Does Involving Girls as Designers Result in Girl-Friendly Science Education Software? Comparing Processes and Outcomes of Same-Sex 5th and 8th Grade Girl and Boy Design Teams

目的：虚拟环境越来越多地被用于促进科学学习。由于交互式多媒体显示和学习者定制的可能性，这些环境具有很大的前景。但是这些环境对女孩友好吗？电脑游戏是由年轻人为男孩和年轻人设计的，是科技排斥女孩、女孩的兴趣和价值观的缩影。不那么明显但更具破坏性的是，这种技术隔阂加剧了女孩不仅对计算机，而且对科学缺乏兴趣和自信。技术本身，甚至是技术增强的科学体验的设计都可能对女孩不利，使她们远离SMET，而不是吸引她们。专家鼓励更多的妇女和女孩参与软件和硬件设计，开始改变计算机文化。“让女孩参与设计”（IGD）项目将着眼于当女孩设计她们自己的技术增强的科学学习体验时会发生什么。女孩和男孩在设计过程中有不同的做法吗？如果是这样的话，对女孩友好的设计过程有什么特点？全女生设计团队的产品是否比全男生设计团队的产品更能吸引其他女生？性别差异是在中学结束时更加强烈地两极分化，还是在五年级时同样明显？方法：IGD将邀请女孩组成的小团队来体验和批判性地评估一系列高质量的科学学习体验，这些体验在技术、程度和互动形式上各不相同，从天文馆表演到模拟火星任务的角色扮演，从CD-ROM游戏到在网络上探索空间科学，从电视到沉浸式虚拟现实。这些年轻的新技术专家将设计他们理想的科学学习体验，目标是教授科学并激发孩子们对SMET的兴趣。IGD将描述女孩对各种形式的科学学习的反应。将分析女生设计团队的设计过程和设计成果，并与男生团队进行比较。IGD将比较五年级的女孩（她们对科学的热情与男孩相当）和八年级的女孩（她们对科学的热情和自信有所下降），寻找在技术态度、设计过程和设计结果方面的异同。专业的软件开发人员将创建每个团队原型的可视化。在没有显示设计师性别的情况下，每一组可视化设计都将展示给同龄的学生，以发现男孩和女孩是否更喜欢由他们自己性别设计的原型。智力优势：IGD将测试让女孩作为设计师可以影响设计过程和产品，并描述性别和年龄差异的断言。IGD将有助于具体了解女孩对各种形式的技术增强科学学习的态度。更广泛的影响：IGD可以为软件开发人员提供令人信服的证据，证明让女孩作为设计师的重要性，以及实现女孩友好设计过程的方法。IGC可以指导教师和课程设计者在技术增强的科学学习体验中进行选择。pi教授研究生设计研究课程（教育和数字媒体设计）。他们会让学生参与研究，并将研究结果整合到课程中。对女孩友好型科学教育设计的新理解将被纳入火星先锋学习冒险计划，并纳入整个通信技术实验室软件设计过程以及大学教育和数字媒体艺术课程。

OBJECTIVES: Virtual environments are increasingly being called upon to advance science learning.With possibilities for interactive multimedia displays and learner customization, these environments holdgreat promise. But are these environments friendly to girls? Computer games, designed by young men forboys and young men, epitomize technology's exclusion of girls, their interests, and values. Less obviousbut more devastating, this technological estrangement exacerbates girls' lack of interest and self confidencenot just in computers but in science. Technology itself and even the design of technology-enhanced scienceexperiences may disadvantage girls, turning them away from SMET instead of engaging them. Expertsurge more women and girls to become involved in software and hardware design, to begin to transformcomputer culture. The ihInvolving Girls as Designerslg (IGD) project will look at what can happen whengirls design their own technology-enhanced science learning experiences. Do girls and boys approach thedesign process differently? If so, what are the characteristics of a girl-friendly design process? Do all-girldesign teams create products that are more appealing to other girls than products designed by all boyteams? Are gender differences more strongly polarized by the end of middle school, or are they equallyevident even in fifth grade?METHODS: IGD will invite small teams of girls to experience and critically assess a series of high qualityscience-learning experiences diverse in their technology and extent and form of interactivity, ranging fromplanetarium show to role play simulated mission to Mars, from CD-ROM games to exploring space scienceon the web, television to immersive virtual reality. These young, newly expert technologists will thendesign their ideal science learning experience, with the goal of teaching science and inspiring kids to beinterested in SMET. IGD will profile girl reactions to the diverse forms of science learning. The designprocess and design outcomes of the all-girl design teams will be analyzed and compared to all-boy teams.IGD will compare fifth grade girls (whose enthusiasm for science parallels boys) with eighth grade girls(whose enthusiasm and self confidence in science has declined), looking for similarities and differences intechnology attitudes, design process, and design outcomes. Professional software developers will createvisualizations of each team's prototype. With no indication of the gender of the designers, each set ofvisualizations will be shown to same-age students to discover whether boys and girls prefer prototypesdeveloped by their own gender.INTELLECTUAL MERIT: IGD will test the assertion that involving girls as designers can impactdesign process and product and describe gender and age differences. IGD will contribute concreteunderstanding of girls' attitudes toward diverse forms of technology-enhanced science learning.BROADER IMPACTS: IGD could provide compelling evidence to software developers about the criticalimportance of involving girls as designers and ways of enabling girl-friendly design processes. IGC couldprovide guidance to teachers and curriculum designers about choosing among technology-enhanced sciencelearning experiences. The PIs teach graduate design research classes (in education and digital mediadesign). They will involve their students in the research and integrate findings into their courses. Newunderstanding about girl-friendly science education designs will be incorporated into the Mars PioneerLearning Adventures initiative and into the overall Comm Tech Lab software design process and Collegeof Education and Digital Media Arts curricula.