Abstract
Among science subjects, gender disparities are most evident in information and communication technology (ICT). Researchers have suggested that science identification plays a key role in motivating young females to pursue the study and work of science. However, few studies have comprehensively examined the constituting components of ICT identity and its influencing factors from a person-centered perspective. By adopting an explanatory mixed methods design, this study uncovers ICT identity profiles using nine components derived from the literature and examines their influence on the intention to further study and work in the ICT field among female high school students. The sample included 821 female high school students from 13 schools in Hong Kong who completed a self-report questionnaire. Twenty of them were invited for a follow-up semi-structured interview. The result of the latent profile analysis reveals five ICT identity profiles based on differences in the levels of the nine components. Both quantitative and qualitative data analyses indicate that the higher the level of ICT identity is, the more likely female students are to choose to study and work in ICT. Furthermore, adolescent females with low levels of gender stereotypic beliefs and high degrees of parental and peer support are more likely to belong to the highest level of the ICT identity profile, namely, the ICT person profile. In particular, female high school students with the ICT person profile report even stronger intentions to study ICT when they are clear about career prospects, whereas those with the average ICT identity profile display stronger intentions to work in the ICT industry when they have high expectations of career success. The practical implications for ICT education are discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 104722 |
| Journal | Computers and Education |
| Volume | 195 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2023 |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
-
SDG 5 Gender Equality
Keywords
- Gender studies
- Pedagogical issues
- Secondary education
- Teaching/learning strategies
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In: Computers and Education, Vol. 195, 104722, 04.2023.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Profiles of ICT identity and their associations with female high school students’ intention to study and work in ICT
T2 - A mixed-methods approach
AU - Liong, Mario
AU - Yeung, Dannii Y.
AU - Cheng, Grand H.L.
AU - Cheung, Ray Y.H.
N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by funding from the Women's Foundation in Hong Kong (Project Numbers: 9231198 and 9231202), which was awarded to the first and second authors. Funding Information: We would like to thank the Women's Foundation for funding the two research projects from which the data for this article were collected. We are also grateful to the anonymous reviewers who provided valuable comments and suggestions on our earlier draft. Funding Information: In summary, the proposed analytical model in the present study hypothesizes that ICT identification is a core factor that explains how gender stereotypic beliefs and social support are converted into an individual female's intention to pursue studies and a career in ICT. This model also examines the moderating effects of perceived career success in ICT and prospective career knowledge on the relation between ICT identity and the intention to pursue future studies and work in ICT (see Fig. 1).Modified from the measure of Giles and Larmour (2000), five items assessed the degree of support and encouragement students received from their parents, teachers, and best friends in studying ICT subjects and working in ICT. A sample item was “I perceive that my father encourages me to develop a career related to ICT.” Each item was rated on a 7-point rating scale ranging from 1 = not at all to 7 = to a great extent (α = 0.83).After identifying ICT identity profiles, we performed multinomial logistic regression to address how gender stereotypic beliefs and the three types of social support (parent, teacher, and peer support) affected the identity profiles (RQ3-4). Because parents' education level was found to have impacts on young females' STEM choices (Jackson, Gardner, & Sullivan, 1993) and the female-only learning environment was reported to increase female students' motivation toward ICT (Crombie & Armstrong, 1999), parents' education level and the gender setting of the school (female-only vs. coed environment), together with students' academic performance, were controlled in the model as covariates. Finally, we ran a regression to analyze how perceived career success and prospective career knowledge moderated the association between students’ identity profiles and their intentions to study and work in ICT (RQ2 & RQ5). We conducted LPA using Mplus 7.4 and regression analyses using Stata 16. Missing data were handled through maximum likelihood methods.We used the average profile, which was the profile with the most members, as the reference category for the subsequent analyses. Table 8 reports the results of multinomial logistic regression. Female students with more parent and peer support were more likely (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.43 to 2.55) to have almost ICT person or ICT person profiles and were less likely (RRR = 0.52 to 0.81) to have hesitant or incompatible with ICT profiles. Therefore, H4 is partially supported. Additionally, students perceiving more gender stereotypes were less likely (RRR = 0.75) to have the almost ICT person profile, providing support to H3.Students who were