Abstract
This longitudinal study investigates the impact of an extra-curricular programming workshop in student interest development in computer science. The workshop was targeted at 12-18-year old youngsters. A survey was sent to all previous participants with a known home address; 31.5% responded the survey (n = 197). This data was then combined with pre-workshop survey data, and analyzed with mixed methods. Positive development of interest was discovered for 57% of the respondents, of which nearly all attributed their interest increase to the workshop at least partly (92%). Qualitative inspection revealed that the workshop provided three anchors that facilitated students' reengagement with programming and development of interest: disciplinary content, a concrete artifact built by students themselves, and tools. Neutral development and interest regress were also discovered, though the impact of the workshop on these interest trajectories remains unclear.
Highlights
Over the recent years, substantial effort has been invested in out-of-school learning environments and activities that aim at increasing youth’s interest and careers in CS, and at improving students’ understandings of CS concepts
This study supports the claim that participating in a computing outreach event has a long-term impact on the development of interest in computing
Positive interest development concerned 57% of the students, while 23% encountered no change in interest, and 20% encountered interest regression
Summary
Substantial effort has been invested in out-of-school learning environments and activities that aim at increasing youth’s interest and careers in CS, and at improving students’ understandings of CS concepts. These activities use a strategy of introducing students to computational concepts and skills through a hands-on approach. In-school CS classes as well as out-of-school outreach activities can provide opportunities for students to become engaged in computing, yet their effectiveness in terms of whether students’ in-. Isomöttönen terests in computing careers develop has not been thoroughly studied (Decker and McGill, 2017)
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