ICT related education ICT professionals
Kathy Kikis-Papadakis FORTH/IACM
April 10, CERI/OECD, Paris contribution to the Millennium Project
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Scope: • Why do girls not choose ICT
related education and profession • Let’s reflect on other field i.e.
Mathematics
• Are there any differences between the OECD countries?
• Can not tell but if we take a socio-cultural orientation we might be able to see such differences
• What kind of approaches and efforts do we need to get more girls to choose this kind of education?
• Look into girl’s engagement in/with mathematics, from a family, school and individual perspectives
• What are the contributions from policy makers and schools (like school management, teachers)?
• School systems’ parameters need to be discussed
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Structure: Why do girls not choose ICT related education and
profession? Interplay between ICT education and IT choices of
careers Implication of pupils out of school activities on
choices of careers in relation to ICT Norms – How are careers chosen in general: Roles
and Prerequisites Are there any differences between the OECD
countries? Societal levels parameters
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Structure: What kind of approaches and efforts do we need to
get more girls to choose this kind of education? What influences choices of careers Why do we see differentiation preferences in career
choices
What are the contributions from policy makers and schools (like school management, teachers)? The case of Greece Results from PREMA
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Interplay between ICT education & IT choices of careers What is the scope of ICT in education?
*As this is not an explicit process there is complexity in its monitoring
What abilities have we defined to be developed through ICT in education?
Clarity of our conceptual framework on the outcomes we want from education in relation to ICT What type of (cognitive) skills does ICT engagement in
school learning enhance? Operational → Integration → Transformational →
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National Curricula make the claim that ICT in education develops the ability to explore info on a variety of ICT tools communicate info with a variety of tools collaborate supported by ICT tools obtain appropriate information use games or simulations to explore the effect of effect of changing inputs to the
simulation or game create a model to test an idea or solve well defined problems use modelling techniques to test predictions and discover patterns and
relationships, by exploring, evaluating and developing models and changing their rules and values
use digital technology where the input modifies outputs in a variety of modalities share their views and experiences of ICT, considering the range of its uses and
talking about its significance to individuals, communities and society and also be independent and discriminating when using ICT
know how technology may develop and what future uses they may make of technology
Research (i.e. I-Curriculum) suggests that schools promote MAINLY Operational type of skills.
Q.: is school engagement with ICT a sufficient condition to reflect on school ICT and choices of careers
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Why do girls not choose ICT related education and profession
Interplay between ICT education and IT choices of careers
Have we established a direct relationship? Does a specific type of usage suggest professional
engagement?
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Indications: what girls do
reproduction of gender roles and activities
what boys do
stronger indication on professional engagement with ICT
Is there dualism? Seems so Is it natural? Is it reproduced? If so through the institutions of schooling?
Look into teaching practices Look into the class climate Look into conversations on/for ICT
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Implications of pupils out of school activity on choices of careers in relation to ICT
Here have the “what” but not the “why” Implications for meta-analysis type research and validation of research indications in diverse socio-cultural settings epistemonological concerns interrelation of depth and width and refocusing
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Implications of pupils out of school activity on choices of careers in relation to ICT
Might that “why be in Norms and practices in making children boys and girls
(child rearing dualism) The nature and relation of girls to mathematics and in
the Nature of mathematics Relation between societal context(s) and uses of
technology
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Implications of pupils out of school activity on choices of careers in relation to ICT
Norms in raising children from a gendered perspective Is there a universal pattern Are the existing patterns changing
If so what are the role models exhibited by these patterns what are their consequences on choices of careers but mainly in
shaping one’s identity what are restrictive factors to choices of careers: Social
dispositions what is the role of schooling: transformational or maintenance
based?
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Implications of pupils out of school activity on choices of careers in relation to ICT
Teachers perceptions of boys and girls learning maths Poland
Spain
Greece
• girls are reluctant to ask for explanations • girls generally are more afraid to solve tasks on the blackboard in front of a class • girls have less developed mathematical-logical intelligence than boys • girls are more diligent and motivated to obtain high scores • all teachers consider women as more diligent and more careful over detail • many girls try to simply memorize topics in order to pass them while boys • more frequently make efforts to understand issues and look for practical • applications. • girls are more motivated to get high marks than are boys, and girls compare • their grades more than do boys • girls are tidier and more steadfast in their studies, and so get better results • some teachers say boys are faster understanding mathematics, more creative, • and they believe it is innate • some also believe that girls are more ‘people focused’. • girls are more ‘instrumental’ and learn what they have to learn and are more focused on getting good grades • boys demand more attention (in terms of behavior in class, thus teachers tend to focus on boys more than on girls) • some teachers say that girls give up more easily than boys when they face challenges, others that girls are more persistent • girls ask fewer questions; when they have difficulties, they are more likely to try to resolve problems by discussing the issues amongst themselves than by asking the teacher (some teachers report exactly the opposite observation!)
