Examining Gendered Communications of Coding Kits for Young Children

Jingyao Cen, Junnan Yu (Corresponding Author)

Research output: Chapter in book / Conference proceedingConference article published in proceeding or bookAcademic researchpeer-review

Abstract

Designing computational toys and kits to welcome young children from different genders is essential to broaden participation in computing, as they play a critical role in facilitating children’s development of computational thinking. However, how young learners of different genders are being welcomed by these kits remains unclear. In this paper, we report our in-progress work examining how commercially available coding kits for young children are communicated from a gender perspective. Specifically, we analyzed the gender indications in the product descriptions and advertisement images of 30 kits, revealing a relatively balanced gender representation in images while significantly boy-oriented use of words in product descriptions. Ultimately, we call for attention and actions to more gender-inclusive communication of STEM toys for children.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of IDC 2023 - 22nd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference
Subtitle of host publicationRediscovering Childhood
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
Pages624-629
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9798400701313
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 19 Jun 2023
Event22nd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference: Rediscovering Childhood, IDC 2023 - Chicago, United States
Duration: 19 Jun 202322 Jun 2023

Publication series

NameProceedings of IDC 2023 - 22nd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference: Rediscovering Childhood

Conference

Conference22nd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference: Rediscovering Childhood, IDC 2023
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityChicago
Period19/06/2322/06/23

Keywords

  • Coding Kits
  • Gendered Images
  • Gendered Language
  • Inclusiveness
  • Young Children

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Software

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