Research shows that cis-women and other minority groups (e.g., Hispanic, Black, LGBTQIA+, etc.) are very underrepresented in open source software (OSS). We aim to improve equity and diversity in OSS by understanding the unique lived experiences of OSS contributors and how contributors from vulnerable groups can be better supported and empowered.
This study is a multi-year panel study following open source contributors to better understand the role of OSS work within people's lives.
- Undergrad expecting to be at UT Austin for at least a further 20 months.
- Student in Information Studies, Gender Studies, Design, Communications, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering (or other major, just make the connection in your application).
- Students coming from under-represented backgrounds in STEM (e.g., cis-women, trans, non-binary, and genderqueer students, Black, Hispanic, Pacific Islander students) or with particular interest or experience relevant to the research topic are especially encouraged to apply.
This is a long term study; we plan to enroll participants and interview them approx each 6 months over a period of years. We are therefore asking for longer term participation and applicants relatively early in their study at Texas.
There is an opportunity to make participation part of individual studies classes, although that would likely happen after at least a semester of participation.
- attend and schedule interviews
- take interview notes
- transcribe interviews
- help conduct analyses based on grounded theory (open, axial, and selective coding)
