Engaging Latinx Youth in Understanding the Science of Climate Change by Developing Digital Narratives and Games

该项目将让拉丁美洲的初中和高中青年参与开发技术丰富的交互式数字媒体、游戏和有关气候科学的叙述。在创作数字故事时，青年将把现实场景与他们的想法和决策过程相结合，以解决与气候有关的问题。这种身临其境的体验将帮助服务不足的拉丁x青年建立强大的气候科学知识，并支持他们作为社区科学专家的身份。在创建数字叙事和为社区活动做准备的同时，青年们将与STEM领域气候科学和信息通信技术方面的榜样互动。这种互动可以支持他们探索STEM途径，并对STEM职业产生更深的兴趣。本项目设计为参与式研究实践项目（RPP），其设计和实施以公平为中心。这将通过1)调查研究人员、从业者和学习者共同感兴趣的问题来完成；2)调动各小组的才能，共同创造和测试创新的学习体验；3)利用所有团体的经验和优势来产生知识，分享发现，并确定下一步。通过使用调查、个人意义地图和参与青年焦点小组的方法，该研究将重点调查与增加拉丁裔青少年的环境科学知识和改善STEM职业抱负相关的结果。该研究将利用定量（Wilcoxon符号秩检验）和定性分析（先验和归纳编码）。该项目由“面向学生和教师的创新技术体验”（ITEST）项目资助，该项目支持有助于提高学生对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）以及信息和通信技术（ICT）职业的知识和兴趣的实践、项目要素、背景和过程的理解。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。

The project will engage LatinX middle and high school youth in developing technology-rich, interactive digital media, games, and narratives about climate science. In creating digital stories, youth will blend real-world scenarios with their ideas and decision-making processes to solve climate-related problems. This immersive experience will help the underserved population of LatinX youth build robust knowledge of climate science and support their identities to serve as community science experts. While creating digital narratives and preparing for community events, the youth will interact with STEM role models in climate science and information communication technologies. Such interaction can support their exploration of STEM pathways and develop a deeper interest in STEM careers.This project is designed as a participatory research-practice project (RPP) which centers equity in its design and implementation. This will be done by 1) investigating questions of common interest to researchers, practitioners, and learners; 2) activating the talents of all groups to co-create and test innovative learning experiences; and 3) drawing on the experience and strengths of all groups to generate knowledge, share findings, and determine next steps. By using the methods of surveys, personal meaning maps, and focus groups with participating youth, the research will focus on investigating outcomes related to increasing environmental science knowledge and improving STEM career aspirations among Latinx teens. The study will utilize both quantitative (Wilcoxon signed-rank tests) and qualitative analysis (a priori and inductive coding). This project is funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers.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.