I applied to teach the new pilot Computer Science (CS) Principles Course in collaboration with the College Board and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Hillcrest High School and I was accepted to participate in Cohort 3 of the CS4Alabama project. This course will become a full-fledged College Board Advanced Placement course during the 2016-2017 school year. Students will certainly benefit as they become more aware of the 21st skills that computer science provides for their future careers, and I get to be a part in advancing the awareness of computer science in K-12. Part of my responsibilities is recruiting and increasing enrollment of girls and minorities to this class.
However, the continuing lack of women in this field is especially …show more content…
Academic exposure was identified as a factor influencing this decision. This included the availability of, and opportunity to participate in, structured and unstructured computer Science coursework. This early exposure can generate interest and curiosity while establishing a sense of competency in Computer Science, which accounts for 22.4% of the explainable factors influencing the decision to pursue Computer science. As stated in the study, “Even a basic understanding of Computer Science provides insight into viable career paths within the field and how those careers can be leveraged to achieve personal goals (2014).” Particularly interesting, girls who had the opportunity to take Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science in high school were 38% more likely to pursue a Computer Science degree (Google Corp., …show more content…
Linda Gottfredson states that, “When ability is integrated into career counseling experience for adolescents, it can also help them to see the importance of school performance and career achievement, thereby increasing their academic motivation and engagement.” (Niles, & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2013, p. 67).
Factors Affecting Career Decision-Making
Family influence
Ciccocioppo et al. (2002) conducted a study in which focus groups were utilized to examine the factors that affected the career decision-making of adolescent females and young women in undergraduate science, engineering, and technology programs. Participants identified family influence on their decision to pursue a non-traditional related field. Many participants had parents who encouraged them to pursue a science career and several of these parents were working in the same field, this seemed to have parental pressure on participants’ career
However, the continuing lack of women in this field is especially …show more content…
Academic exposure was identified as a factor influencing this decision. This included the availability of, and opportunity to participate in, structured and unstructured computer Science coursework. This early exposure can generate interest and curiosity while establishing a sense of competency in Computer Science, which accounts for 22.4% of the explainable factors influencing the decision to pursue Computer science. As stated in the study, “Even a basic understanding of Computer Science provides insight into viable career paths within the field and how those careers can be leveraged to achieve personal goals (2014).” Particularly interesting, girls who had the opportunity to take Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science in high school were 38% more likely to pursue a Computer Science degree (Google Corp., …show more content…
Linda Gottfredson states that, “When ability is integrated into career counseling experience for adolescents, it can also help them to see the importance of school performance and career achievement, thereby increasing their academic motivation and engagement.” (Niles, & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2013, p. 67).
Factors Affecting Career Decision-Making
Family influence
Ciccocioppo et al. (2002) conducted a study in which focus groups were utilized to examine the factors that affected the career decision-making of adolescent females and young women in undergraduate science, engineering, and technology programs. Participants identified family influence on their decision to pursue a non-traditional related field. Many participants had parents who encouraged them to pursue a science career and several of these parents were working in the same field, this seemed to have parental pressure on participants’ career