Marketing computing: how school branding reinforces or challenges gender stereotypes

Wong, B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7310-6418, Copsey-Blake, M., Kemp, P. E. J. and Hamer, J. M. M. (2026) Marketing computing: how school branding reinforces or challenges gender stereotypes. The Cambridge Journal of Education. ISSN 1469-3577 (In Press)

Abstract/Summary

This paper examines how school branding and policy may shape gender disparities in computing education. We explore how schools portray computing in brochures, websites and related materials in ways that can unsettle or reproduce gendered stereotypes. We conducted a document analysis of websites and curriculum materials (n = 960 items) from 40 English co-educational secondary schools. We 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. We 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. We conclude with our implications for policy and practice for schools to build and brand a more inclusive computing environment.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/128118
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > Institute of Education > Improving Equity and Inclusion through Education
Publisher	Taylor & Francis
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