uninterested in ICT usually reported a lack of support from their parents and friends. For instance, Student 6 mentioned that she was not interested in ICT at all, her results were bad, as she could not follow what was being taught in class, and most of her friends did not like the subject. Additionally, her mother forced her to learn ICT (rather than encouraging or guiding her), which made her dislike the subject even more.Consistent with the quantitative results, few students acknowledged the contribution of teachers in the development of ICT identity or in the pursuit of ICT study. Teachers’ support appeared to be less relevant to the development of ICT identity for these adolescent females. For instance, Student 7, who identified herself as an ICT person and was very eager to acquire ICT knowledge, was not interested in the ICT class at school because she was already familiar with what was being taught in the class. Some interviewees commented that because of the large class size of more than 30 students, teachers were not able to attend to all students individually. Therefore, even though they were eager to learn and were interested in ICT, they were not able to have their study problems or difficulties resolved in time.Conversely, when some adolescent females considered their future careers, they considered not only their aspirations and interests but also their possibility of success in the ICT field. Interview data support the quantitative findings that students of the average profile who have a higher perceived career success are likely to choose to work in ICT. Student 11 perceived that she had the right skills and knowledge to make her strive on ICT and therefore considered working in the field:This finding is unexpected and was not captured by our quantitative analyses. Two reasons are speculated regarding this phenomenon. First, a few students who were good at and interested in ICT also had strong abilities in other areas, leading them to choose other career options when they perceived a greater chance of success in those areas. Second, gender stereotypic beliefs may implicitly influence these female students’ career choices. Although many of them did not explicitly relate their career choice to their gender identity, it was possible that their gender identification and conceptions led them to choose a “gender-appropriate” career, despite their strong ICT identity. This speculation is supported by the response of Student 4, who was the only interviewee to say that she preferred not to work in ICT because of her gender:Nevertheless, despite its strong influence, individuals may not be conscious of the impact of gender stereotypic beliefs on their ICT study. From the interviews, it was noted that the majority of the adolescent females were not aware of the existence of their gender stereotypic beliefs. Even among students who could identify support and barriers to their ICT studies, they were not aware of the existence and influence of gender stereotypes in their decision-making process (Nosek, Banaji, & Greenwald, 2002). In particular, gender inequality and stereotypes remain salient in the educational system and teaching materials in Hong Kong (Lee, 2014). It is not a surprise that the lack of gender egalitarian education leads high school females to be uninformed of the existence and influence of such beliefs.Support and encouragement from parents and peers were found to be significant predictors of ICT identity across the five profiles. Greater support from parents and peers in general was associated with stronger ICT identity, especially among adolescents who are subject to such influences to a greater extent than are adults (Adya & Kaiser, 2005; Osborne & Jones, 2011). Moreover, the lack of support from parents and peers weakens the development of ICT identity and subsequently hinders the decision to study and work in ICT among adolescent females (Pasiewicz, 2018). It shows that ICT identity is made possible not only within a single community but is cultivated in a multiplicity of relationships with parents and peers, through which students evaluate and position themselves in the ICT field (Solomon, Croft, & Lawson, 2010).Contrary to hypothesis 4, teachers' support was not able to predict high school females' ICT identity. Based on our qualitative findings, we speculate that the situation in Hong Kong is different from that in Western societies because the class size of high schools in Hong Kong remains large. Smaller classes, comparatively, are reported to facilitate students' learning progress and their acquisition of more knowledge (Brühwiler & Blatchford, 2011). In Hong Kong, a high school teacher, who is usually responsible for a class of 30 or more students, is unlikely to attend to the needs of each individual student. Given that students have diverse needs and motivations in studying ICT, the current class environment makes it very challenging for teachers to offer adequate time and support to nurture students’ ICT identity development.Moreover, ICT classes should include “making” (the creation of technological artifacts related to electronics and programming through play and innovation) to enhance students' intrinsic motivation and eventually to prompt them to incorporate ICT into their sense of self (Schlegel et al., 2019). From the qualitative findings, a number of female students with the almost ICT person and ICT person profiles mentioned that they developed interest in ICT because of video gaming. Those who had experience creating computer games in a coding workshop even remarked that they became more interested and confident in ICT after the training. Past