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1. Science and Math Interest and Gender Stereotypes: The Role of Educator Gender in Informal Science Learning Sites

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.503237  

   McGuire, Luke; Monzavi, Tina; Hoffman, Adam J.; Law, Fidelia; Irvin, Matthew J.; Winterbottom, Mark; Hartstone-Rose, Adam; Rutland, Adam; Burns, Karen P.; Butler, Laurence; et al (March 2021, Frontiers in Psychology)

   Interest in science and math plays an important role in encouraging STEM motivation and career aspirations. This interest decreases for girls between late childhood and adolescence. Relatedly, positive mentoring experiences with female teachers can protect girls against losing interest. The present study examines whether visitors to informal science learning sites (ISLS; science centers, zoos, and aquariums) differ in their expressed science and math interest, as well as their science and math stereotypes following an interaction with either a male or female educator. Participants ( n = 364; early childhood, n = 151, M age = 6.73; late childhood, n = 136, M age = 10.01; adolescence, n = 59, M age = 13.92) were visitors to one of four ISLS in the United States and United Kingdom. Following an interaction with a male or female educator, they reported their math and science interest and responded to math and science gender stereotype measures. Female participants reported greater interest in math following an interaction with a female educator, compared to when they interacted with a male educator. In turn, female participants who interacted with a female educator were less likely to report male-biased math gender stereotypes. Self-reported science interest did not differ as a function of educator gender. Together these findings suggest that, when aiming to encourage STEM interest and challenge gender stereotypes in informal settings, we must consider the importance of the gender of educators and learners. 

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2. A participatory approach to iteratively adapting game design workshops to empower autistic youth

   https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1179548  

   Gillespie-Lynch, Kristen; Grossman, Eliana; Herrell, Jessye; Riccio, Ariana; Delos_Santos, Jin; Biswas, Sharang; Kofner, Bella; Dwyer, Patrick; Rosenberg, Beth; Hwang-Geddes, Lillian; et al (July 2023, Frontiers in Education)

   Introduction: Autistic people face systemic barriers to fair employment. Informal learning may promote the self-determination transition-age autistic youth need to overcome and/or transform these barriers. This report focuses on the iterative process of developing video game design workshops guided by feedback from autistic students about instructional strategies they found engaging. This study is part of a three-year-long NSF-funded program of research that seeks to empower autistic youth to move toward successful careers by teaching educators how to more effectively guide them. Methods: In the Summer of 2021, educators at an award-winning NYC-based, not-for-profit, education program, Tech Kids Unlimited (TKU) collaborated with researchers, including autistic students, to iteratively develop and assess two online game design workshops for transition-age autistic youth. Participants selected which workshop they were available for (Workshop 1: n = 18; M age = 16.72  years; Workshop 2: n = 16; M age = 16.56  years). Students in Workshop 2  had more varied support needs and were less motivated to learn video game design than students in Workshop 1. Students completed assessments before and after each workshop and rated their interest in specific workshop activities after each activity. Guided by data from Workshop 1, we revised instructional strategies before conducting Workshop 2. Results: We found little evidence for our hypothesis that attentional style would impact educational engagement. However, video game design self-efficacy and self-determination were often positively associated with engagement. Two industry speakers, one of whom was autistic, were among the highest-rated activities. As hypothesized, video game design self-efficacy and self-determination (and unexpectedly) spatial planning improved from pre- to post-test following Workshop 1. Despite our efforts to use what we learned in Workshop 1 to improve in Workshop 2, Workshop 2 did not lead to significant improvements in outcomes. However, students highlighted instructional strategies as a strength of Workshop 2 more often than they had for Workshop 1. Educators highlighted the importance of group “temperature checks,” individualized check-ins, social–emotional support for students and educators, and fostering a positive atmosphere. Discussion: Findings suggest that interactive multimodal activities, stimulating discussions, and opportunities to engage with neurodivergent industry professionals may engage and empower diverse autistic youth. 

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3. Expanding Informal Maker-Based Learning Programs for Urban Youth

   Foad Hamidi, Amy Freeland (November 2020, Proceedings Frontiers in Education Conference)

   null (Ed.)

   This Research Full Paper contributes to research on creating maker-based learning experiences for youth in diverse informal learning settings. A key research question in this space is how to efficiently and effectively setup maker learning spaces and train educators to deliver high-quality maker curriculum in diverse sites. To study this question, we developed and deployed a multi-phase maker educator training program that included makerspace setup, educator training, and youth program deployment. We deployed three models of the program at three participating sites over roughly nine months. We analyzed data from educator pre- and post- interviews and found that the programs generated considerable interest in the youth and resulted in positive shifts in career aspirations and social and technical skills. Participants emphasized the importance of creating hybrid online and offline resources and training materials. Our participants also identified logistical challenges related to recruiting educators and youth attendance. Finally, participants described possibilities for content localization and the inclusion of participatory approaches to keep youth and educators engaged. 

