Nevertheless, They Persisted: Factors that Promote Persistence for Women and Racially/Ethnically Minoritized Students in Undergraduate Computing

ABSTRACT Background and Context As computing fields aim to both expand and diversify, narrowing representation gaps in undergraduate computing majors requires focus on retaining women and racially/ethnically minoritized students to the point of degree attainment. Objective This study addresses the factors that contribute to persistence in computing majors among undergraduate students who took introductory computing courses during the first two years of college. Method Student survey data from 15 research universities in the United States were used to explore differences in persistence patterns by students’ gender and racial/ethnic identities. Further, we used logistic regression to examine factors that promote persistence in computing majors, with attention to conditional effects by gender and race/ethnicity. Findings Results show that women are less likely than men to persist in computing majors two years following completion of the introductory CS course. Findings suggest that proximal socialization experiences, specifically those related to students’ self-confidence, sense of fit, and in-class experiences, are important to student persistence in computing fields. Implications: The results suggest that peer experiences in computing are central to student persistence in the major. Hence, computing departments can act on these findings by strengthening the community within their majors and fostering positive peer interactions among students.