The number of girls studying computing GCSEs in England has more than halved in less than a decade, leading to warnings about “male dominance in shaping the modern world”.
The sharp fall in female participation comes as government changes to qualifications see the old Information and Communications Technology (ICT) GCSE abolished and replaced with a new Computer Science GCSE.
Government reforms aimed to create “more academically challenging and knowledge-based” qualifications, but the introduction of the new curriculum had the unintended consequence of reducing female enrolments, new research from King’s College London has found.
In 2015, 43% of ICT GCSE candidates were women, but in 2023, just 21% of those taking GCSE Computer Science were women.
To put the figures in perspective, 40,000 girls took ICT GCSEs and a further 5,000 took Computer Science in 2015. By 2023, with ICT no longer available, just 18,600 girls will have taken Computer Science.
When asked why, girls who chose not to study computer science said they didn’t enjoy it and that it didn’t fit into their career plans, the survey found.
Critics of the old ICT qualification complained that they only taught students how to use Microsoft Office. In contrast, the new Computer Science GCSE, with its emphasis on computer theory, coding and programming, is perceived by many students as “harder” than other subjects.
The study recognised that computer science GCSEs are here to stay, with 88,000 students taking the subject in 2023, and a four-fold increase in the number of A-level candidates between 2013 and 2023.
“However, these successes coincide with a general decline in computer and digital skills education at secondary school level, particularly affecting girls, certain ethnic groups and students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds,” the report said.
The report included a series of recommendations calling for urgent curriculum reform, more support for computing teachers and “expanding the current narrative about computing to focus on more than just male tech entrepreneurs.”
“The lack of women in the computing industry could lead to increased vulnerability and male dominance in shaping the modern world,” the authors warned.
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“There is an urgent need for action to encourage more girls to study computing at school so they can gain the digital skills they need to participate in and shape the world,” said Dr Peter Kemp, lead researcher on the study and senior lecturer in computing education at King’s College London.
“Current GCSEs focus on developing computer science and programming skills and this appears to be preventing young people, particularly girls, from taking up the subject. We need to ensure that computing is attractive to all pupils and meets the needs of young people and society.”
“All students should leave with the digital skills they need to succeed in the workplace and society,” says Pete Dolling, head of computing at Fulford School in York. “The curriculum needs to be reformed to include a comprehensive computing GCSE that provides essential skills and knowledge, going beyond just computer science.”
Maggie Philbin, One The technology broadcaster and director of TeenTech, which promotes digital skills, added: “At the moment many students consider the subject to be ‘difficult’ and will vote with their feet if they want to achieve the best results. It’s time to look at this subject with a fresh eye and work with teachers to design a curriculum that is more engaging and that teachers can be confident delivering.”
Source: www.theguardian.com
