2020 International Conference on Computational Science and Computational Intelligence (CSCI)
Cultivating Positive ICT Perceptions: an application
of the MST-tree model to the ‘Guyanese Girls Code’
Initiative
Alicia Layne Penelope DeFreitas
Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science
University of Guyana University of Guyana
Georgetown, Guyana Georgetown, Guyana
alicia.layne@uog.edu.gy penelope.defreitas@uog.edu.gy
Abstract—Globally, women account for a small percentage of
students and professionals in ICT-related fields. In order to
increase female participation in this area, governments worldwide
have been facilitating targeted interventions. One such initiative is
the ‘Guyanese Girls Code’ (GGC) training program. This
program was launched in 2018 with the aim of using Scratch and
the BBC micro:bit to introduce girls at the Grade 7 to 9 levels to
ICT education. In this paper, we propose a novel teaching model,
the ‘Motivation, Support and Teaching Components’ tree model
(MST-tree model). This model was critical to the design of GGC’s
curriculum and teaching strategies. An evaluation was conducted
to gather information on the program participants’ ICT
perceptions and their experience of the training. The key findings
revealed that the participants had a significant interest in learning
about ICT even though they perceived the area to be difficult and
local training opportunities to build their knowledge and skills
were insufficient. Further, the girls portrayed high levels of self-
efficacy, since they were interested in the program modules that
they perceived to be most challenging. These findings suggest that
the teaching model may address negative ICT perceptions when
teaching females at the Grade 7 to 9 levels. As such, the MST-tree
model has the potential to inform the design and execution of
similar training programs and interventions.
Keywords— BBC micro:bit, female secondary school students,
ICT curriculum, MST-tree model, Scratch.
I. INTRODUCTION
Globally, there is a severe underrepresentation of females in
the ICT field. In 2016, women in the European Union (EU)
accounted for only 17% of all ICT students at the secondary and
tertiary levels [1]. Similarly, between 2009 and 2019, male
graduates outnumbered females in the Computer Science (CS)
Department at the University of Guyana [2]. During this period,
the highest percentage of female graduates was 38.6%. Given
that the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector
has become one of the fastest-growing industries in the world,
the underrepresentation of women in ICT related fields has
become a growing cause for concern.
Statistics show that by 2025, Europe is projected to have
1.67 million unfilled vacancies for ICT professionals. This
demand will further increase by 2030, with 90% of jobs
requiring digital skills and 50% of current jobs being
transformed due to automation [3]. Given this impending deficit
978-1-7281-7624-6/20/$31.00 ©2020 IEEE
DOI 10.1109/CSCI51800.2020.00174
Juanelle Marks Rayad Lackhan
Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science
University of Guyana University of Guyana
Georgetown, Guyana Georgetown, Guyana
juanelle.marks@uog.edu.gy rayad.lackhan@uog.edu.gy
of ICT skills, it is increasingly important to fast track greater
representation of women in the field.
Leaders across the world have been facilitating education-
driven initiatives to positively impact the ICT labor market.
These initiatives tend to align with the United Nations (UN)
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the areas of
gender equality, reduced inequalities and quality education. For
instance, the French government founded the Grande École du
Numérique (GEN) to make digital skills training readily
available to its citizens [4]. Within 3 years, GEN trained over
27,000 individuals and had a 74% success rate in terms of
completion and trainees landing permanent employment.
The Guyanese government has also aligned a number of its
initiatives with gender equality and female empowerment. In
2018, the then Ministry of Public Telecommunications (MoPT)
in collaboration with the National Center for Educational
Resource Development (NCERD) and the University of Guyana
(UG), launched the Guyanese Girls Code (GGC) program to
introduce young girls to the field of ICT [5], as well as 21st
century competencies such as problem-solving and creativity
[6]-[7]. Similarly, the then National Frequency Management
Unit (NFMU), in partnership with local private and public sector
entities, had been facilitating Guyana’s participation in the
International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) International
Girls in ICT Day initiative [8].
