Enjoying computer science in school does not automatically lead to confidence in pursuing a CS career. Research with fifth- and sixth-graders revealed that, even with early exposure to CS, many students were strongly opposed to entering CS careers, especially girls. To counteract this trend, I developed partnerships with CS professionals challenging traditional images of who belongs in the field. Connecting students with diverse role models led to measurable shifts in their feelings of self-efficacy and outcome expectancy. Students learned that...
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