Isabella Graßl

Isabella Graßl, Christopher Lazik, Shalini Chakraborty et al.

Student engagement is critical for effective learning in software modelling, yet fostering motivation and inclusivity remains a challenge. While existing research has focused on modelling tools, notations, and assessment, little attention has been given to how the choice of problem domains and the diversity, relatability, and cultural perspectives they bring shape students' learning experiences. This study explores how problem domains and teaching methods influence motivation, engagement, inclusiveness, and feedback in modelling education. To investigate these dimensions, we conducted parallel surveys with 90 students and 22 educators. Our findings reveal disconnects between educator assumptions and student preferences: Students show greatest motivation for socially relevant domains and prefer choice in selection, while educators overestimate interest in study-related domains. The study identifies how minor design choices can exclude students. Students perceive feedback as meaningful when visibly acted upon. These findings suggest inclusive domain selection is central to student motivation; thus, we recommend student-centred domain selection.

Isabella Graßl

When software is designed by people from diverse identities and experiences, it is more likely to be inclusive and address a broader range of user needs. However, for transgender and non-binary students in software engineering, the path to becoming such creators may be marked by unique challenges. While existing research explores gender minorities in professional software engineering, limited attention has been given to their educational journey, a key phase for ensuring equal opportunities and preventing exclusion in the tech workforce. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the experiences of transgender and non-binary students in software engineering, with a particular focus on their motivations for entering the field, the obstacles they encounter, and potential strategies for fostering greater inclusivity within their academic environments. Based on 13 semi-structured interviews with transgender and non-binary students across the globe, we found that gender identity plays an indirect role in their decision to pursue software engineering. Key factors include the appeal of remote work and a personal desire to create more inclusive technologies. Although the participants did not report direct discrimination within their universities, many described experiencing verbal insults, judgment, intolerance, and hostility, all of which negatively impacted their mental health. These challenges often stem from socio-cultural norms and a lack of representation. Despite these obstacles, the students remain committed to their choice of study but call for greater institutional support, structural changes, and increased representation. From these findings, we suggest concrete steps to support students, regardless of gender identity.

Luisa Greifenstein, Isabella Graßl, Gordon Fraser

The widespread establishment of computational thinking in school curricula requires teachers to introduce children to programming already at primary school level. As this is a recent development, primary school teachers may neither be adequately prepared for how to best teach programming, nor may they be fully aware why they have to do so. In order to gain a better understanding of these questions, we contrast insights taken from practical experiences with the anticipations of teachers in training. By surveying 200 teachers who have taught programming at primary schools and 97 teachers in training, we identify relevant challenges when teaching programming, opportunities that arise when children learn programming, and strategies how to address both of these in practice. While many challenges and opportunities are correctly anticipated, we find several disagreements that can inform revisions of the curricula in teaching studies to better prepare primary school teachers for teaching programming at primary schools.

Isabella Graßl, Katharina Geldreich, Gordon Fraser

Block-based programming environments such as Scratch are an essential entry point to computer science. In order to create an effective learning environment that has the potential to address the gender imbalance in computer science, it is essential to better understand gender-specific differences in how children use such programming environments. In this paper, we explore gender differences and similarities in Scratch programs along two dimensions: In order to understand what motivates girls and boys to use Scratch, we apply a topic analysis using unsupervised machine learning for the first time on Scratch programs, using a dataset of 317 programs created by girls and boys in the range of 8-10 years. In order to understand how they program for these topics, we apply automated program analysis on the code implemented in these projects. We find that, in-line with common stereotypes, girls prefer topics that revolve around unicorns, celebrating, dancing and music, while boys tend to prefer gloomy topics with bats and ghouls, or competitive ones such as soccer or basketball. Girls prefer animations and stories, resulting in simpler control structures, while boys create games with more loops and conditional statements, resulting in more complex programs. Considering these differences can help to improve the learning outcomes and the resulting computing-related self-concepts, which are prerequisites for developing a longer-term interest in computer science.