II. OVERVIEW
This paper proposes the MST-tree model for guiding the
design and implementation of the GGC training program. In our
review of the literature, we examine gender and ICT
perceptions in secondary schools, as well as learning tools
relevant to the 21st century. This informed the development of
the MST-tree model which is described in the Teaching Model
section. Our methodology outlines the implementation of the
GGC program and relates curriculum design to the key aspects
of the teaching model. The details of how the model was
evaluated are also described in this section. Our findings are
presented and analyzed in the results and discussion sections
respectively.
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 III. LITERATURE REVIEW
A. Gender and ICT Perception in Secondary Schools
While gender gaps exist at all levels of ICT education,
gender-based differences in participation become more apparent
at the lower secondary level when students have the option to
specialize in their choice of subjects [9]. To this end, there is
evidence to suggest that female students progressively lose
interest in STEM-related subjects from approximately age 11
unless targeted interventions begin at the lower education levels
[10]-[12].
To understand and analyze this waning of female interest in
ICT at the secondary level, a number of studies have
investigated the factors influencing female students’ perception
of and participation in ICT-related subjects (e.g. [12]-[16]]). For
instance, [12] conducted a study to determine the factors
influencing female enrollment in Information Processing
Technology (IPT) and Information Technology Systems (ITS)
at the upper secondary level in Australian state and non-
government schools. This study revealed that senior secondary
school female students express a strong aversion to computers
and tend to perceive ICT-related subjects as ‘boring’.
From the perspective of motivational theory, students’
aversion to computers can be associated with negative
perceptions of self-efficacy within Bandura’s [17] social
cognitive theory [13], while ‘boredom’ would relate to Vroom’s
value-expectancy theory [18] in terms of the students’ negative
perceptions about the courses’ attainment value (e.g., the
importance of course), utility value (e.g., the usefulness of the
course in future studies) and intrinsic value (e.g., overall student
satisfaction in the course). Despite these findings that seemingly
disconnect the student from the context of the courses, [12]
indicated that pedagogy may in fact impact student interest and
participation. However, this was not a popular research agenda
in mainstream literature during the early 2000s [12].
From the late 1990s to 2010, a number of studies emerged in
different countries with the aim of examining the impact of
pedagogy on perception and/or participation in ICT subjects
(e.g., [14] in Australia, [15] in Greece and [16] in the US) [13].
These studies show that across diverse contexts, instruction and
pedagogy are often teacher-centered and lacking in
opportunities for students to contextualize their skills and
collaborate with peers through engaging and challenging tasks
[13]. Perceived teacher expectations, parental support, student
perception of creativity and relevance of learning activities tend
to be associated with positive ICT perceptions and self-efficacy
[13].
These findings strongly relate to value-expectancy theory
[18] as parents and teachers can positively influence students’
perceptions about “the importance, usefulness and
appropriateness of computing” through their expressed support
and use of ICT [13, p. 17],[19].
B. Learning Tools for the 21st Century
1) The BBC micro:bit
The BBC micro:bit is a physical computing device that was
designed as an affordable, powerful and easy to use learning
tool. This pocket-sized device comes bundled with a myriad of
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components inclusive of an accelerometer, a thermometer
LEDs and buttons; thus, allowing flexibility in the types of
learning activities that can be explored. The micro:bit has
grown in popularity since its inception in 2015, with
approximately four million in circulation in over 60 countries
[20].
Students have largely reported positive experiences after
using the micro:bit. They have found the tool to be easy to use
[21]-[22], hands-on [23], enjoyable [22]-[23] and useful for
problem-solving [23]-[24]. Also, students claimed to have
learned something new [23]. Even students who normally
struggled academically demonstrated competency in
programming with the micro:bit [21]. Furthermore, students’
creative abilities were exercised and some even felt a sense of
ownership when allowed the freedom to work on projects of
their choice.
