Effects of Physical Computing Workshops on Girls' Attitudes towards Computer Science

Making is frequently utilised to promote disciplines such as computer science to new students. We investigated how Maker workshops on physical computing contribute to shaping girls' attitudes and perceptions towards computer science. We evaluated 25 physical computing workshops exclusively for girls aged 9-18 to explore potential changes of attitude towards computer science with pre and post surveys (n=135). Overall, the evaluation results show small effects for one third of items which may indicate that Maker workshops with physical computing material can support a balanced attitude towards diversity in the presence of and scope of computer science among girls.