The 'Why Computing?' project is a constructivist-interpretive study which arose
from concerns over many years of practice as an academic, as to why some
students enrolled on computing degrees when they had no apparent interest in the
subject. To check that these were wider concerns, not just personal or local, work
started by interviewing academics from diverse universities. This confirmed the
broad prevalence of low levels of apparent disengagement. Empirical data were
collected, from current and potential students, over a period of up to 18-months, as
they chose their course and progressed into Higher Education. This included 100
hours of focus group and individual interviews.
Three theoretical lenses were selected for use as analytical tools: Actor-Network
Theory was supported by Structure-Agency and Social Practice theories. From
the initial objective, three themes emerged as work progressed: the image of
computing, student choice and engagement, each of which led to evolving and
focussing, research questions.
Empirical data confirmed the current, largely anecdotal, understandings that the
image of computing, particularly its 'geeky-ness', deters some applicants and that
many pupils have an incorrect understanding of the likely content of an HE
computing course, often conflating it with school ICT.
New insights include that those pupils who do have a reasonable understanding of
what technical computing courses encompass have usually gained it through their
social networks (often parents): seldom through school. Some students who might
be seen as disengaged can be fully committed to their course, but behaving in
ways different to that planned by course designers, and may be better considered
'differently engaged'. Models of the characteristics of engagement are developed.
Finally, some computing degree students value the opportunity to exercise their
creativity