Programming Success: How External Encouragement Shapes Confidence in Tech and Coding

This study examines how external encouragement influences middle-school students' confidence in computing and STEM using three years (2023–2025) of post-program survey data from a summer computing camp. Confidence was measured through Likert items on programming self-efficacy and anticipated success in math, technology, and computing, while encouragement was identified through multi-select items naming role models (e.g., parents, teachers, counselors, siblings). Composite indices of confidence and encouragement breadth were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression, controlling for prior computing exposure and demographics. Students who named multiple encouragers reported stronger confidence and expectations of success than peers with little or no encouragement. Qualitative comments suggest even modest exposure (e.g., Scratch, robotics) can amplify encouragement effects. Findings highlight the importance of engaging families and educators to sustain ''encouragement networks'' that support lasting participation in computing.