Toward More Generalizable CS and CT Instruments: Examining the Interaction of Country and Gender at the Middle Grades

Abstract

The lack of gender diversity in the computer science (CS) field and workforce is a well-documented challenge that many, but not all, countries face. Such a challenge may tie to socio-cultural issues that have impacted K-12 CS education, eventually creating a gender gap in CS performance and attitudes. The current study compared American and Indonesian middle school students' computational thinking (CT) skills and CS attitudes. Concurrently, this study also examined whether the items in the instruments we used exhibit country, gender, or prior CS experience measurement biases. A total of 592 American n = 242 and Indonesian n = 350 middle school students took a CT assessment and CS attitudes scale. Differential item functioning (DIF) was used to detect biased items, and a two-way ANOVA was utilized to examine the interaction effects of country and gender in the two constructs. The results showed some items were flagged as having country-specific DIF. The results also indicated that the American students had higher CT scores than Indonesian students. However, Indonesian students obtained higher CS attitudes scores compared to American students. Further results showed a significant gender difference in CS attitudes in the American samples; however, such a significant difference was not found in the Indonesian sample. These findings underscore the importance of a country's socio-cultural context in influencing gender diversity in the CS field.