Describes a study of undergraduates at Bolton Institute (England) that investigated biological sex, psychological masculinity and femininity, computer comfort, computer engagement, and computer over-use. Discusses the role of applications in determining sex differences, and explains findings that imply that some reduction of sex asymmetries in…

This action research study looks at a sample of 30 juvenile computer books from the past 30 years and analyzes the illustrations for evidence of gender and racial bias as well as career depiction. Examines the gender of authors and illustrators and discusses library media implications. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the three-step implementation of an instructional technology tool and associated pedagogy to support teaching and learning computer programming concepts. The Flowchart Interpreter (FLINT) was proven through experiments to support novice programmers better than the traditional textbook approach. (EV)

Describes a study that examined differences in computer-related attitudes and future intentions between females in an all-female class and males and females in mixed-gender classes. Results of this study conducted in grade 11 computer science courses indicate that an all-female environment may enhance the learning experiences of female students.…

Discusses an exploration with the use of interactive learning on the Web in an Introduction to C Programming Course taught at Cleveland State University, and compares the results with the same course taught during a previous semester using no interactive Web instruction. (Author/AEF)

Presents findings from a commission that looked into gender technology and teacher education. Girls use technology as much as boys, but they have less interest in the machine for the machine's sake and more interest in using computers as tools for current interests. Both teachers and girls have similar concerns about computer technology in the…

In the education literature, team-based projects have proven to be an effective pedagogical methodology. We have been using "RoboCup" challenges as the basis for class projects in undergraduate and masters level courses. This article discusses several independent efforts in this direction and presents our work in the development of shared…

Recursion is a central concept in computer science, yet it is difficult for beginners to comprehend. Israeli high-school students learn recursion in the framework of a special modular program in computer science (Gal-Ezer & Harel, 1999). Some of them are introduced to the concept of recursion in two different paradigms: the procedural…

Realizing the importance of teaching efficiency at early stages of the program of study in computer science (CS) on one hand, and the difficulties encountered when introducing this concept on the other, we advocate a different didactic approach in the introductory CS course (CS1). This paper describes the approach as it is used at the Open…

In this paper we consider geometrical construction problems and their role in mathematical education. Owing to the main features of construction problems (accuracy in making conclusions, strict structure, rigorous language and constructivistic nature), they can be fruitfully used in teaching mathematics and computer science. We shall try to shed…

The development of new communication technologies and their applications has opened a broad spectrum of options to promote learning, of which a significant one is CMC--Computer-Mediated Communication. Yet, students use this medium to a relatively small extent. Our premise is that the use of these technologies depends on the level of skills and…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

The computer science high-school teaching community of practice possesses a rich collection of distributed practical knowledge consisting of individual teachers' expertise regarding pedagogy. However, without a proper means of communication and rules of discourse, the individual pieces of knowledge might not be transferred properly within the…

Roles can be assigned to occurrences of variables in programs according to a small number of stereotypical patterns of use. Studies on explicitly teaching roles to novices learning programming have shown that roles are an excellent pedagogical tool for clarifying the structure and meaning of programs and that their use improves students'…

This book presents pioneering work in teaching by scientists, mathematicians, and engineers to attract and retain women in these areas. The physical sciences, mathematics, and engineering persist as the professional areas where women have not yet broken the gender barrier. A severe shortage of scientists beginning in the mid-1990s is predicted and…