CAREER: Developing Agentic Computing Identities Through Computational Justice Programs

有色人种妇女（如非洲裔美国人、西班牙裔和美洲原住民）在计算机学位课程和职业中的代表性仍然很低。社会文化的障碍是重要的贡献者分层参与计算沿着种族，性别和阶级线。然而，仅仅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，使赤字叙事永久化，并进一步阻止有色人种女孩将自己视为计算机的积极参与者。本研究通过调查计算正义程序模型如何支持有色人种女孩（13-16岁）发展代理计算身份来挑战赤字叙事。计算主体身份描述了将自己视为计算中的积极参与者的能力，具有制定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扎根。这项研究通过以下方式为K-12计算机科学教育和基于设计的研究做出了智力贡献：（1）对有色人种女孩如何发展计算身份的经验性理解，（2）对计算身份的扩展概念性理解，将代理作为核心结构，（3）对调查计算与社会变革之间的关系如何影响自我效能感，能力，识别，兴趣和机构之间的颜色，（4）如何从社会科学学科（社会变革，集体行动，机构）的概念可以通知K-12 CS教育工作的理论研究，和（5）一个新的共同设计过程，利用合作伙伴关系，持续采用非正式的计算程序。 这项研究将创建一个强大的计算身份模型，超越基于性能的身份模型，并在理论上为旨在扩大计算参与的教育干预提供信息。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值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.