"Programming Is Not That Hard!" When a Science Center Visit Increases Young Women's Programming Ability Beliefs.

Area of Science:

• STEM Education
• Science Communication
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Science centers aim to increase public engagement with science and technology.
• Gender disparities exist in technology-related fields, with women often reporting lower ability beliefs and interest.
• Understanding the impact of informal science education on these perceptions is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of science center programming exercises on middle school students' ability beliefs and interest in programming.
• To investigate potential gender-specific effects of these activities.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design comparing students (grades 8-9) attending a science center with a wait-list control group.
• Surveys administered pre-visit, post-visit, and at a 2-3 month follow-up.
• Participation in block-based, text-based, and robot programming exercises.

Main Results:

• Programming ability beliefs significantly increased for young women, but not for young men.
• Interest in programming decreased for young men, while it did not decrease for young women.
• These effects were sustained at the follow-up assessment.
• Young men consistently reported higher ability beliefs and interest than young women across all time points.

Conclusions:

• Science center programming can positively impact perceived programming ability, particularly for young women.
• While ability beliefs may increase, interest in programming may decline for young men, indicating a need for nuanced program design.
• Further adaptations in science center activities may be necessary to foster sustained interest in programming for all genders.