Contrary to the reports that students generally lack
understanding, resilience, problem-solving and literacy skills in
Computing [25], teachers opined that the micro:bit made the
subject more enjoyable for their students [23]. Teachers also
admitted that they learnt something new [23] and those who
were less confident about programming, felt more confident
after being exposed to the micro:bit [23]-[24]. Some teachers
expressed their willingness to continue using the micro:bit and
the need for the tool to be applied nationally for teaching
programming [26].
To support effective teaching practices with the micro:bit,
recommendations were put forward to guide teachers. For
instance, teachers should obtain access to professional training
opportunities and consult with education ‘experts’ for help with
the development of training materials that demonstrate strong
pedagogical strategies [27]. In addition, teachers should
introduce students to programming concepts prior to working
with the device [28].
2) Scratch Programming
The Scratch project was designed to help young people
develop 21st century skills such as creativity, systematic
reasoning and collaboration [29]. Examining the trends in
Scratch’s activity over the years, revealed that new monthly
users have grown from 845 in March 2007 to 582,623 in July
2020 [30]. Scratch was also ranked in the top twenty (20) on
Tiobe's index of the world’s most popular programming
languages in 2020 [31].
From an educational standpoint, the Scratch programming
environment has proven to motivate students and empower them
to continue their studies in programming. In contrast, only a
minority who used a standard programming environment,
expressed the same interest [32]. For instance, primary school
students enjoyed Scratch programming and favored the more
creative platform elements such as game creation, animation of
characters, world building and collaboration. However, Scratch
did not significantly influence students’ problem solving skills
[33].
Examining the influence of unplugged and plugged
activities, along with Scratch for teaching introduction to
programming, revealed that there was no significant difference
in the students’ ability to master the concepts [34]. However,
students exposed to unplugged activities were more confident of
their ability to understand the concepts and used a wider range
of Scratch blocks to program. This finding suggests that
unplugged activities may be a possible strategy for educators to
teach introductory programming.
IV. TEACHING MODEL
To inform curriculum design and teaching strategies for the
GGC program, the MST-tree model was developed. The model
took the form of a tree which metaphorically represents
professional growth in the ICT field.
Fig. 1. The MST-tree model.
Major sections of the MST-tree model include the
motivation base, support system and teaching components for
the program. The motivational base is concerned with inspiring
the students to persist and engage in the program while the
support system emphasizes the important role of government,
resources, and professional training in facilitating programs of
this nature. Additionally, the MST-tree model outlines
pedagogical strategies that can enable effective learning in the
ICT classroom.
The model’s motivation base includes elements such as role
models (e.g., local women in tech), teacher perception (e.g.,
teachers communicating confidence in the students’ ability)
[13], parental involvement (e.g., multiple channels of
communication between parents and teachers) [13] and
emphasis on the social applications of ICT (e.g., STEM field
trips) [13].
The support system captures the involvement of Guyana’s
MoPT and NCERD as influential government entities leading a
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key intervention program in ICT (similar to Australia’s ‘I-Star’
Program [12] and France’s GEN Program [2]). Additionally, it
emphasizes the role of higher education institutions and
professionally trained teachers in providing expertise, support
and research in the operational aspects of the program.
The major teaching components of the model include
strategic activities (e.g., pair programming, plugged and
unplugged activities), a conducive environment (e.g., spacious
and comfortable classroom, psychologically safe learning
space), ownership (e.g., freedom to create and share individual
ideas) and 21st-century skills such as problem-solving,
collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication
[6]-[7].
V. METHODOLOGY
A. Program and Participants
The Guyanese Girls Code initiative was a 12-week pilot
training program for grade seven (7) to nine (9) girls in Guyana
to learn introductory computer programming. While previous
programming experience was not a prerequisite, the participants
were required to be computer literate.
A total of fifty-six (56) girls were enrolled in the program.
Classes were held weekly, on Saturdays, for four (4) hour
sessions which were spread across two (2) separate groups. In
each group, the ratio of students to computers was 1:1.
