Social Capital and Persistence in Computer Science of Google's Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) Students (2407.13910v1)

Abstract: While a lucrative and growing field, low levels of gender and racial diversity in CS remain prevalent. Education and workforce support programs with the intention to promote underrepresented students' persistence in CS exist, which teach skills, inform of career options, and grow students' network in CS. Studies demonstrate these programs' effectiveness as it relates to changes in affective outcomes, such as participants' confidence in CS skills and attitudes towards CS jobs. However, programs' longitudinal impact on participants' build-up of social capital in CS, and the resulting social capital's influence on their persistence in CS, remain unexplored. Motivated by the literature that associates demographic identifiers with access to social capital, and students' access to developmental relationships and career resources (social capital) in CS with their persistence, this study explores a CS support program's impact on persistence through capital building. We focus on Google's CSSI, which provided graduating high school students with a 3-week-long introduction to CS. We use interviews with participants who are now 2-5 years out of the program to study CSSI's impact on their social capital and long-term CS persistence. Thematic analysis reveals three program elements that influenced students' build-up of social capital, and that the resulting persistence was realized through students' progress towards internships and goals for paying-it-forward in CS. These findings inform our recommendations that future support programs and educational settings consider mentorship centered on socioemotional support, opportunities for collaboration, and time for fun social activities. Additional suggestions center on engaging socially-oriented individuals with CS support programs. These insights inform CS educators on design choices that can encourage the persistence of underrepresented students in CS.