ABSTRACT
The notion that the computer could influence ‘the shape of minds to come’ has considerable currency, and much has been written about the potential of the computer to provide new environments in which children can be educated (Crook, 1992; Scrimshaw, 1993). However, educationalists and psychologists alike are becoming increasingly concerned that the use of computer technology in schools could serve to amplify pre-existing patterns of social inequality (Littleton, Light, Barnes, Messer and Joiner, 1993). Enthusiasm for the use of computers in the classroom is thus being moderated by a growing awareness that the social and educational effects of this technology could potentially be divisive (e.g., Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition, 1989; Olson, 1988). Issues of equality of opportunity and access arise for various groups of children, including those of low socioeconomic status and ethnic minorities. The particular concern of this paper, however, is with gender differences in response to computer-based learning, for it has been noted that the increasing deployment of computers in schools could place girls at a serious disadvantage relative to boys (e.g., DES, 1989; Evans and Hall, 1988; Hoyles, 1988). This concern arises from the growing body of research revealing that male and female students differ in terms of their expressed enthusiasm for, their access to, and participation in, computer-related activities (Littleton et al., 1993).