The first group consisted of thirty-six (36) students from
schools with the highest academic rankings in the country, while
the second group consisted of twenty (20) students from average
and lower-ranking schools. However, both groups were exposed
to the same curriculum and activities for the following modules:
Computer Fundamentals and Scratch Programming and
Programming with the BBC micro:bit.
Each group was assigned a teacher and a teaching assistant.
The teachers were female lecturers from the University of
Guyana’s Computer Science department, and the teaching
assistants, one male and the other female, were third-year
Bachelor’s in Computer Science students. The teachers
developed the curriculum and facilitated the sessions, while the
teaching assistants provided in-class support to the students.
Additionally, the teachers and teaching assistants were all
professionally trained to teach programming with physical
computing devices in conjunction with supportive pedagogical
strategies.
B. Program Implementation
1) Learning Environment
The sessions were conducted in an environment that
encouraged interaction and allowed students to feel safe making
mistakes, asking questions and sharing ideas. This was achieved
through the use of icebreaker activities, open discussions, pep
talks and constructive feedback from the teachers.
2) Computer Fundamentals and Scratch Programming
Module
The Computer Fundamentals and Scratch Programming
module spanned sessions 1 to 6. In this module, the students
were introduced to the fundamentals of hardware and software,
female pioneers in computing, ethics in computing,
fundamentals of algorithms, problem-solving, programming
fundamentals, the Scratch interface and code blocks related to
loops and conditional statements. These concepts were taught
using plugged and unplugged activities (e.g., “Hour of Code”
[35], “How Computers Work” [36], “My Robotic Friends” [37])
conducted in pairs and/or groups to encourage collaboration as
a core teaching component of the MST-tree model.
In session 3, an out-of-class ‘Women in STEM’ movie day
was hosted to stimulate student-to-student and student-to-
teacher socialization. The atmosphere was deliberately relaxed
and informal so as to foster a sense of camaraderie in the group.
After the movie, the students and teachers engaged in
meaningful discussions about the challenges women face in
STEM-related fields. This activity aligned with the MST-tree
model’s motivation base in terms of role models and social
applications of ICT.
At the end of the module (session 6), the students were
grouped by age (11-12 and 12+) and worked on two separate
Scratch projects – differing in complexity appropriate to their
respective levels. The students were provided with project
specifications and were tasked to design and implement a
solution. The activity allowed the students to collaborate and
problem solve as underpinned by the teaching components in the
MST-tree model.
3) BBC micro:bit Module
Following the topics covered in the first six (6) sessions, the
students were introduced to the micro:bit over the course of two
(2) sessions. Given that both Scratch and the micro:bit use the
Blockly programming library, it was not necessary to re-
introduce the students to fundamental coding concepts that were
covered in the Scratch module. They were instead exposed to a
variety of engaging activities which helped to reinforce their
understanding of the concepts learnt in Scratch. Additionally,
they explored the physical features of the micro:bits (e.g.,
buttons, accelerometer, radio and Bluetooth antenna, processor,
temperature sensor).
In the second micro:bit session, the students created games
so as to further explore the micro:bit’s features. Taken from the
micro:bit website [38] these activities allowed the students to
manipulate the LEDs (‘Beating heart’), radio feature (‘Chuck a
duck’), accelerometer (‘Magic 8-ball’) and temperature sensor
(‘Thermometer’).
In the final three (3) sessions, the students were put into
groups and assessed on their ability to create and present a
project using either Scratch or the micro:bits. This emphasized
the ownership and communication aspects of the teaching model
by fostering creativity and encouraging students to express
themselves to their peers and teachers. The students also
attended a STEM event as a class field trip so that they could
gain further insight into career opportunities and projects within
the ICT field.
The training concluded with a brief introduction to HTML
and CSS. A summative assessment was then conducted, which
took the form of a written and practical examination that
937
contained knowledge and application-type questions related to
the course modules.
C. Data Collection
1) Population and Sample
Thirty (30) of the fifty-six (56) students from the program
participated in a voluntary survey containing a mix of qualitative
and quantitative questions aimed at gathering information on the
girls’ ICT background and their evaluation of the program.