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Implications of pupils out of school activity on choices of careers in relation to ICT
Student perceptions of boys and girls learning maths Greece
Spain
• girls study more • girls try to be good in all subjects • girls care more about school • girls are more systematic in their work • boys make much more noise • boys are more willing to volunteer answers, and to solve problems on the board • teachers have to “gain boys’ attention” - in contrast with girls whose attention is taken for granted • when a more challenging question is posed it is usually answered by boys.
• girls are more competitive about grades • girls work harder • girls are more interested in humanities and arts subjects that give them contact with people.
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Implications of pupils out of school activity on choices of careers in relation to ICT
Social shaping of Technology
gender relations
gender meanings
gender identities
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What kind of approaches and efforts do we need to get girls to choose this kind of education?
Extrapolating from mathematics the claim can be made that we have to define gender sensitiveness to learning and working with ICT and related areas of studies
Enhance gender sensitive teaching approaches in mathematics
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What kind of approaches and efforts do we need to get girls to choose this kind of education?
The attribution from STEM education and occupation is disproportional high for women in general
The problem at hand seems to require analysis of triangular perspective
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What kind of approaches and efforts do we need to get girls to choose this kind of education?
Individual Factors Expectancy for success Interest Work family benefits* Academic preparation
Family Factors: Parental perception of
their children’s ability and expectations for success
Parent’s Education School Factors:
Teacher’s attitudes and behaviors
Peers School characteristics
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What kind of approaches and efforts do we need to get girls to choose this kind of education?
What influences choices of careers: range of factors interference
change
“And it ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or make uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.”
Nicollo Macjiavelli, The Prince, c. 1505
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What kind of approaches and efforts do we need to get girls to choose this kind of education?
Why do we see differentiation in preferences in career choices? Diversity in trajectories
Natural Constructed
Ask women in IT professions why and how they enter into this field
get indicators and test these in educational settings
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What are the contributions from policy makers and schools A proposal
Gender sensitive awareness development schemes engaging Parents School actors
Non-interventive interventions
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What are the contributions from policy makers and schools The case of Greece
An example of resistance from policy makers. Results from PREMA
Guidelines on helping teachers to identify on gender differences (mathematics) and reflect on how this can be reduced in classroom practices
There are very big differences between countries in the extent to which mathematics is viewed as being a male subject. There were big differences between the most traditional country (Poland) and the most progressive country (England). There were differences in: raising political awareness of differences in attainment and career choices
between males and females beliefs in ‘essential differences’ between men and women, for example, in
the ways ‘their brains work’ political campaigns against feminism parental pressure towards or away from ‘suitable’ academic subjects, or
support for students’ own choices and autonomy supportive or unsupportive employment legislation regarding the rights of
parents (usually women) to child care, flexible working hours, and the like. there were big national differences in the perceived influences of parents,
other students, cultural influences such as the acceptability of a ‘career woman’.
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What are the contributions from policy makers and schools
Current concerns of the PREMA Group How can girls (and boys) be motivated to STEM?
What individual (including academic performance), family and school characteristics are related to pupils attainment of a STEM major at the undergraduate level, compared to attainment of a degree in different fields?
What are young women’s trajectories towards or away from STEM, and what individual, family and school characteristics are related to these trajectories?
How can the triangulation of pupil-parent-school function in “harmony” in support of STEM?
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What are the contributions from policy makers and schools Expert Group
Renate Siemenska, Un. Of Warsaw, PL Heather Mendick, UK Yvette Solomon, UK Jim Ridway, UK Annemarie van Langen, NL
Other Indicative Readings on STEM Xiaolei Wang (National Institute of Statistical sciences, USA) K.C. Cheung (Hong Kong)