ERIC Number: EJ1426226
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1648-3898
EISSN: EISSN-2538-7138
Stereotypes and Technology Education: Different Perceptions of Computer Career among Elementary School Students
Ching-Ching Cheng; Kuo-Hung Huang
Journal of Baltic Science Education, v15 n3 p271-283 2016
Prior studies indicated that children's images of science and engineering greatly influenced their attitude toward career choice. This study explored how elementary school students perceived computer professionals and computer job tasks. Sixty-four students attending computer camps in 2 cities participated in the study. The Draw-a-Scientist Test was employed and interviews were performed to collect and analyze student perceptions of computer professionals and computer job tasks. The results indicated that the students held contrasting perceptions of computer professionals. Although some students envisioned computer professionals with stereotypical characteristics, such as poor eyesight and unsociability, many students viewed computer professionals as people who were knowledgeable, mild tempered, and socially attractive. Moreover, students residing in different areas had conflicting perceptions of computer professionals because of personal experience with various types of computer professional. The results suggested that students did not stereotype computer careers according to gender, but female students exhibited a more negative attitude toward computer careers than did male students. To shape student views on computer jobs and career choices effectively, the researchers suggest providing students with learning opportunities in life contexts to understand the nature of computer professions.
Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Computer Science Education, Student Attitudes, Career Choice, Gender Differences, Stereotypes, Camps, Professional Personnel, Personality Traits, Information Technology, Educational Opportunities, Cognitive Tests, Personality Measures, Freehand Drawing, Projective Measures, Foreign Countries, Rural Areas
Scientia Socialis Ltd. 29 K. Donelaicio Street, LT-78115 Siauliai, Republic of Lithuania. e-mail: scientia@scientiasocialis.lt; e-mail: mail.jbse@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.scientiasocialis.lt/jbse/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Taiwan
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Draw a Person Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A