The preceding chapter addressed one facet of the issue of how the social context of the school shapes computer use. This chapter and the next continue exploration of this issue with a focus on students rather than teachers, in particular on the role that gender played in influencing computer use at Whitmore.

My goal here is not just to add to the literature suggesting that gender is indeed related to student computer use, since the existing evidence related to this general point is substantial (Anderson, Welch, & Harris, 1984; Becker & Sterling, 1987; Chen, 1986; Hess & Miura, 1985; Linn, 1985; Lockheed, 1985; Miura, 1986). As Sutton (1991) points out: “The inequalities are known. The future task should be to understand the complexities of the problem better” (p. 494). Consistent with this point of view, this chapter and the next will attempt to analyze the forces that conspired to create the differences observed at Whitmore and to discuss some of the complexities of the situation that contributed to building and maintaining these differences.

There are many possible ways to approach discussing the impact of gender on students' opportunities for using, and reactions to, computers at Whitmore since the influence seemed so ubiquitous. I have chosen to explore these issues in the context of discussing two very different milieus at Whitmore – the room full of computers reserved for gifted students and the Computer Science 2 classes.