Using Quantitative Ethnography and Customized Virtual Role Models to Measure and Improve the Computing Identity of Young Girls

新兴技术给所有美国人带来了潜在的好处。技术支持许多领域的创新，包括农业、电子、交通、数据科学和计算机。构成这一增长引擎的劳动力必须首先接受教育和培训，以了解和掌握构成技术增长基础的先进的STEM方法。这支队伍包括拥有STEM和学习科学知识的教育工作者，以吸引和培养学生，其中一些人来自不同的文化，他们可能是进入这些领域的候选人。STEM领域往往缺乏不同的导师和榜样。许多女性和少数族裔认为，如果她们没有看到看起来像她们一样的技术专家在进行创新，她们就不会走上技术发现的道路。该项目将致力于制定战略，帮助青年，特别是任职人数不足的青年，提供机会和多样化的榜样，以激励他们在计算机和技术领域追求STEM职业道路。该项目将通过特拉华大学致力于增加追求计算机职业道路的中学女孩的参与，特别是那些来自代表性不足或被边缘化群体的女孩。该项目与正在进行的关于计算和相关新兴技术中代表性不足的研究相联系，并整合了各种框架，如个人和群体身份形成、具体化虚拟代理人、人机互动和激励。该计划包括一个由五名导师-顾问组成的团队，他们将指导研究项目并指导首席研究员。该项目包括将提高首席调查员的STEM教育研究能力的专业发展活动，包括提高在榜样理论、定性方法、定量人种学和认知网络分析以及扎根和具体化的认知和理论方面的技能和理解。将制定一项干预措施，以扭转破坏性的陈规定型观念，并改善未被充分代表的学生对计算机和技术职业的动机和认同感。在辅导的支持下，与虚拟榜样的情境化互动旨在增强学生体验，提高动机。预期结果包括目前任职人数不足的人更多地参与计算机职业，扩大公开展示范围，以及本科生和研究生的学习机会。通过计算机科学和工程教育、学习科学和数据科学的会议传播项目成果，并在学术期刊上发表，应该会使研究人员和教育工作者受益。将在项目网站上共享使用已取消身份的数据的报告，以便适当使用计算身份准则。该项目通过与比尔和梅琳达·盖茨基金会、施密特期货公司和沃尔顿家庭基金会的合作伙伴关系得到支持。该项目还得到了NSF的STEM教育研究EDU核心研究能力建设计划(ECR：BCSER)的支持，该计划旨在建设研究人员在STEM学习和学习环境、扩大STEM领域的参与和STEM劳动力发展等核心领域开展高质量STEM教育研究的能力。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。

Emerging technology poses potential benefit to all Americans. Technologies support innovations in many fields, including agriculture, electronics, transportation, data science and computing. The workforce that forms the engine for this growth must first receive education and training to understand and master the advanced STEM methods that form the foundation of technological growth. That workforce includes educators with knowledge in STEM and in learning sciences to engage and prepare students, some from diverse cultures, who could be candidates to enter these fields. Too often STEM fields lack diverse mentors and role models. Many women and minorities do not see themselves following the pathways of technological discovery if they have not seen technologists who look like them crafting innovations. This project will address developing strategies to reach youth, especially underrepresented youth, with opportunities and diverse role models to motivate them to pursue STEM career paths in computing and technology. This project through the University of Delaware will work to increase the participation of middle-school girls who pursue computing career paths, particularly those from underrepresented or marginalized groups. The project is connected to ongoing studies on underrepresentation in computing and associated emerging technologies, and integrates frameworks, such as personal and group identity formation, embodied virtual agents, human-computer interaction, and motivation. A team of five mentors-advisors is included in this plan, they will guide the research project and mentor the Principal Investigator. The project includes professional development activity that will increase the STEM education research capabilities of the Principal Investigator, including improving skills and understanding in role model theory, qualitative methods, quantitative ethnography and epistemic network analysis, and grounded and embodied cognition and theories. An intervention will be developed to reverse damaging stereotypes and improve the motivation and identity of underrepresented students for computing and technology careers. The contextualized interactions with virtual role models, supported by mentoring, are intended to enhance student experiences, and improve motivation. Anticipated outcomes include increased participation in entering computing careers by those currently underrepresented, outreach for public showcases, and undergraduate and graduate student learning opportunities. Dissemination of project results through conferences in computer science and engineering education, learning sciences, and data science, and publication in scholarly journals, should benefit researchers and educators. Reports using de-identified data will be shared on the project website allowing appropriate use of the computing identity guidelines. This project is supported through a partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Schmidt Futures, and the Walton Family Foundation. This project is also supported by NSF's EDU Core Research Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) program, which is designed to build investigators' capacity to carry out high-quality STEM education research in the core areas of STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM fields, and STEM workforce development.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.