The first part of the survey investigated initial perceptions
and expectations (e.g., ‘What were your expectations for the
program?’) and strengths and weaknesses of the program (e.g.,
‘How can the program be improved?’).
The second part however, focused on the students’ general
perceptions (e.g, “What aspect of the course was least/most
interesting to you?”) and their potential career paths (e.g.,
“Would you consider studying/working in an ICT-related field
in the future?”).
2) Procedure
The participants were informed of the purpose of the survey
and reminded that their participation was voluntary and
responses would remain anonymous. The researchers assisted
the participants to access the forms and offered unbiased
guidance.
VI. RESULTS
This section is a summative analysis of the participants’
responses under the following themes: Enrollment and
Expectations, Interesting Aspects of the program, Student
Recommendations, and Self-Perception and Projections.
A. Enrollment and Expectations.
Based on their responses, most students enrolled in the
course in order to build their knowledge of computers and to
learn how to code. These students indicated a strong interest in
learning about computers. However, few students shared the
expectation that learning to code would be ‘difficult’, ‘scary’
and ‘boring’:
“...expected something difficult and boring...”
“...was scared because I expected it to be very difficult...”
The opportunity to be involved in social interactions was
another expectation of some students. Few students looked
forward to having fun and participating in group activities.
Others indicated that they wanted to learn concepts that would
enable them to cope with information technology classes in
school.
It was evident that some students were already thinking
about future careers as they were able connect ICT to their future
career paths.
B. Interesting Aspects of the program
It was found that approximately 6% of the students were not
interested in the aspects of the course related to problem solving,
logical thinking and algorithm design.
 With respect to the specific modules, approximately 26% of
the students found the Scratch module to be most interesting,
while an overwhelming majority indicated interest in the
micro:bit module despite finding it more challenging:
“The Micro bits! I really liked coding the micro bits and
making the micro pet even though it was hell to make”
C. Student Recommendations
Approximately 20% of the students suggested the inclusion
of more group work activities as an area of improvement for the
course.
Other suggested areas for improvements included: shorter
duration for each session, follow-on courses, exposure to more
programming languages, more practical activities, and a
‘spacious’ and ‘relaxing’ environment.
D. Self-Perception and Projections
Approximately 77% of the students expressed high levels of
confidence in coding using the Scratch platform and the
micro:bit. In contrast, few students expressed a lack of
confidence in programming with both Scratch and the micro:bit.
Similarly, a minority of 3% were confident using the micro:bit
only to solve activities that required intensive problem solving,
logical thinking and algorithm design.
Fig. 2. Participants’ confidence in their abilities.
Additionally, approximately 23% of the students indicated
that their skills in the areas of group work and/or communication
were improved through the module activities.
When asked if they would consider working in the field of
ICT in the future, approximately 63% of the students responded
positively, while 18.5% said ‘no’ and another 18.5% were
undecided.
VII. DISCUSSION:
The findings in this research showed that a significant
number of female students in the GGC program were interested
in learning about computers and computer programming. There
was an expressed desire by students who were familiar with ICT
to learn ‘more’ about the field, while others indicated a strong
interest in building their knowledge and skills in programming.
Despite this considerable level of interest and awareness of
the link between ICT and their future endeavors, there appears
to be limited or inadequate strategic training opportunities
938
available in Guyana. This is worrying because evidence suggests
that female interest in the field would progressively decrease
from as early as age 11, unless targeted interventions are
implemented [10]-[11]. Therefore, significant responsibility is
placed on governments to institute national strategic initiatives
that can capture and retain female interest in ICT at critical
stages in the school system.
It was interesting to note that a number of students enrolled
in the program to benefit from healthy social interactions and
opportunities for increased participation and communication.
This dimension of social interaction might be one that is
overlooked when teaching ICT in schools and designing
intervention programs. However, the findings in this research
indicate that the social dimension is just as critical as the
pedagogical and might be the single most influencing reason
some students enroll in such programs.
