Effectiveness of a school-community linked program on physical activity levels and health-related quality of life for adolescent girls

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-community program on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL; the primary outcome), physical activity (PA), and potential mediators of PA among adolescent girls living in low-socioeconomic rural/regional settings.

Longitudinal evaluation of ICT intervention programs for girls

Intervention programs creating awareness among girls about the wide range of career opportunities in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) field are conducted in many countries to tackle the problem of female under-representation in ICT. The long-term effects of these programs, however, are rarely evaluated which hinders the understanding of how they could be improved, their value and success factors. The goal of this study is, therefore, to investigate the longitudinal influence of one such program held biennially in Australia since 2006, by analysing survey data both quantitatively and qualitatively (n = 153). The results show that continuous study of an ICT subject at school by girls positively influences both their intention to choose a career in ICT and the actual choice of ICT as a university major. Moreover, the attitude towards the intervention program has a weak, but significant positive effect on the decision to study ICT at school.

The impact of IT intervention programs for girls

The goal of our study is to investigate the longitudinal effects of one intervention program for schoolgirls in the Information Technology (IT) field. This bi-annual event has been conducted regularly since 2006 with the aim of confronting a decline in the interest among girls to study IT and promoting study and work opportunities in the field. Each event has been evaluated with pre- and post-event surveys. Longitudinally, both students and teachers have also been surveyed three to four years after the event in which they participated. Results from the 2006 cohort surveyed in 2009-2010 are reported on in this paper. The main conclusion is that, unfortunately, any increase in the uptake of IT in schools that occurred as a result of attending the event was transitory. Therefore, it is crucial that inspiring, engaging, and empowering computing classes are being offered continuously at all secondary schools.