Sense of Belonging in Computing: The Role of Introductory Courses for Women and Underrepresented Minority Students

Abstract

This study examines an aspect of gender and racial/ethnic gaps in undergraduate computing by focusing on sense of belonging among women and underrepresented minority (URM) introductory computing students. We examine change in sense of belonging during the introductory course as well as the predictors of belonging, with attention to conditional effects by gender and URM status. Results show that sense of belonging outcomes are a product of both incoming student characteristics and college environments and experiences, highlighting the important role the computing faculty play in fostering belonging. These and other findings are discussed, focusing on sense of belonging among women, URM students, and URM women.

Keywords

• computer science
• introductory computing
• gender
• URM students
• race/ethnicity
• sense of belonging