EAGER: Developing a culturally responsive framework for promoting computing among adolescent girls in STEM programs

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

Developing a Culturally Responsive Framework for Promoting Computing Among Adolescent Girls in STEM Programs, is a critical addition to a larger body of work focused on equity in STEM education. The Administration's national computing initiative, CS for All, charges the NSF along with other federal agencies to develop effective and equitable pathways to CS education for all students. The proposed work addressed that larger need with a particular focus on girls of color. Gender equity in the U.S. STEM enterprise is a national priority. The proposed work is a critical addition to a potential solution to that national challenge. Culturally responsive pedagogy is an educational methodology increasingly used in K-12 STEM education in both formal and informal learning environments. One of the primary challenges of this approach is the development of an effective framework to help educators determine what appropriate cultural factors are, that ought to be infused in the education experiences of students. With the increase in evaluative metrics focused on students' self-efficacy, the proposed work attempts to establish a method for determining self-determined cultural indicators. It has the potential to be transformative in the growing space of educational innovation in computing. It also yields a significant contribution to educational research at the intersection of computing and intersectionality.