Computers are not for Girls!? - Gender Stereotypes of Elementary School Students

Gender stereotype has been found to impede equal participation and probability of success for boys and girls in computer-related learning tasks. The present study looks at the developmental implications and investigates gender stereotypes of primary school students with respect to computers and its relationship to the academic self-concept as a possible psychological underpinning for the strength of the gender stereotype. A total of 50 students between eight and ten years of age were assessed with both indirect ("draw-a-computer-user-test") and direct (categorization of items in terms of gender) methods. Results indicate that computer-related gender stereotypes exist. The stereotypes of boys were more distinct than those of the girls. No age effects and no correlations with the academic self-concept could be found.