The mindstorm effect: a gender analysis on the influence of LEGO mindstorms in computer science education

In the UK, as elsewhere, the number of students choosing to study computer science is declining. This is especially true with female students. This paper explores the effectiveness of LEGO Mindstorms in a pedagogic context in education and its ability to attract female students to computer science. A mixed methods approach was used in this study, in which we looked at the FIRST LEGO League competition and how female students participate in these. The results demonstrate that, while young people enjoy using Mindstorms, they do little to influence young people to consider computer science education. They can, however, be used effectively as an opportunity to engage young people in further computing skills and computational thinking. The lessons we learn from this research indicate that we need to use these tools as a foundation rather than as a solution to the problem for attracting more women into computing.