Coded Language and the Geek Gene: Who Belongs in Computing? (Poster 25)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thirteen
  In Poster Session: Learning Sciences SIG Poster Session One: Games, Embodiment, Design, and Computational Thinking

Abstract

Computing suffers from massive inequities in participation, with women and historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups dramatically underrepresented when compared to the general population. It is important to understand the truth of efforts to diversify the computing workforce, as those efforts inevitably inform the formal and informal programs preparing students for those careers. Drawing from 12 interviews with industry partners, 3 descriptive and analytic memos, and 8 artifacts, this paper utilizes a critical discourse approach to examine IT industry language around hiring criteria. Findings illuminate the use of coded language that sounds welcoming to minoritized populations, but ultimately serves to maintain the status quo in hiring. Implications for learning science scholars and practitioners are further unpacked.

Authors

• Mai Zaru, Southern Methodist University
  Presenting Author

• Alexandra E. Pavlakis, Southern Methodist University
  Presenting Author

• Michelle Friend, University of Nebraska - Omaha
  Presenting Author