach activities to girls and boys. Unfortunately, data demonstrating the long-term impact of outreach activities remains rare. To contribute to knowledge on the longitudinal effect of outreach programs, we used a quantitative methodology that followed a descriptive design approach to explore the impact of participation in outreach activities on the choice of undergraduate major. Of those surveyed, 45.3% of the 770 respondents recalled participating in these activities. The results indicate that these activities had a more positive impact on Asians and more negative impact on Hispanics. Blacks/African Americans were more likely to voluntarily participate in outreach activities than Hispanics, and whites were more likely to feel that they were a welcome part of the group than non-whites. The results also may indicate that when outreach programs are available in earlier grades, they are not reaching non-white participants to the same extent as white participants.
Disciplines
Publication Date
July 9, 2015
DOI
10.1145/2787622.2787711
Citation Information
Monica M. McGill, Adrienne Decker and Amber Settle. "Does Outreach Impact Choices of Major for Underrepresented Undergraduate Students" International Computing Education Research Workshop (2015) p. 71 - 80 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/asettle/19/