Impending climate crises, profound wealth inequality and unprecedented vulnerability to global catastrophe at the hands of technology make working towards justice a necessity, and a desperate one at that. However, engaging in work towards justice requires deconstructing the dominant narratives and norms that restrict what actions are permissible…

The problem that was addressed in this study was underrepresented minorities' low interest in pursuing computer science as a profession. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to measure underrepresented youth's attitudes toward computer science. The issue remains a pressing challenge in the U.S. This study explored the…

There is a purported shortage of employable labor in the tech workforce, yet Black, Indigenous, Women of Color (BIWOC) in urban centers struggle to find and sustain roles in "high-tech." The tech ecosystem is a CIS-gendered, white male heterosexual space that perpetuates and "ideal worker norm" (Kachchaf et al., 2015), which…

The 2012 report by the US President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) predicts a deficit in the workforce for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the following decade and emphasizes the importance of addressing this shortfall. According to the report, less than half of the three million students…

Where are the women in computing? This dissertation explores the underrepresentation of women in computing as a cultural issue. After considering the role of women in the history of computing, it examines contemporary interventions to address gender bias and promote gender diversity in the tech sector and Silicon Valley. Not for profit…

This dissertation conducted a science classroom intervention using two instructional approaches, computational modeling and paper-based pictorial modeling, in the context of food webs. A series of research papers were written on the impact of the intervention on students' attitudes and learning, and on teachers via professional development and…

As increasing numbers of students enroll in introductory computer application courses, instructors have difficulty providing the needed assistance in the traditional laboratory setting. Simulators have been used to facilitate college instruction, but the effectiveness of using a simulator in an introductory computer application course had not yet…

The application of virtual reality is becoming ever more important as technology reaches new heights allowing virtual environments (VE) complete with global illumination. One successful application of virtual environments is educational interventions meant to treat individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). VEs are effective with these…

Many students experience difficulties learning to program. They find learning to program in the object-oriented paradigm particularly challenging. As a result, computing educators have tried a variety of instructional methods to assist beginning programmers. These include developing approaches geared specifically toward novices and experimenting…