Computer culture in Icelandic school: Need to promote gender-related equity

1
Computer culture in Icelandic school Need to
promote gender-related equity

• Dr. Sólveig Jakobsdóttir, associate professor,
  Iceland University of Education
• ESRC seminar, Keele 2000

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School computer culture factors that affect
whether gender differences emerge in use and
reactions to computer

• Internal factors students (age, experience,
  believes, values), social factors, software and
  technology, access and environment, the teacher
  and ways of teaching, computer implementation
• External factors Related to society, homes,
  school district,..

3
School computer culture gender differences in
skills, attitudes,..

• Pilot study in spring of 1998, 6 schools in the
  Westfjords, 198 nem (8.-10.grade, 13-16)
• Main study, Nov. 1998, 9 primarymiddle schools.
  1 high school 750 ss (5.-10. grade, 1.-4.year,
  63 from grades 8.-10.)
• Follow-up study, jan. 2000, 2 Westfjords schools,
  33 ss. from 10th grade.

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What was the situation in 1998?

• Skills by gender, age and school
• Confidence
• Computer use at home and school

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Gender differences by age, Nov 1998
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Gender differences in self-evaluated skills by
school, Nov 1998 (8.-10.grade), Nov. 1998
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Gender differences confidence by age Nov 1998
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What appears to affect level of (self-evaluated)
skills the most?

• Especially factors that are connected with home
  use (e.g. no. of software categories)
• Also various attitudes, e.g. confidence.

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Why are the home factors so strong?

• Home use is much more frequent that school use,
  (see picture that shows use of computer more than
  2 hours a week in home vs. school and for boys
  vs. girls)

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Ratio of boys that report using computers a lot
much higher than among those saying they use
computers little
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How reliable is the self-evaluation instrument
(list of skills) Jan. 2000?

• 8 self-evaluated skills compared to actual
  performance test on those similar results?

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Yes, but

• Appear to be a good assessment for GROUP of
  SKILLS for GROUPS of boys AND girls.
• Appears to be a good assessment for GROUP of
  SKILLS for INDIVIDUAL BOYS (high correlation)
  but NOT individual girls (correlation poor)
• Appears to be a poor assessment for INDIVIDUAL
  SKILLS for INDIVIDUAL boys and girls

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What to do?

• Icelandic schools are required to ensure the
  equal rights of the sexes and equally prepare
  them for active participation in the work life
  and shaping of the society (Curriculum for
  primary school 1999a, p. 16).
• It is especially considered important for schools
  to promote ICT-related equlity/equity (e.g.
  evident in the new curriculum, a special section)

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Examples of projects to increase equity- Jenter
paa veven (girls on the web)

• Aamot primary school in Norwayhttp//www.amot.gs.
  hm.no/
• Part of IT learning sex segregated
• Special girlmother nights in the school computer
  lab.
• Use of various tools taught but special emphasis
  on the Internet and communications
• Students, not the least the girls, were
  especially asked to participate in the creation
  of the schoolweb and to build information and
  resource bank.
• Girls projects made visible.

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Iceland should we do similar things in our
schools?

• It is highly probable that many schools could
  benefit from such projects.
• No one magic solution, the problem is
  complicated.
• Best to get as many groups as possible involved
  including school administrator, parents,
  teachers, students, and last but not least the
  girls themselves.
• There was an interesting discussion about the
  project Jenter paa veven on the European
  schoolnet, see http//www.en.eun.org