studies have revealed that playing and designing computer games can help encourage young females to have career aspirations in the ICT field (Sharma et al., 2020). Indeed, hands-on creation based on STEM knowledge that involves the spirit of play and innovation, the stimulation of intrinsic motivation, and the application and acquisition of technological knowledge is reported to enhance students' formation of STEM identity (Schlegel et al., 2019). With more students developing stronger ICT identity, they can encourage and provide support to each other in ICT study, further enhancing their ICT identity. Furthermore, students should be encouraged to show what they have created to their parents so that parents can have a better understanding of how well their daughters are academically performing in ICT, which in turn can be helpful for enhancing social support to adolescent females. In addition, as suggested by Kong and Wang (2021), high school leaders should plan parent education campaigns to help parents develop positive attitudes toward their children's ICT learning and learn how to provide them with support in this area.This work was supported by funding from the Women's Foundation in Hong Kong (Project Numbers: 9231198 and 9231202), which was awarded to the first and second authors.We would like to thank the Women's Foundation for funding the two research projects from which the data for this article were collected. We are also grateful to the anonymous reviewers who provided valuable comments and suggestions on our earlier draft. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2023/4
Y1 - 2023/4
N2 - Among science subjects, gender disparities are most evident in information and communication technology (ICT). Researchers have suggested that science identification plays a key role in motivating young females to pursue the study and work of science. However, few studies have comprehensively examined the constituting components of ICT identity and its influencing factors from a person-centered perspective. By adopting an explanatory mixed methods design, this study uncovers ICT identity profiles using nine components derived from the literature and examines their influence on the intention to further study and work in the ICT field among female high school students. The sample included 821 female high school students from 13 schools in Hong Kong who completed a self-report questionnaire. Twenty of them were invited for a follow-up semi-structured interview. The result of the latent profile analysis reveals five ICT identity profiles based on differences in the levels of the nine components. Both quantitative and qualitative data analyses indicate that the higher the level of ICT identity is, the more likely female students are to choose to study and work in ICT. Furthermore, adolescent females with low levels of gender stereotypic beliefs and high degrees of parental and peer support are more likely to belong to the highest level of the ICT identity profile, namely, the ICT person profile. In particular, female high school students with the ICT person profile report even stronger intentions to study ICT when they are clear about career prospects, whereas those with the average ICT identity profile display stronger intentions to work in the ICT industry when they have high expectations of career success. The practical implications for ICT education are discussed.
AB - Among science subjects, gender disparities are most evident in information and communication technology (ICT). Researchers have suggested that science identification plays a key role in motivating young females to pursue the study and work of science. However, few studies have comprehensively examined the constituting components of ICT identity and its influencing factors from a person-centered perspective. By adopting an explanatory mixed methods design, this study uncovers ICT identity profiles using nine components derived from the literature and examines their influence on the intention to further study and work in the ICT field among female high school students. The sample included 821 female high school students from 13 schools in Hong Kong who completed a self-report questionnaire. Twenty of them were invited for a follow-up semi-structured interview. The result of the latent profile analysis reveals five ICT identity profiles based on differences in the levels of the nine components. Both quantitative and qualitative data analyses indicate that the higher the level of ICT identity is, the more likely female students are to choose to study and work in ICT. Furthermore, adolescent females with low levels of gender stereotypic beliefs and high degrees of parental and peer support are more likely to belong to the highest level of the ICT identity profile, namely, the ICT person profile. In particular, female high school students with the ICT person profile report even stronger intentions to study ICT when they are clear about career prospects, whereas those with the average ICT identity profile display stronger intentions to work in the ICT industry when they have high expectations of career success. The practical implications for ICT education are discussed.
KW - Gender studies
KW - Pedagogical issues
KW - Secondary education
KW - Teaching/learning strategies
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85145646776
U2 - 10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104722
DO - 10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104722
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85145646776
SN - 0360-1315
VL - 195
JO - Computers and Education
JF - Computers and Education
M1 - 104722
ER -