CAREER: Developing Agentic Computing Identities Through Computational Justice Programs

有色人种女性(例如非裔美国人、西班牙裔和美洲原住民)在计算机学位课程和职业生涯中的代表性仍然很低。社会文化障碍是沿着种族、性别和等级界限参与计算的分层的重要因素。然而，只关注长期存在的社会文化障碍可能会产生意想不到的后果，即延续缺陷叙述，并进一步阻止有色人种女孩将自己想象为计算机的积极参与者。这项研究通过调查计算正义项目模型如何支持有色人种女孩(13-16岁)发展代理计算身份，对赤字叙事提出了挑战。代理计算身份描述了将自己视为计算的积极参与者的能力，以及实施社会变革和控制未来生活轨迹的知识和技能。计算正义方法发展具体的计算技能，同时为有色人种女孩提供机会，使这些技能以自我导向的个人和集体行动形式奠定基础。这项研究通过以下几个方面为K-12计算机科学教育和基于设计的研究做出智力贡献：(1)对有色人种女孩如何发展计算身份的实证理解，(2)将代理作为核心结构的对计算身份的扩展概念理解，(3)关于调查计算与社会变化之间的关系如何影响有色人种女孩的自我效能感、能力、认可度、兴趣和代理的经验理解，(4)社会科学学科(社会变化、集体行动、代理)的概念如何影响K-12 CS教育努力的理论检验，以及(5)利用合作伙伴关系持续采用非正式计算程序的新的共同设计过程。这项研究将创建一个稳健的计算身份模型，它超越了基于性能的身份模型，并在理论上可以为旨在扩大计算参与的教育干预提供信息。它还将贡献一个项目模式，其中包括基于资产的教学方法、以正义为中心的课程设计和实践者知情培训。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Women of color (e.g. African American, Hispanic, and Native American) remain largely underrepresented in computing degree programs and careers. Sociocultural barriers are significant contributors to the stratification of participation in computing along racialized, gendered, and classed lines. However, focusing solely on long-standing sociocultural barriers can have the unintended consequence of perpetuating deficit narratives and further preventing girls of color from envisioning themselves as active participants in computing. This study challenges deficit narratives through an investigation of how a computational justice program model can support girls of color (ages 13-16) in developing agentic computing identities. An agentic computing identity describes the ability to view oneself as an active participant in computing with the knowledge and skills to enact social change and control future life trajectories. A computational justice approach develops concrete computing skills and simultaneously provides opportunities for girls of color to ground those skills in self-directed forms of personal and collective action. This research makes intellectual contributions to K-12 computer science education and design-based research through: (1) an empirical understanding of how girls of color develop computing identities, (2) a broadened conceptual understanding of computing identities that incorporates agency as a core construct, (3) an empirical understanding of how investigating the relationship between computing and social change influences feelings of self-efficacy, competency, recognition, interest, and agency among girls of color, (4) a theoretical examination of how concepts from social science disciplines (social change, collective action, agency) can inform K-12 CS education efforts, and (5) a novel co-design process that leverages cooperative partnerships for sustained adoption of informal computing programs. This research will create a robust computing identity model that moves beyond performance-based identity models and can theoretically inform educational interventions aimed at broadening participation in computing. It will also contribute a program model that includes an asset-based pedagogical approach, justice-centered curricular design, and practitioner-informed training.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.