Gender Inclusiveness in Educational Technology and Learning Experiences of Girls and Boys

Abstract The use of technology (information and communication technology, ICT) in secondary education is an important aspect of the current curriculum and of teachers’ pedagogy. Learning supported by computers is supposed to be motivating for students and is, therefore, assumed to have positive effects on learning experiences and results. However, the question remains whether these motivating effects are equal for all students. Although the gender gap in the use of ICT and knowledge about it has diminished, there are still indications that the use of technology in education affects girls and boys differently. The present empirical study focuses on the relationship between the inclusiveness of educational tools and the learning experiences of girls and boys. The results show that gender scripts are embedded in educational tools, which are reinforced in classroom practice and affect learner experiences. A greater inclusiveness of the tools appears to improve the participation of students, enhances positive attitudes toward learning and technology, and improves the learning effects as reported by girls and boys. Girls especially tend to benefit from the inclusiveness of educational tools.

[1]  W. Admiraal,et al.  Social scripts in educational technology and inclusiveness in classroom practice , 2011 .

[2]  M. Volman,et al.  Gender equity and information technology in education. , 2001 .

[3]  M. Volman,et al.  Gender Equity and Information Technology in Education: The Second Decade , 2001 .

[4]  S. Woolgar.  Configuring the User: The Case of Usability Trials , 1990 .

[5]  Glenn L. DeVoogd,et al.  Computer use levers power sharing: multicultural students' styles of participation and knowledge , 1998, Comput. Educ..

[6]  B. Gillani.  Culturally Responsive Educational Web Sites , 2000 .

[7]  J. Kaplan,et al.  The second decade , 1996 .

[8]  Richard W. Joiner,et al.  Gender, computer experience and computer-based problem solving , 1996, Comput. Educ..

[9]  A. Colley,et al.  Age and gender differences in computer use and attitudes among secondary school students: what has changed? , 2003 .

[10]  Ann Rudinow Sætnan,et al.  On gender and things: Reflections on an exhibition on gendered artifacts , 2002 .

[11]  M. Akrich.  User Representations: Practices, Methods and Sociology , 1995 .

[12]  M. Adler.  Culture and Computer Technology in the Classroom. , 1999 .

[13]  Matthew M. Maurer,et al.  Technology, Children, and the Power of the Heart. , 1999 .

[14]  Steve Davies,et al.  Becta review 2006. Evidence on the progress of ICT in education. , 2005 .

[15]  Liesbet van Zoonen,et al.  Gendering the Internet Claims, Controversies and Cultures , 2002 .

[16]  M. Miles,et al.  The Qualitative Researcher's Companion , 2002 .

[17]  Gill Kirkup,et al.  Gender and cultural differences in Internet use: A study of China and the UK , 2007, Comput. Educ..

[18]  Els Kuiper,et al.  New technologies, new differences. Gender and ethnic differences in pupils' use of ICT in primary and secondary education , 2005, Comput. Educ..

[19]  James M. Royer,et al.  Can U.S. Developed CAI Work Effectively in a Developing Country? , 1994 .

[20]  Denise E. Agosto.  Propelling Young Women into the Cyber Age: Gender Considerations in the Evaluation of Web-based Information , 2001 .

[21]  K. Ryba,et al.  Creating Gender Equitable Computer Learning Environments , 1994 .

[22]  Marta Larson,et al.  Guidelines for Selecting Equitable Electronic Software. , 1999 .

[23]  J. Cooper,et al.  The digital divide: the special case of gender , 2006, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[24]  M. Volman.  Gender-related effects of computer and information literacy education , 1995 .

[25]  Nichole Pinkard,et al.  How the Perceived Masculinity and/or Femininity of Software Applications Influences Students' Software Preferences , 2005 .

[26]  N. Oudshoorn,et al.  Configuring the User as Everybody: Gender and Design Cultures in Information and Communication Technologies , 2004 .

[27]  Dale S. Niederhauser,et al.  Teachers’ instructional perspectives and use of educational software , 2001 .

[28]  Monique Volman,et al.  Inclusiveness and ICT in education: a focus on gender, ethnicity and social class , 2005, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[29]  J. Akker.  Curriculum Perspectives: An Introduction , 2004 .

[30]  Wilmad Kuiper,et al.  Curriculum landscapes and trends , 2003 .

[31]  Stephen Marble,et al.  Narrative visions of schooling , 1997 .

[32]  Rena Upitis,et al.  The Story of Phoenix Quest: How girls respond to a prototype language and mathematics computer game , 1999 .

[33]  S. Hennessy,et al.  Teacher representations of the successful use of computer-based tools and resources in secondary-school English, mathematics and science , 2004 .

[34]  J. Law.  A Sociology of monsters: Essays on power, technology, and domination , 1991 .