Collaborative Research: Minoritized Youth Computer Science Learning, Belonging and Career Interest: Coding and Creating with Beats

合作研究：少数青少年计算机科学学习、归属感和职业兴趣：用 Beats 编码和创造

• 批准号: 2344570
• 负责人: David Shepherd
• 金额: $ 50.52万
• 依托单位: Louisiana State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-01 至 2025-04-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2344570&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Minoritized; Youth; Computer

Computer science knowledge and skills are essential in the digital world. Despite progress in the availability of computer science (CS) coursework in secondary school settings, a number of student groups remain substantially underrepresented in computing. This project aims to broaden youth participation in computing by focusing on innovative technology experiences centered around coding-based music. The project will engage Black, Latinx, and female youth during the critical middle school years when many students decide whether future opportunities in CS merit consideration. Through week-long summer programs held on college campuses, the project will develop and study a series of culturally relevant activities where participants learn how to play, manipulate, and create by coding authentic-sounding hip-hop beats using Sonic Pi music software. The project extends prior research into CS learning through coding beats by (1) enhancing the depth of technical analysis, (2) moving students from beat modification to beat creation, and (3) increasing the range of concepts that can naturally be included in a course. This collaborative effort across two universities, a local school district, and a community organization will engage musicians who utilize Sonic Pi in performances and host annual competitions and concerts featuring student work to help broaden youth perspectives of CS and computing-related careers. The project team will also prepare 40 teachers and community instructors to facilitate similar programs in their own settings, ensuring sustainability beyond the duration of the project. 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.The project employs design-based implementation research to iteratively refine the instructional approaches across 160 middle school students and two settings to best address the mismatch between CS culture and the culture and learning experiences of students underrepresented in computing. This project will design and investigate a summer program instructional approach that highlights how particular coding technology (e.g., Sonic Pi), scaffolding techniques, and learning activities work to support youth's computer science knowledge, confidence, sense of belonging, and career awareness. The project will build upon previously funded NSF STEM education research (e.g., EarSketch) by grounding in the Use-Modify-Create framework, which articulates a trajectory of youth learning in computing. Mixed methods will inform the research. Qualitative data from observations, focus groups and computational artifacts will explore the promise and effectiveness of the program in promoting expected youth outcomes. Quantitative data (e.g., validated pre- and post-surveys) will identify emergent patterns that will help strengthen the feasibility, sustainability, and social validity of the scaffolded approach. The knowledge and insights gained from this research will provide evidence to support future programs across other regions and develop strong CS learning experiences for students underrepresented in computing.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.

计算机科学知识和技能在数字世界中至关重要。尽管中学环境中计算机科学 (CS) 课程的可用性取得了进展，但许多学生群体在计算机领域的代表性仍然严重不足。该项目旨在通过关注以编码音乐为中心的创新技术体验，扩大青年人对计算的参与。该项目将在关键的中学时期吸引黑人、拉丁裔和女性青少年参与，当时许多学生决定是否值得考虑未来的计算机科学机会。通过在大学校园举办的为期一周的暑期课程，该项目将开发和研究一系列与文化相关的活动，参与者通过使用 Sonic Pi 音乐软件编写听起来真实的嘻哈节拍来学习如何演奏、操纵和创作。该项目通过编码节拍扩展了对 CS 学习的先前研究，方法是：(1) 增强技术分析的深度，(2) 让学生从节拍修改转向节拍创建，以及 (3) 增加可以自然包含在课程中的概念范围。课程。这项跨两所大学、当地学区和社区组织的合作项目将吸引使用 Sonic Pi 进行表演的音乐家，并举办以学生作品为特色的年度竞赛和音乐会，以帮助拓宽年轻人对计算机科学和计算机相关职业的视野。项目团队还将准备 40 名教师和社区指导员，在他们自己的环境中促进类似的项目，确保项目持续结束后的可持续性。该项目由学生和教师创新技术体验 (ITEST) 计划资助，该计划支持加深对实践、计划要素、背景和流程的理解的项目，有助于增加学生对科学、技术、工程和数学的知识和兴趣（STEM）和信息与通信技术（ICT）职业。该项目采用基于设计的实施研究，迭代地完善了 160 名中学生和两种环境的教学方法，以最好地解决 CS 文化与计算机文化和学习体验之间的不匹配问题。学生在计算机领域的代表性不足。该项目将设计和研究一种暑期项目教学方法，强调特定的编码技术（例如 Sonic Pi）、脚手架技术和学习活动如何支持青少年的计算机科学知识、信心、归属感和职业意识。该项目将建立在之前资助的 NSF STEM 教育研究（例如 EarSketch）的基础上，以使用-修改-创建框架为基础，该框架阐明了青少年在计算方面的学习轨迹。混合方法将为研究提供信息。来自观察、焦点小组和计算工件的定性数据将探索该计划在促进预期青年成果方面的前景和有效性。定量数据（例如经过验证的调查前和调查后）将识别新出现的模式，这将有助于加强支架方法的可行性、可持续性和社会有效性。从这项研究中获得的知识和见解将为支持其他地区的未来项目提供证据，并为计算领域代表性不足的学生开发强大的计算机科学学习经验。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进行评估，被认为值得支持以及更广泛的影响审查标准。