Learning From the Periphery in a Collaborative Robotics Workshop for Girls

• In Event: Characterizing How Students Learn Through Collaborative Activity

Abstract

This study investigates how students who are peripherally positioned in collaborative group work meaningfully engage with the activity in order to learn. Our research took place in the context of a one-day, all-girl robotics workshop. A total of 17 girls participated in the workshop. Here we focus on two students from different groups who were positioned peripherally. We analyze discourse patterns to characterize the engagement of these two students. One of the focal students exhibited meaningful engagement, while the other exhibited marginal engagement. This contrast allows us to begin to build a picture of the factors that support learning from the periphery. Preliminary results indicate that agency exhibited in group discussions is a key aspect of meaningful engagement.

Authors

• Florence R. Sullivan, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• P. Kevin Keith, Landmark College

• Nicholas C. Wilson, Stanford University