It's no secret that fewer and fewer women are entering computer science fields. Attracting high school girls to computer science is only part of the solution. Retaining them while they are in higher education or the workforce is also a challenge. To solve this, there is a need to show girls that computer science is a wide-open field that offers…

A minicourse designed to teach fourth and fifth graders about computers included decoding computer cards, a "race" against the computer, a field trip, flow charting, and writing computer programs. The course was limited by the students' ability to understand abstract mathematical concepts. (MP)

This study was designed to determine whether children's attitudes and interests with regard to computers and computer science vary by sex, residence status (whether students lived in town or in the country), grade level, and computer usage levels. Subjects were 277 students in grades 4, 9, and 11 in the Watertown, South Dakota, public schools. An…