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About

Felienne Hermans is a leading researcher in computing education, with a focus on making programming accessible and inclusive for all learners, from preschoolers to children with visual impairments. Her work critically examines how programming is taught, emphasizing the need for materials that accommodate diverse abilities and challenge gender stereotypes. In her field study on programming education for preschoolers, she demonstrated that even children aged four to six can engage with computational concepts through carefully designed, problem-based sessions—a foundational contribution to early childhood computing education. She has also pioneered research on accessibility, investigating how teachers perceive the usability of programming tools for children with visual impairments, highlighting significant gaps in current resources. More recently, Hermans has analyzed gender representation in programming books for children, revealing how illustrations in Scratch and Python texts often reinforce stereotypes of male, asocial, and technology-oriented characters. Though her most-cited papers have accrued modest citation counts (3–7), their impact is substantial in shaping inclusive pedagogy and informing curriculum design. Hermans is also known for her work on code smells and refactoring, and she actively promotes computational thinking through public engagement and teacher training, making her a vital voice in broadening participation in computing.