Investigating the Impact of Introducing Pair Programming to Primary Computing Education on Female Pupils’Attitudes Towards Computing

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya

Gender balance in computing education remains a long-standing concern, especially in K-12 where mandatory exposure exists yet disparities persist once computing becomes elective. This paper examines whether introducing pair programming affects primary girls’ attitudes toward computing and their intent to study further. A randomised controlled trial with 785 female pupils (ages 8–10) used a 12-week intervention, supported by qualitative evaluation of teachers’ and pupils’ experiences and material development. Results show no statistically significant attitude or intent changes, though qualitative findings highlight engagement and enjoyment and point to collaboration as a driver of confidence. Overall, the study underscores persistent societal and systemic barriers affecting gender-diverse participation despite ongoing initiatives.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

1. Introduction

2. Related work

2.1 Gender balance in computing

Investigating the Impact of Introducing Pair Programming to Primary Computing Education on Female Pupils’Attitudes Towards Computing Katharine CHILDS Raspberry Pi Foundation, Cambridge Sue SENTANCE Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge DOI: 10.21585/ijcses.v7i1.218 Abstract Gender balance in computing education is a decades-old issue that has been the focus of much previous research. In K-12, the introduction of mandatory computing education goes some way to giving all learners the opportunity to engage with computing throughout school, but a gender imbalance still persists when computer science becomes an elective subject. The study described in this paper investigates whether introducing pair programming would make a difference to primary-aged girls’ attitudes to computing and intent to study the subject in the future. A randomised controlled trial (RCT) was designed and implemented around a 12-week intervention with 785 female pupils between the ages of 8 and 10 years, alongside a qualitative evaluation investigating teachers’ and pupils' experience of the interventions and the development of materials and teacher preparation resources. The results ofthe RCT showed no statistically significant changes in student attitudes towards computing or intent to study further, although the qualitative data indicated that both teachers and pupils found the interventions engaging and enjoyable. Themes emerging from the qualitative data point to the importance of collaboration in supporting a development in pupil confidence. Overall, these results emphasise the societal and systemic barriers around computer science and technology engagement across genders that persist despite many initiatives being implemented over many years. Keywords K-12 computing education, pair programming, gender balance 1. Introduction There is a decades-old problem with gender imbalance in computing education, at all levels of schooling and university, with an equally long history of research into the reasons why this is the case (Butler, 2000) . Global statistics show that gender imbalances persist into the technology workforce, particularly in digital transformation roles such as data and cloud computing (Global Education Monitoring Report Team, 2024) . Some evidence has shown that the gender stereotypes around computing affecting choices on further study develop early (Eccles, 2015), while there is less research available on specific approaches that can be used to address these stereotypes. Universal access to inclusive quality education offers a route to eliminating gender and wealth disparities (United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), n.d.) so in theory, mandatory computing education at primary and lower secondary phases of education provides a leveller to gender balance. In school, girls do well in computing. An analysis of recent examination results in England demonstrates that girls are more likely to achieve higher grades than boys in formal computer science (CS) education (Kemp et al., 2019) . However, girls may be less likely to be encouraged to continue with computing education or to take it in the first place (Cheryan et al., 2009) and amongst students who have chosen to study GCSE Computer Science, girls are less likely to aspire to be a computer scientist compared with boys (Hamer et al., 2023) . Other studies have identified gender differences between learners in their attitudes towards computing. Male students are generally more confident using computers (Beyer et al., 2003) because they have more access and exposure to computers at home (Varma, 2009) and these gender disparities affect students’ achievement in computing from as young as ten years old (Tsan et al., 2016) . This paper discusses the design, implementation, and evaluation of an intervention designed to investigate whether using pair programming – as part of primary computing education – could reduce

FAQs

What is the main research question of this paper?

Whether introducing pair programming in primary computing education improves female pupils’ attitudes toward computing and their intent to study the subject in the future.

How was the study conducted?

The study used a randomised controlled trial with 785 female pupils aged 8 to 10, alongside a qualitative evaluation of teachers’ and pupils’ experiences and the development of intervention and preparation materials.

What were the key results regarding attitudes and intent?

The RCT found no statistically significant changes in students’ attitudes toward computing or their intent to study further, though qualitative data indicated that participants found the interventions engaging and enjoyable and that collaboration supported confidence.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya