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Reassembling the Problem of the Under-Representation of Girls in IT Courses

Reassembling the Problem of the Under-Representation of Girls in IT Courses

Leonie Rowan, Chris Bigum
Copyright: © 2011 |Pages: 15
ISBN13: 9781609601973|ISBN10: 1609601971|EISBN13: 9781609601997
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-197-3.ch014
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MLA

Rowan, Leonie, and Chris Bigum. "Reassembling the Problem of the Under-Representation of Girls in IT Courses." Actor-Network Theory and Technology Innovation: Advancements and New Concepts, edited by Arthur Tatnall, IGI Global, 2011, pp. 208-222. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60960-197-3.ch014

APA

Rowan, L. & Bigum, C. (2011). Reassembling the Problem of the Under-Representation of Girls in IT Courses. In A. Tatnall (Ed.), Actor-Network Theory and Technology Innovation: Advancements and New Concepts (pp. 208-222). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60960-197-3.ch014

Chicago

Rowan, Leonie, and Chris Bigum. "Reassembling the Problem of the Under-Representation of Girls in IT Courses." In Actor-Network Theory and Technology Innovation: Advancements and New Concepts, edited by Arthur Tatnall, 208-222. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2011. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60960-197-3.ch014

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Abstract

The percentages of girls in developing countries undertaking information technology subjects in the post-compulsory years of education has remained persistently low: often under 25%. This is despite the fact that this particular phenomenon has been the subject of sustained international enquiry for at least three decades. This article investigates data collected during an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant project (2005-2007) that aimed to identify some of the contemporary reasons for this under-representation in Australian schools. The original phases of data collection proceeded from the belief that there was a clear and agreed understanding that the low numbers of girls was a problem worthy of analysis. As the project evolved, however, significant differences between the researchers’ perception of the underrepresentation and the participants’ views about the same issue. In this paper we make use of actor-network theory to ask key questions about the extent to which the enrolment of girls in IT is indeed ‘a problem’.

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