Microtopia: Exploring the Impact of Interdisciplinary Projects on Ethnic Minority Female Pupils' Perceptions of Computer Science

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Aburumman, Nadine, Shih, Ju-Ling, Sengul, Cigdem, Pereira, Monica
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Aburumman, Nadine
Shih, Ju-Ling
Sengul, Cigdem
Pereira, Monica
author_facet Aburumman, Nadine
Shih, Ju-Ling
Sengul, Cigdem
Pereira, Monica
contents This paper presents Microtopia, an interdisciplinary programme designed to broaden participation in computer science (CS) among ethnic minority girls. The programme combined coding with design thinking activities, incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Robotics as key technologies. Learning activities were formulated around the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Chinese Five Elements philosophy to support problem-based learning. Pupils were organised into "nations" and engaged in sector-based projects (e.g., healthcare, transportation, fashion, tourism, food, architecture). Using pre- and post-questionnaires, we investigated how socioeconomic and ethnocultural factors influenced pupils' preconceptions of CS, and whether participation in Microtopia shifted their perceptions. Through statistical analysis of the questionnaire data, we identified significant increases in students' confidence, enjoyment, and motivation, particularly when computing was presented as relevant to sustainability and global challenges.
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institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Microtopia: Exploring the Impact of Interdisciplinary Projects on Ethnic Minority Female Pupils' Perceptions of Computer Science
Aburumman, Nadine
Shih, Ju-Ling
Sengul, Cigdem
Pereira, Monica
Computers and Society
This paper presents Microtopia, an interdisciplinary programme designed to broaden participation in computer science (CS) among ethnic minority girls. The programme combined coding with design thinking activities, incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Robotics as key technologies. Learning activities were formulated around the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Chinese Five Elements philosophy to support problem-based learning. Pupils were organised into "nations" and engaged in sector-based projects (e.g., healthcare, transportation, fashion, tourism, food, architecture). Using pre- and post-questionnaires, we investigated how socioeconomic and ethnocultural factors influenced pupils' preconceptions of CS, and whether participation in Microtopia shifted their perceptions. Through statistical analysis of the questionnaire data, we identified significant increases in students' confidence, enjoyment, and motivation, particularly when computing was presented as relevant to sustainability and global challenges.
title Microtopia: Exploring the Impact of Interdisciplinary Projects on Ethnic Minority Female Pupils' Perceptions of Computer Science
topic Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.21214