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4. COVID-19 Racism and Mental Health in Chinese American Families

   https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-021816  

   Cheah, Charissa S.L.; Wang, Cixin; Ren, Huiguang; Zong, Xiaoli; Cho, Hyun Su; Xue, Xiaofang (November 2020, Pediatrics)

   OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has fueled xenophobia against Chinese Americans. We examined the rates of 6 types of COVID-19 racism and racial discrimination experienced by Chinese American parents and youth and the associations with their mental health. METHODS: We recruited a population-based sample of Chinese American families to participate in this self-reported survey study conducted from March 14, 2020, to May 31, 2020. Eligible parent participants identified as ethnically/racially Chinese, lived in the United States, and had a 4- to 18-year-old child; their eligible children were 10 to 18 years old. RESULTS: The sample included 543 Chinese American parents (mean [SD] age, 43.44 [6.47] years; 425 mothers [78.3%]), and their children (N = 230; mean [SD] age, 13.83 [2.53] years; 111 girls [48.3%]). Nearly half of parents and youth reported being directly targeted by COVID-19 racial discrimination online (parents: 172 [31.7%]; youth: 105 [45.7%]) and/or in person (parents: 276 [50.9%]; youth: 115 [50.2%]). A total of 417 (76.8%) parents and 176 (76.5%) youth reported at least 1 incident of COVID-19 vicarious racial discrimination online and/or in person (parents: 481 [88.5%]; youth: 211 [91.9%]). A total of 267 (49.1%) parents and 164 (71.1%) youth perceived health-related Sinophobia in America, and 274 (50.4%) parents and 129 (56.0%) youth perceived media-perpetuated Sinophobia. Higher levels of parent- and youth-perceived racism and racial discrimination were associated with their poorer mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Health care professionals must attend to the racism-related experiences and mental health needs of Chinese Americans parents and their children throughout the COVID-19 pandemic via education and making appropriate mental health referrals. 

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5. BUILDING BLOCKS FOR UNDERSTANDING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: DESIGNING INTERACTIVE AI LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES IN A MUSEUM SETTING

   Greenwald, E; Cavero, D; Grindstaff, K; Krakowski, A; Hurt, T; Wang, N (July 2024, 16th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies)

   As artificial intelligence (AI) profoundly reshapes our personal and professional lives, there are growing calls to support pre-college aged youth as they develop capacity to engage critically and productively with AI. While efforts to introduce AI concepts to pre-college aged youth have largely focused on older teens, there is growing recognition of the importance of developing AI literacy among younger children. Today’s youth already encounter and use AI regularly, but they might not yet be aware of its role, limitations, risks, or purpose in a particular encounter, and may not be positioned to question whether it should be doing what it’s doing. In response to this critical moment to develop AI learning experiences that can support children at this age, researchers and learning designers at the University of California’s Lawrence Hall of Science, in collaboration with AI developers at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies, have been iteratively developing and studying a series of interactive learning experiences for public science centers and similar out-of-school settings. The project is funded through a grant by the National Science Foundation and the resulting exhibit, The Virtually Human Experience (VHX), represents one of the first interactive museum exhibits in the United States designed explicitly to support young children and their families in developing understanding of AI. The coordinated experiences in VHX include both digital (computer-based) and non-digital (“unplugged”) activities designed to engage children (ages 7-12) and their families in learning about AI. In this paper, we describe emerging insights from a series of case studies that track small groups of museum visitors (e.g. a parent and two children) as they interact with the exhibit. The case studies reveal opportunities and challenges associated with designing AI learning experiences for young children in a free-choice environment like a public science center. In particular, we focus on three themes emerging from our analyses of case data: 1) relationships between design elements and collaborative discourse within intergenerational groups (i.e., families and other adult-child pairings); 2) relationships between design elements and impromptu visitor experimentation within the exhibit space; and 3) challenges in designing activities with a low threshold for initial engagement such that even the youngest visitors can engage meaningfully with the activity. Findings from this study are directly relevant to support researchers and learning designers engaged in rapidly expanding efforts to develop AI learning opportunities for youth, and are likely to be of interest to a broad range of researchers, designers, and practitioners as society encounters this transformative technology and its applications become increasingly integral to how we live and work. 

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