Article

Why students with an apparent aptitude for computer science don't choose to major in computer science

Author:

Lori CarterAuthors Info & Claims

SIGCSE '06: Proceedings of the 37th SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education

Pages 27 - 31

https://doi.org/10.1145/1121341.1121352

Published: 03 March 2006 Publication History

Abstract

The statistics show that the number of Computer Science majors is dropping across the United States. Possible reasons include a reduced number of jobs in the field, an incorrect perception of what Computer Scientists do, and the students' disinterest due to a lack of familiarity with the subject. The reasons may be different for males and females. This paper reports on a study in which 836 high school calculus and pre-calculus students were surveyed to try to determine why students with an apparent aptitude for CS did not pursue a major in Computer Science. The results supported some of the hypotheses for declining enrollment, and rejected others. The top reasons for rejecting the major were the same for both genders, but the reasons for choosing the major differed.

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Cited By

Wheeler LChiu JGrisham C(2024)Computational Methods in General Chemistry: Perceptions of Programming, Prior Experience, and Student OutcomesJournal of College Science Teaching10.2505/4/jcst16_045_03_8345:3(83-91)Online publication date: 2-Dec-2024
https://doi.org/10.2505/4/jcst16_045_03_83
Mejias MWashington GBurge LWilson DKouaho LMarshall J(2024)A Framework For Discussing Black Student Threats to Belonging in Computer Science2024 Black Issues in Computing Education (BICE)10.1109/BICE60192.2024.00011(15-20)Online publication date: 1-Feb-2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/BICE60192.2024.00011
Jones BZhu XEllis MAmbarkutuk ZFenerci H(2024)Connections between students’ perceptions of the motivational climate in a course and their motivational beliefs and academic and career goalsEuropean Journal of Engineering Education10.1080/03043797.2024.2446551(1-22)Online publication date: 28-Dec-2024
https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2024.2446551
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Index Terms

Why students with an apparent aptitude for computer science don't choose to major in computer science
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing education
    2. Computing profession
      1. Computing occupations

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Published In

cover image ACM Conferences

SIGCSE '06: Proceedings of the 37th SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education

March 2006

612 pages

ISBN:1595932593

DOI:10.1145/1121341

Program Chairs:
Doug Baldwin
SUNY Geneseo
,
Paul Tymann
Rochester Institute of Technology
,
Susan Haller
SUNY Potsdam
,
Ingrid Russell
University of Hartford

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin Volume 38, Issue 1
March 2006
553 pages
ISSN:0097-8418
DOI:10.1145/1124706
Issue’s Table of Contents

Copyright © 2006 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Published: 03 March 2006

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SIGCSE06: Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

March 3 - 5, 2006

Texas, Houston, USA

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Overall Acceptance Rate 1,787 of 5,146 submissions, 35%

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Cited By

Wheeler LChiu JGrisham C(2024)Computational Methods in General Chemistry: Perceptions of Programming, Prior Experience, and Student OutcomesJournal of College Science Teaching10.2505/4/jcst16_045_03_8345:3(83-91)Online publication date: 2-Dec-2024
https://doi.org/10.2505/4/jcst16_045_03_83
Mejias MWashington GBurge LWilson DKouaho LMarshall J(2024)A Framework For Discussing Black Student Threats to Belonging in Computer Science2024 Black Issues in Computing Education (BICE)10.1109/BICE60192.2024.00011(15-20)Online publication date: 1-Feb-2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/BICE60192.2024.00011
Jones BZhu XEllis MAmbarkutuk ZFenerci H(2024)Connections between students’ perceptions of the motivational climate in a course and their motivational beliefs and academic and career goalsEuropean Journal of Engineering Education10.1080/03043797.2024.2446551(1-22)Online publication date: 28-Dec-2024
https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2024.2446551
Hinterplattner S(2023)Students’ Perceptions of Computer Science and the Role of GenderComputer Supported Education10.1007/978-3-031-40501-3_6(125-148)Online publication date: 7-Aug-2023
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40501-3_6
López-Pernas SApiola MSaqr MPears ATedre M(2023)A Scientometric Perspective on the Evolution of the SIGCSE Technical Symposium: 1970–2021Past, Present and Future of Computing Education Research10.1007/978-3-031-25336-2_10(193-212)Online publication date: 5-Jan-2023
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25336-2_10
Assaf DBetschart SMoser ACurtins JSteiner MWalker N(2021)«iMake-IT»: Invent, Code, and Shape Your World!FabLearn Europe / MakeEd 2021 - An International Conference on Computing, Design and Making in Education10.1145/3466725.3466748(1-3)Online publication date: 2-Jun-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3466725.3466748
Samarasekara COtt CRobins ASchulte CBecker BDivitini MBarendsen E(2021)Students' Perspectives on High School CS Education in NZProceedings of the 26th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 210.1145/3456565.3460070(646-646)Online publication date: 26-Jun-2021
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Salguero AGriswold WAlvarado CPorter L(2021)Understanding Sources of Student Struggle in Early Computer Science CoursesProceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research10.1145/3446871.3469755(319-333)Online publication date: 16-Aug-2021
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Christoph FWeimer WAngstadt KSchulte CBecker BDivitini MBarendsen E(2021)The Early Bird Gets the Worm: Major Retention in CS3Proceedings of the 26th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3430665.3456335(422-428)Online publication date: 26-Jun-2021
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Spezialetti MSherriff MMerkle LCutter PMonge ASheard J(2021)Putting People in the PictureProceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education10.1145/3408877.3432553(129-135)Online publication date: 3-Mar-2021
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