Abstract
Gender differences in response to computers have been widely reported. This study addresses the question of how far the context in which a computer task is presented can affect girls' and boys' on-task performance. In an experimental study involving 60 ten and eleven year-olds, we examine the effects of differential contextualisation on girls' and boys' performance on a computer-based perceptual-motor skills task. Our findings illustrate that even with a single, standard piece of software, children's performance can be substantially affected by the context in which that software is presented. The results suggest that gender differences in children's responses to computer tasks are relatively labile, and highly context sensitive. The implications and possible explanations for these findings are considered.
Résumé
Des différences liées au sexe concernant l'informatique ont été très souvent mentionnées dans la littérature. L'objet de la recherche est d'examiner l'effet du contexte dans lequel la tâche informatique est présentée sur les performances des garçons et des filles. Dans une étude expérimentale auprès de 60 enfants de 10 et 11 ans, les auteurs étudient les effets différentiels de la contextualisation dans une tâche perceptivo-motrice présentée sur ordinateur. Les résultats montrent qu' avec exactement le même logiciel standard, les performances peuvent être sensiblement affectées par le contexte dans lequel le logiciel est présenté. Ils montrent aussi que les différences de réponses entre garçons et filles sont relativement labiles et très sensibles au contexte. Les auteurs examinent les explications possibles et les implications de leurs resultats.
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The research reported in this paper was supported by a grant from The Nuffield Foundation and ESRC personal research fellowships awarded to Karen Littleton, Paul Light and Annerieke Oosterwegel.
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Littleton, K., Ashman, H., Light, P. et al. Gender, task contexts, and children's performance on a computer-based task. Eur J Psychol Educ 14, 129–139 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173115
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173115