Collaborative Research: Using Culturally Sustaining Learning Environments to Explore Computational Learning & Identity

计算和计算思维实践在年轻人的生活中无处不在。从电子游戏中的动画到用于从播放列表中选择下一首歌曲的算法，今天的年轻人被简单和复杂的计算模型、工具和实践所淹没。在全国范围内，计算和计算思维实践正在改变STEM教育和青年劳动力准备。事实上，在《下一代科学标准》中，计算思维实践与数学一样被认为是基本的核心科学实践。因此，近年来人们非常关注通过计算和计算思维实践来增加青年参与STEM内容的机会。然而，在计算机领域获得这些学习机会是不公平的。有色人种青年尤其容易受到这些不平等的影响，因为计算思维实践往往缺乏文化资本和社区参与，而研究表明，文化资本和社区参与在吸引和吸引STEM中代表性不足群体的青年方面特别有效。这个为期三年的研究和设计项目将探讨计算思维实践、跨学科STEM学习和文化表达实践对青少年学习和身份发展的交叉性。该模型将测试文化上可持续的学习环境的可行性，以及嘻哈作为一种模式的基本原则，以吸引和鼓励来自主要代表性不足群体的中学生在日常生活中学习、连接和考虑计算。在三年的时间里，预计将有400名中学生参与该项目和研究。青年们将在网上和课后在印第安纳州加里的社区网站（即创客空间、艺术空间、社区中心）见面；费城,宾夕法尼亚州。以及马萨诸塞州的剑桥。一系列跨学科STEM主题将涵盖包括科学原理（如物理），数学，工程，计算机编程，数字媒体，以及通过计算思维或制作实践的跨平台产品规划和开发。这些年轻人将以嘻哈为基础，合作开发和设计他们自己的跨学科stem计算项目。这个名为cyber cypher的在线平台将由由28个创客空间组成的全国性网络优媒网络实验室（Youmedia Network Labs）和剑桥儿童-中学议程网络（Cambridge Agenda for Children-Middle School Network）进行试点，后者是马萨诸塞州剑桥市的一个课后项目网络。关于本研究，将探讨几个突出的问题：(1)中学生在学习计算制作实践时如何适当、抵制和/或转变生态环境中的资源和实践？(2)不同文化维持空间的差异如何影响跨学科计算制作实践中学习的发展？(3)中学生在不同的学习环境中构建多元的计算机制造身份时，如何适应、抵制和/或转化生态资源？(4)在三个站点中，有助于计算制作实践和STEM学习和身份发展的文化可持续性计算制作环境的设计原则是什么？数据将从调查、实地观察、计算制作和设计技能评估以及多模式设计叙述中收集。研究结果和外部评估将通过学术和从业者为目标的期刊、会议、项目参与者社区活动、在线社区和社交媒体进行分析和传播。该项目由STEM + C资助，支持跨学科和跨学科方法的研究和开发，以便在正式和非正式环境中为pre -12学生整合STEM教学和学习中的计算。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Computing and computational thinking practices are ubiquitous in young people's lives. From the animations programmed in their video games to algorithms used to determine the next song selection from their playlists, today's youth are inundated with simple and complex computational models, tools, and practices. Nationally, computing and computational thinking practices are transforming STEM education and youth workforce preparedness. In fact, computational thinking practices are now recognized, alongside mathematics, as a fundamental core scientific practice in the Next Generation Science Standards. Consequently, much attention has been paid in recent years towards increasing opportunities for youth to engage in STEM content through computing and computational thinking practices. Access to these learning opportunities in computing, however, is inequitable. Youth of color are especially vulnerable to these inequities, as computational thinking practices are often devoid of the cultural capital and community engagement that research has shown to be particularly effective in attracting and engaging youth from underrepresented groups in STEM. This three-year research and design project will examine the intersectionality between computational thinking practices, interdisciplinary STEM learning, and culturally expressive practices on youths' learning and identity development. The model will test the feasibility of culturally sustaining learning environments and the foundational principles of hip hop as a model to engage and encourage middle school youth from predominately underrepresented groups to learn, connect to, and consider computing in their everyday lives. Over a three-year period, an estimated 400 middle school aged youth will participate in the project and research. The youth will meet online and afterschool at community-based sites (i.e., makerspace, arts-based space, community center) in Gary, Indiana; Philadelphia, PA; and Cambridge, MA. A range of interdisciplinary STEM topics will be covered including science principles (e.g., physics), mathematics, engineering, computer programming, digital media, and cross-platform product planning and development through the lens of computational thinking or making practices. The youth will work collaboratively to develop and design their own interdisciplinary STEM-based computing projects, using hip hop as a basis. The online platform, cyber cypher, will be piloted by Youmedia Network Labs, a nationwide network of 28 makerspaces and the Cambridge Agenda for Children-Middle School Network, a network of afterschool programs in Cambridge, MA. With regards to the research, several salient questions will be explored: (1) How do middle school youth appropriate, resist, and/or transform ecologically situated resources and practices as they learn computational making practices? (2) How do variations in different culturally sustaining spaces affect the development of learning in interdisciplinary computational making practices? (3) How do middle school youth appropriate, resist, and/or transform ecologically situated resources as they construct pluralistic computational making identities and within different learning environments? and (4) Across the three sites, what are the design principles of the culturally sustaining computational making environments that contribute to computational making practices and STEM learning and identity development? Data will be collected from surveys, field observations, computational making & design skills assessments, and multimodal design narratives. The results of the research and an external evaluation will be analyzed and disseminated via academic and practitioner targeted journals, conferences, project participant community events, online communities, and social media. This project is funded by STEM + C which supports research and the development of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to the integration of computing within STEM teaching and learning for preK-12 students in both formal and informal settings.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.