Role Models Sphere

The second influence which was woven into the Digital Divas program was one of ‘closing the loop’ between doing things on the computer and what an actual computing career might entail. It focused on dispelling the stereotypes of IT being a boring ‘geeky’ career and into something that could be of interest to girls and normal for them to consider. A lack of visible and appropriate female role models in IT has been recognised as contributing to the gender imbalance of the profession. Additionally a lack of mentoring can inhibit the progression of females along the pipeline to a successful IT career. The literature shows strong support for the strategies of providing appropriate role models (Ahuja, 2002; Ashcraft, Eger & Friend, 2012; Barker

& Aspray 2006; Clayton et al., 2012; Cozza, 2011; Gras-Velazquez, Joyce

& Debry, 2009; Miliszewska & Moore, 2011) and incorporating mentoring (Craig, 1998; Trauth, Quesenberry & Huang, 2009; Klawe, Whitney &

Simard 2009; NCWIT, 2010). Consequently the second layer of influence was to encourage informal mentoring by engaging female university students

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studying IT (aka Expert Divas) as classroom assistants and more targeted role-modelling opportunities by bringing professional IT women into the classroom as guest speakers.

Stereotypes are our thinking about other people and produce our ex-pectations of how they will behave (Aronson, 2004). So, for example, if IT careers are seen by girls as the providence of geeks then you must be geeky (not normal and not cool and not feminine) to be in IT. ‘Stereotype threat’

is when unflattering stereotypes exist and such a stereotype with negative associations may then influence our behaviour (Steele & Aronson, 1995). So girls may not go into IT if they don’t want to be part of the geeky/uncool/

solitary group that they perceive exists. The program therefore tried to dispel these stereotypes.

Expert Divas

Female university students studying an IT course at university were assigned to each instantiation of the Digital Divas program in each school. They were paid for their participation in the program, and attended a training session where expectations were outlined and instructions provided on the program, the portal and the student’s responsibilities. One Expert Diva attended each school on a weekly basis, usually for one double period if that was possible. Their role was to act as informal role models for the girls, to assist the classroom teacher in managing the program and in doing so help to normalise the perception of a female IT expert.

Each Expert Diva was provided with a pro-forma to guide their introduction to the class. They were specifically requested to tell their own story during their first lesson with some background on how and why they became interested in IT. It was hoped they would outline their commitment to their IT studies, thus promoting positive perceptions from the outset. At times the Expert Divas also became the classroom facilitators, encouraged by the teachers to introduce the introductory programming sessions, for example. This supportive and collaborative approach also contributed to the desired image that no-one needs to be expert in all areas of computing, not even the classroom teacher.

Oh I think it’s fabulous. It gives the kids someone else to ask questions about, their career path, what they study, how hard was it to get into.

[Classroom Teacher]

The Expert Divas sent weekly reflections on their interaction with the class to the researchers; this provided us with further rich qualitative feedback

on the program. Almost invariably Expert Divas found their roles to be very satisfying and rewarding, with most reporting extremely positive experiences in post- interviews, and most expressing a desire to continue with the program should the opportunity arise. For example:

Helping the girls with their work and forming a fun relationship with the class, praising their achievements, all the while showing them that it’s not overly hard, it’s fun, and it’s possible! It was fantastic to see how proud the girls were of their work when they really put effort in. Being a role model for the students is also a great feeling when they start to open up, talk and ask questions about not just their own work, but what I do myself at uni. [Sally_ED]

It became apparent from the data that most of the Expert Divas were motivated to participate because they themselves had a positive experience studying IT, and saw the need to encourage more girls to study IT and to pursue a career in the field.

I was attracted to the idea of computing as it is something that plays a large part in my daily activities and this is what influenced me to further explore the world of IT. [Li_ED]

I see myself in a rewarding IT-based career. I see myself not only at a desk job but in a role which incorporates both my love of computing and my need for a creative channel. [Natali_ED]

In some schools the Expert Divas were allocated the role of managing the student blogs, providing another opportunity for near-peer mentoring (Ashcraft et al., 2012, p. 58). This was part of the module called ‘Wiki Wiki’ and included an exploration of changing technology used on the World Wide Web, such as wikis and blogs. This led to the introduction of

‘blogging’ in the club environment. The impact of these interactions was evident in the feedback data. The secondary school girls reported that one of the most beneficial outcomes were the informal interactions that occurred with the Expert Divas. Many of the girls in the class had not previously met anyone who had chosen to pursue an academic degree in computing. The interactions with the Expert Divas proved beneficial in increasing student understanding of computing as an academic discipline, as well as combating perceptions that computing careers were only suitable for male ‘geeks’.

Another benefit from the program that we did not anticipate was the growth and empowerment provided to the university students through their

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Expert Diva roles. While this aspect of the program will be discussed further in Chapter 7, at this point it is worth noting how these young women gained personally from working in the classroom each week. The classroom teacher often supported their development and allowed them to introduce activities and explain concepts in their own words (and in some cases via actions) to the students. This comment in the reflective blog of one of the Expert Divas is an example of this growth:

My favourite thing is that you watch the kids grow, and… We are walking into the room now and they get excited when they see us, and tell us what’s happening at school, and what’s happening between their friendship groups. So there are still interactions, but the girls are pretty comfortable with telling us that they’ve got problems, or something, so we are really growing together as a group. (Sally_ED)