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Indigenous communities remain among the most underrepresented groups in computing and STEM fields, facing systemic barriers to equitable participation in computer science (CS) education. This study examines how Indigenous-serving teachers, through a sustained professional development (PD) program, design and implement culturally responsive computing (CRC) curricula in Indigenous-serving schools. Guided by the research question: How does sustained CS professional development inform the design of culturally responsive computing curricula by experienced CS teachers in Indigenous-serving schools? We employed a natural language processing (NLP) data fusion approach that integrates text mining and qualitative thematic analysis to investigate how teachers incorporate Indigenous knowledge into computing instruction. Our findings reveal three emergent themes in teacher learning and lesson design: Creating opportunities to access culture through computation, Leveraging Research and Critical Thinking Skills to Critically Engage Students with Computing, and Reflection, refinement, and professional growth through ongoing collaboration. These themes underscore the impact of CRC on bridging cultural traditions with computing, fostering engagement, and enhancing Indigenous students’ sense of belonging in CS. By supporting teachers in developing culturally relevant lessons that integrate storytelling, traditional arts, and computational thinking, this research contributes to the broader discourse on inclusive CS education. This study informs future efforts to expand Indigenous student participation in computing by highlighting the role of culturally sustaining pedagogy in professional development and curriculum design.
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What do CS teachers think about Culturally-Relevant Computing?
This presentation reports a mixed-methods study examining how in- service Computer Science (CS) teachers working in Hawai'i perceive the concept of culturally-relevant computing. Data for the study came from a survey sent to CS teachers (n = 19) and focus group interviews with a subset of respondents (n = 10). Analysis of the data revealed a snapshot of teachers’ beliefs about culturally-relevant computing, as well as their current practices related to culturally-relevant pedagogy in the domain of CS. Detailed findings will be presented along with a discussion of the considerations and challenges in-service teachers face when planning and implementing culturally-relevant CS lessons.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2122874
- PAR ID:
- 10344081
- Editor(s):
- Bastiaens, T.
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning
- Volume:
- 2022
- Issue:
- 1
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1011-1015
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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