Date of Award

Fall 2025

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

First Advisor

Yingxiao Qian

Abstract

The purpose of this action research was to describe how participation in an after-school coding and robotics program influenced elementary female students’ engagement and self-efficacy in computer science. According to a 2023 report from the National Science Foundation, in 2020 women earned only 21% of computer science degrees and 24% of engineering undergraduate degrees in the United States. As two of the fastest growing fields, the lack of female perspectives and experiences will continue to limit innovation in these areas. Studies show that gender gaps in engagement and self-efficacy in STEM begin long before students enter college and the workforce, highlighting the need for early, intentional interventions.

The study participants were 13 second through fifth grade girls from a rural elementary school in the southeastern part of the United States who joined a nine-week after-school coding and robotics club. The intervention included two project-based units designed to foster engagement and self-efficacy. In the first unit, participants programmed Dot and Dash robots to perform a two-minute dance routine. In the second, they used Hummingbird Bit kits to design and program electronic wearables. Both units intentionally incorporated hands-on learning, collaboration, challenging but attainable tasks, opportunities for creativity and choice, and mentorship from female role models. These elements have been shown in previous studies to increase girls’ engagement and self-efficacy in coding and robotics. In this mixed-methods study, quantitative data were collected through engagement and self-efficacy surveys, and qualitative data through participant interviews. Quantitative findings showed that the girls’ engagement remained high throughout the club and that their overall self-efficacy increased. Qualitative data supported these results, with participants describing how hands-on, collaborative, and creative learning experiences, as well as female mentorship, strengthened their engagement and confidence in coding and robotics.

This research has implications for designing computer science programs that engage girls in a traditionally male-dominated space. Programs that intentionally integrate hands-on activities that are challenging but attainable, creativity and choice, collaboration, and positive female role models can foster lasting engagement and higher self-efficacy, increasing the likelihood that girls will continue participating in computer science and engineering in the future.

Rights

© 2025, Lisa Guenther Wilbanks

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