The Computer Science Attitude and Identity Survey (CSAIS): A Novel Tool for Measuring the Impact of Ethnic Identity in Underrepresented Computer Science Students

As computer science continues to permeate every aspect of society, the number of students of color adequately prepared for, choosing to pursue, and successfully completing computer science (CS) undergraduate programs is still dismal. CS education research has focused heavily on understanding why students of color don’t pursue computer science and identifying better ways to instruct, retain, and engage them. While there are several tools that measure student interest in, knowledge of, and attitude towards CS, there are none that assess the direct impact of ethnic identity on their perceptions of the field and decisions to pursue it. To this extent, the Computer Science Cultural Attitude and Identity Survey (CSAIS) was developed to measure five important constructs that influence the attitudes and identity of undergraduate students of color in computer science: confidence, interest, gender, professional, and identity. The tool currently targets freshmen and sophomores either entering the university as first-time college students or enrolling in their first CS course. It was validated using current and former computer science students of color. The results indicated that the tool, specifically the identity construct, is a valid and reliable measure of ethnic identity in relation to CS.