Towards a Gender-Focused Programming Performance Model

Abstract

In the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, gender imbalance has been commonplace. There are models that examined gender differences in programming performance and yet rarely have these models included the variables learning styles and programming environment as mediators between gender and programming performance. Drawing on the pertinent literature about gender, learning styles, programming environment, and programming performance, this paper argues the importance of gender, learning styles, and programming environment in modeling programming performance. It further proposes and discusses a gender-focused performance model based on the three variables. We encourage further research effort to test this parsimonious model empirically in an authentic learning context.