The decline of women in technology disciplines has been given many different labels in current literature such as "the pipeline shrinkage, " "the gender gap," and the "gender divide." Research in the area of gender differences in computer-related use and behavior has grown significantly in the last 20 years. With technology being an integral part of business, education, and industry, it is essential for women to possess the skills needed to operate and develop technologies and information systems. However, fewer women are earning degrees and receiving training in technology-related disciplines than did 20 years ago. Researchers have proposed numerous reasons why the decline of women in information technology-related fields exists. Yet there is no singly agreed upon answer. This article seeks to explore how educational training modules and peer-modeling software can be used to increase females' level of computer self-efficacy and hence influence their attitudes toward computing. (Keywords: gender, self-efficacy, vicarious learning, peer-modeling software)
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