Marketing computing: how school branding reinforces or challenges gender stereotypes

This paper examines how school branding and policy may shape gender disparities in computing education. Wong et al. explore how schools portray computing in brochures, websites and related materials in ways that can unsettle or reproduce gendered stereotypes. They conducted a document analysis of websites and curriculum materials (n = 960 items) from 40 English co-educational secondary schools. The authors find that schools with higher female computing uptake more often present computing as creative and collaborative, using inclusive role models. In schools with lower female computing participation, the emphasis is more on technical ability and masculinised representations of the subject. Wong et al. introduce the notion of curricular symbiosis to describe how schools align the formal curriculum with informal provisions in ways that can widen or constrain engagement in computing. They conclude with their implications for policy and practice for schools to build and brand a more inclusive computing environment.