Heather E. Bullock

The effects of pair-programming on performance in an introductory programming course

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pair-programming on student performance in an introductory programming class. Data was collected from approximately 600 students who either completed programming assignments with a partner or programmed independently. Students who programmed in pairs produced better programs, completed the course at higher rates, and performed about as well on the final exam as students who programmed independently. Our findings suggest that collaboration is an effective pedagogical tool for teaching introductory programming.

Pair programming improves student retention, confidence, and program quality

Pair programming produces more proficient, confident programmers---and may help increase female representation in the field.

Media Images of the Poor

This article provides a comprehensive overview of research that has examined the content and prevalence of stereotypic media images of the poor. Research examining televised images and print media are reviewed. An analysis of media framing as well as classist, racist, and sexist imagery is provided. Additionally, to assess media depictions of the poor in the wake of welfare reform, 412 newspaper articles about poverty and welfare published during a 3-month period in 1999 were content analyzed. Although most articles were neutral in tone and portrayed the difficulties facing welfare recipients and the poor sympathetically, they did little to contextualize poverty or illuminate its causes. These findings are discussed in terms of their context and political function.

Predicting Support for Welfare Policies: The Impact of Attributions and Beliefs About Inequality

ABSTRACT This study assessed the relationship between attributions for wealth and poverty, beliefs about income inequality and support for progressive and restrictive welfare policies. An updated scale was developed to measure attributions for poverty. “Culture of poverty” items and new structural items loaded strongly, contributing to the development of a more contemporary scale for measuring attributions for poverty. Support for progressive welfare policies was predicted by structural attributions for poverty, dissatisfaction with income inequality, and attributing wealth to privilege, whereas restrictive welfare policies were predicted by individualistic attributions for poverty and wealth. Strategies for building support for progressive welfare policies are discussed.

Who Are the Poor

Here we present the subject of poverty in the United States as one that is central to a concern with social issues and justice and argue that its relative invisibility in psychology reflects the discipline’s dominant middle-class standpoint. We describe, first, the articles in this issue, which are focused particularly on the voices of poor women in the United States. Then we examine poverty in terms of its economic indicators as well as its experiential correlates.

From the Front Lines of Welfare Reform: An Analysis of Social Worker and Welfare Recipient Attitudes

Social workers and welfare recipients operate within the same institutional framework and share a working and/or lived knowledge of poverty, but they occupy different social and economic positions. To gain a better understanding of intergroup attitudes, the author compared how social workers and welfare recipients explain poverty and perceive the welfare system. The results highlight important similarities and differences between the two groups. Although the author did not find differences for individualistic attributions, welfare recipients regarded prejudice as playing a greater role in causing poverty than did social workers. Welfare recipients also expressed stronger support for increased welfare funding and progressive welfare policies than did social workers. The author discussed implications for strengthening interclass alliances, particularly the relationship between social service providers and welfare recipients.

Intersections of Ethnicity and Social Class in Provider Advice Regarding Reproductive Health

OBJECTIVES We examined how ethnicity and social class influence womens perceptions of reproductive health care. Of primary interest was assessing whether health care providers are perceived as advising low-income women, particularly women of color, to limit their childbearing and to what extent they feel they are discouraged by providers from having future children. METHODS Ethnically diverse, low-income (n=193) and middle-class women (n=146) completed a questionnaire about their pregnancy-related health care experiences. RESULTS Logistic regression analyses revealed that low-income women of color experienced greater odds of being advised to limit their childbearing than did middle-class White women. A separate model demonstrated that low-income Latinas reported greater odds of being discouraged from having children than did middle-class White women. CONCLUSIONS Low-income women of color were more likely to report being advised to limit their childbearing and were more likely to describe being discouraged from having children than were middle-class White women. More research is needed regarding how ethnicity and social class impact womens experiences with reproductive health care.

‘Playing the Fool’: US Welfare Policy from a Critical Race Perspective:

In this article, we draw on critical race theory and critical race feminism to deconstruct contemporary US welfare policy. The political framing of work requirements, single motherhood, and ‘citizenship’ under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 are used to illustrate the racism, sexism, and classism that pervade current regulations. Drawing on Hurtado’s (1996) conceptualization of the ‘Pendejo Game’, we argue that political elites feign ignorance of poverty and structural inequities to legitimate policies that maintain economic disparities. We conclude with suggestions for disrupting the Pendejo Game and promoting economic justice.

Building a Research and Advocacy Agenda on Issues of Economic Justice

In this article we call for a research agenda focused on classism and poverty and for advocacy of social justice. Examples of recent efforts toward such an agenda are discussed, including the American Psychological Associations adoption of its “Resolution on Poverty and Socioeconomic Status.” In response to the resolutions call for more research on classist attitudes and discrimination against the poor, we outline several directions for future research. Recommendations for how psychological research can be used to advocate for economic justice are offered.

Social class and women's lives.

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