skip to main content

Attention:

The NSF Public Access Repository (PAR) system and access will be unavailable from 11:00 PM ET on Thursday, February 13 until 2:00 AM ET on Friday, February 14 due to maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience.


Title: Culturally Responsive Computing: Extending Theory to Early Childhood Educational Contexts
A growing movement towards expanding computer science education in K-12 has broadened gaps in computing opportunities along lines of race, ethnicity, class, and gender. Emergent theories and practices related to culturally responsive computing show promise in addressing this gap; however, little is known about engaging culturally and linguistically diverse preschoolers in computer science. The current study utilized qualitative content analysis to explore how an extant theory of Culturally Responsive Computing aligns with an early childhood culturally relevant robotics curriculum. Findings suggest that while the assumptions of culturally responsive computing were evident throughout the curriculum, there are several key considerations when extending the theory to early childhood contexts. Overarching themes included (1) emphasizing the value of non-digital tools and activities and (2) aligning the goals of culturally responsive computing with children’s current level of social development.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2031394
PAR ID:
10479169
Author(s) / Creator(s):
Editor(s):
Langran, E.
Publisher / Repository:
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference
Format(s):
Medium: X
Location:
New Orleans, LA
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract

    Despite a growing movement towards expanding computer science education in PreK‐12, gaps in computing opportunities along lines of race, ethnicity, class, and gender have widened. Emergent theories and practices related to culturally responsive computing show promise in addressing this gap; however, little is known about engaging Black, Latinx, and Indigenous preschoolers in computer science. In this paper, we utilized qualitative content analyses to explore how an early childhood computer science curriculum created opportunities for young Black and Latinx preschoolers to develop computational thinking skills while engaging in culturally responsive computing. Overwhelmingly, we found the curriculum, co‐developed with educators and caregivers, emphasized unplugged tools and coding activities to support computational thinking. These unplugged opportunities positioned children as innovators with technology and technosocial change agents, in developmentally‐appropriate, play‐based ways. Findings demonstrate a need to emphasize the value of unplugged tools and coding activities in order to support computational thinking and align the goals of culturally responsive computing with the unique needs of young children. We discuss implications for a theory of culturally responsive computing specifically for early childhood education.

     
    more » « less
  2. To broaden indigenous students' participation in Computer Science (CS) education, we conducted a research practitioner partnership (RPP) project, where teachers were taught the CS principles lessons offered by Code.org and asked to integrate mobile application development within their current courses. Additionally, modules and guidance were provided on culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP), and an in-classroom implementation of a five-day lesson plan was co-created via a participatory approach. In this experience report, we describe the RPP organization and early findings from our collected teachers' pre/post survey, lesson plans, projects, and students' pre/post survey. The positive outcomes from our RPP project provided valuable teacher learning experiences and actionable, culturally responsive computing lesson plans for the indigenous community. 
    more » « less
  3. The field of computer science continues to lack diverse representation from women and racially minoritized individuals. One way to address the discrepancies in representation is through systematic changes in computer science education from a young age. Pedagogical and instructional changes are needed to promote meaningful and equitable learning that engages students with rigorous and inclusive curricula. We developed an equity-focused professional development program for teachers that promotes culturally responsive pedagogy in the context of computer science education. This study provides an overview of our culturally responsive framework and a qualitative examination of how teachers (n=9) conceptualized and applied culturally responsive pedagogy in their classrooms. Drawing from grounded theory and lesson assessment rubrics, we developed a codebook to analyze teacher interviews, lesson plans, and questionnaire responses. Findings revealed that, following their participation in professional development, teachers were consistently planning to implement a wide range of culturally responsive instructional and pedagogical practices capable of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in computer science education. 
    more » « less
  4. The field of computer science continues to lack diverse representation from women and racially minoritized individuals. One way to address the discrepancies in representation is through systematic changes in computer science education from a young age. Pedagogical and instructional changes are needed to promote meaningful and equitable learning that engages students with rigorous and inclusive curricula. We developed an equity-focused professional development program for teachers that promotes culturally responsive pedagogy in the context of computer science education. This study provides an overview of our culturally responsive framework and a qualitative examination of how teachers (n=9) conceptualized and applied culturally responsive pedagogy in their classrooms. Drawing from grounded theory and lesson assessment rubrics, we developed a codebook to analyze teacher interviews, lesson plans, and questionnaire responses. Findings revealed that, following their participation in professional development, teachers were consistently planning to implement a wide range of culturally responsive instructional and pedagogical practices capable of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in computer science education. 
    more » « less
  5. Broadening the participation of underrepresented students in computer science fields requires careful design and implementation of culturally responsive curricula and technologies. Culturally Situated Design Tools (CSDTs) address this by engaging students in historic, cultural, and meaningful design projects based on community practices. To date, CSDT research has only been conducted in short interventions outside of CS classrooms. This paper reports on the first semester-long introductory CS course based on CSDTs, which was piloted with 51 high school students during the 2017-2018 school year. The goal of this study was to examine if a culturally responsive computing curriculum could teach computer science principles and improve student engagement. Pre-post tests, field notes, weekly teacher meetings, formative assessments, and teacher and student interviews were analyzed to assess successes and failures during implementation. The results indicate students learned the conceptual material in 6 months rather than in the 9 months previously required by the teacher. Students were also able to apply these concepts afterward when programming in Python, implying knowledge transfer. However, student opinions about culture and computing didn't improve, and student engagement was below initial expectations. Thus we explore some of the many challenges: keeping a fully integrated cultural curriculum while satisfying CS standards, maintaining student engagement, and building student agency and self-regulation. We end with a brief description for how we intend to address some of these challenges in the second iteration of this program, scheduled for fall 2018. After which a study is planned to compare this curriculum to others. 
    more » « less