Gender and programming: What's going on?

The learning (and teaching) of programming in Higher Education is a perennial problem, and is the subject of much attention and innovation. One way in which the problem can be addressed is for instructors to investigate and thus better understand the ways in Which students learn to program. We present the results of investigations carried out at the Universities of Bent and Leeds into the ways in which gender influences the learning approach of students in programming. The research shows that gender is a significant factor in determining the way in which students approach learning to program. A better understanding of the issues raised would lead to more effective teaching and thus better learning.