Treffer: Is Computer Programming a Boys’ Club? Evaluating Performance in Introductory Java Programming Courses.

In the field of Information Systems (IS) pedagogy, assuring gender equity and female success in computer programming is highly desired. The first step in implementing pedagogical interventions is ascertaining what areas reflect performance discrepancies. This study employs multiple quantitative methods to evaluate whether differences in academic performance exist between male and female students, who enrolled in introductory Java programming courses throughout 2023. Specifically, we compare mean scores across the performance evaluation categories of programming assignments, quizzes, digital textbook exercises, exams, and cumulative final scores. Results indicate approximately three times as many male students completed the courses as female students, but that female students achieved roughly the same mean scores in the vast majority of categories, including final grades. We believe these results can aid in recruiting more women to study Information Systems in general and computer programming in particular, while dispelling old ideas that women underperform men in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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