The Research Brief is a short description of interesting academic work.
The big idea
When computer science courses are delivered through high school career and technical education, the courses can help students with learning disabilities feel better about their ability to succeed in STEM. The classes also help students to see the benefits of computer science.
This is what we found in a recent study with our co-authors – educational researchers Michael Gottfried, Jennifer Freeman. This may interest you : Michigan Congressional Delegates Help Pass CHIPS and SCIENCE Act.
We used national survey data from more than 20,000 students across the country to dig into this connection between computer science and science, technology, engineering or math, a group of subjects commonly known as STEM.
In our work, we found that—compared to other students with learning disabilities—those who took computer science courses in a career and technical education program were more likely to believe they could succeed in STEM. They were also more likely to believe that STEM was useful for future employment or college options.
We also found that—within career and technical education programs—students with learning disabilities were just as likely to take computer science courses as students without learning disabilities. All of our findings remained evident even after we took into account key student characteristics, such as family income, first language, gender, and racial or ethnic identity.
Students with learning disabilities in our study are those who have a disability that affects their learning to write, read, spell or perform mathematical calculations.
Why it matters
Computer science is one of the fastest growing fields in today’s economy. Employment experts predict a 13% increase—about 667,000 new jobs—in these computing occupations from 2020 to 2030. That’s more than three times the expected overall job growth.
However, there have not been enough computer science graduates in recent years to fill these jobs. To see also : Mental health, teenage births: 5 takeaways from data on Ohio children.
Based on our work, it appears that computer science courses help students with learning disabilities develop positive attitudes towards STEM. These attitudes are linked to persistence in both computer science and STEM more generally. This makes it important for teachers to encourage students to study, and stick with, computer science and STEM and to ensure that these students have access to these courses.
At the moment, students with learning disabilities are underrepresented in computer science fields at university and on the job market. Specifically, fewer than 8% of students in computer science programs have some disability. This compares with around 19% of all students.
What still isn’t known
A major question that remains is why students with learning disabilities do not persist in computer science fields in college and eventually pursue careers in the field. Read also : Jackson Arts Council Launches Jackson Art Box – WBBJ TV. Although computer science courses in high school help develop self-confidence and a sense of purpose, it may not be enough to encourage them to stick with it in the long term.
A possible explanation could be that students with learning disabilities do not see themselves as part of the STEM community. In our research, we looked to see if there was a relationship between computer science courses and a sense of STEM community membership. We found this connection for general education students, but not for students with learning difficulties.
Another possible explanation could be that students with learning disabilities start high school with a lower degree of STEM confidence and less sense that computer science will be useful to them in the future. Simply attending computer science courses may not be enough to make up the difference in this regard.
What’s next
An important next step will be to look at the factors that help students with learning disabilities continue to study computer science and STEM. For example, does a positive attitude toward STEM actually lead students with learning disabilities to study computer science or pursue careers in the field? We plan to explore such a question in future work.
What is all about computer science?
Computer science is the study of computers and data processing as well as their theoretical and practical applications. Computer science applies the principles of mathematics, engineering, and logic to a variety of functions, including algorithm formulation, software and hardware development, and artificial intelligence.
Is computer science a good career? Is computer science a good career? Yes! High demand for qualified computer scientists means high expected growth for many careers. These jobs are often lucrative, with average salaries ranging from $80,000 to $130,000.
Is computer science that hard?
Computer science is a relatively unforgiving field; especially when it comes to programming. When creating a program, you must pay extreme attention to detail, because any small mistake you make can cause the program to fail.
What exactly do you study in computer science?
The main areas of study in computer science include artificial intelligence, computer systems and networks, security, database systems, human computer interaction, vision and graphics, numerical analysis, programming languages, software engineering, bioinformatics and computing theory.
What is the benefit of computer to the society?
Computers benefit the business world and the personal world by being able to do the following more efficiently: buy and sell products, communicate worldwide, improve our knowledge, job impact, entertainment, research and pay bills.
What are the benefits of computers in our society? They can communicate with each other in a short time. Thus, trades can be closed in a more efficient way. Moreover, they can gather the most up-to-date financial information from the Internet so that they can make the best decision. Also, computers are used to control the operation of machines.
What is the impact of computer in the society?
Computers changed the world a lot. It helped man move forward into the future. Thanks to computers, space exploration became a reality, new designs of vehicles and other transport were created; entertainment became more entertaining, medical science created more cures for diseases, etc.
What are the 10 uses of computer in the society?
Basic computer applications
- Home. Computers are used at home for several purposes such as online payment of bills, watching movies or programs at home, home schooling, accessing social media, playing games, accessing the internet, etc. …
- Medical area. …
- Entertainment. …
- Industry. …
- Education. …
- The authorities. …
- Banking. …
- Business.
Which computer degree is best?
7 Popular Computer Degrees for IT Jobs
- Information technology and information systems.
- Computer science.
- Information science.
- Systems & Network administration.
- Software Engineering.
- Computer engineering.
- Cyber security.
What is the type of computer degree? In fact, there are many different types of bachelor’s degrees in computer science, which have the same core. Other comparable degrees include: Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Computer Science. Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in computer science. Bachelor in data security in informatics.
What is the most important thing about computer science?
The most important aspect of computer science is problem solving, an essential life skill. Students study the design, development and analysis of software and hardware used to solve problems in a variety of business, scientific and social contexts.
What is the importance of studying computer science? Studying computer science will help you develop problem solving, critical thinking and complex analytical skills. Skills like these are especially useful for specialists working with complex algorithms and big data to create instructions and understand design patterns.