This study also examined students’ recommendations for
improving the program. While it was found that Scratch and the
micro:bits were well received by the GGC students, some
students identified the duration of the sessions as too lengthy.
Therefore, the possibility of offering shorter courses or reducing
the number of hours per session could be explored in subsequent
iterations of the GGC program and similar interventions.
Additionally, follow-on courses and exposure to a wider
variety of programming languages were considered potentially
beneficial. These findings may imply that the students
welcomed training opportunities of this nature and are motivated
to further develop their skills.
Some students also mentioned that the sessions could benefit
from more practical and group-based activities. However,
interestingly, a larger part of the sessions involved students
doing practical activities in teams. Sessions were also run in
accordance with the literature which suggested covering
programming concepts prior to plugged activities [28].
Nonetheless, the students’ recommendation signaled their
appreciation for hands-on and collaborative tasks. Hence, more
engaging team activities can also be explored when teaching the
theoretical concepts of programming.
The students also valued ‘space’ and a ‘relaxing’
environment during the sessions. Unfortunately, this was
disrupted in the latter part of the training when one of the groups
was displaced from their learning center. At least one session
had to be conducted via unplugged activities in the lobby area,
before relocating to another training center. This forced the
students to work in a cramped and noisy space. Unforeseen
events such as this one should be taken into account as a
constraint when planning major training projects.
Students’ self-perceptions and projections were also
investigated. Our study revealed that a large number of students
expressed confidence in programming with Scratch and the
micro:bit. This was noteworthy since some students initially
perceived programming to be ‘difficult’, ‘scary’ and ‘boring’.
Such results may suggest high levels of self-efficacy among the
students [39] as they were motivated to engage in micro:bit-
related activities and the program at large, despite negative
preconceptions.
 This self-efficacious attitude may have been influenced by
the motivation components of the MST-tree model. For
instance, the parents and guardians were highly involved
throughout the program and followed up on the students’
progress and performance.
Additionally, the students benefited from two ‘motivational’
sessions in the form of a ‘Women in STEM’ movie day and a
field trip to a STEM event. These sessions may have been a
source of inspiration to the students who would have been
otherwise discouraged by the challenging aspects of the
program.
The programming modules and associated pedagogies may
have also contributed to students’ change in perception. For
example, the micro:bit’s low entry point may have appealed to
students who normally struggle academically [21]. The teachers
also continuously motivated the students, offered constructive
feedback and facilitated a safe learning environment.
From these insights, future programs of this nature could
utilize key elements of the MST-tree model to address negative
perceptions of ICT, low perceptions of self-efficacy, lack of
motivation, and resource challenges.
VIII. CONCLUSION:
In this paper, we present the MST-tree model that was used
to inform curriculum design and pedagogy for the GGC training
program for young girls in Guyana. In applying the model to this
context, an evaluation was conducted to gain insight into the
participants’ initial ICT perceptions, as well as their assessment
of the GGC program.
We found that the girls are strongly interested in learning
about computer technology and programming. However, there
may be insufficient local training opportunities to support their
interests. This is a cause for concern because it could lead to a
drastic reduction of interest as they advance in the school
system.
Additionally, the study indicated that a number of girls had
negative preconceptions about ICT. These however, appeared to
have been addressed by the implemented teaching model as the
girls expressed high levels of interest and engagement in the
program.
It was also found that the girls are high in self-efficacy, since
they were interested in the program modules that they perceived
as most challenging. This may have been a result of the
motivational aspects of the teaching model, as well as the
inherent capability of the micro:bit to engage students who may
be struggling academically.
We also found that a wide range of practical group activities
that foster positive social interactions played an integral role in
the capturing interest and engagement.
From these findings, the MST-tree model appears to have
been successful in supporting effective pedagogy and
confronting negative perceptions of ICT when teaching the girls
in the GGC program. It may therefore have a wider applicability
in guiding the design of similar training programs, curricula and
strategies used to teach young girls ICT-related subjects.
939
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