Igniting Youth as Catalysts for Broadening Participation in Computer Science

• In Event: By Us, for Us, and With Us: Minoritized Youth Leveraging Participatory Action Research to Reimagine Educational and Racial Justice

Abstract

CS LISTEN is an National Science Foundation (NSF) project (#1923406) that focuses on partnering with high school youth from BIPOC and low-income serving communities to research and improve the enrollment of minoritized youth in computer science pathway courses, and specifically Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (AP CSP). Even though the number and availability of CS courses have been increasing steadily in high schools, as of 2019, participation in CS courses remains disproportionately lower among females, low-income students, English Language Learners, foster youth, and Students of Color (Code.org et al. 2020; Scott et al. 2019). Yet these courses and pathways often result in lucrative, in-demand, future-facing jobs for the youth of today. Nine high school YPAR teams were led by 112 students and supported by 12 teachers at their school sites along with the UC San Diego CS LISTEN researchers. These Student Co-Research (SCR) teams closely examined the ways in which access to CS was hidden or denied their fellow students, with some groups paying particular attention to specific subgroups (e.g., Latinx female students or freshman cohorts of color). The SCRs worked for a full year (partially disrupted by the pandemic) to refine their research questions, design methodologies, gather data, analyze that data, and prepare presentations of their findings. They then participated in the CS LISTEN UP conference to share their findings (virtually) to 240 administrators, teachers, parents, students, and university and community advocates. The response was tremendous. The four school districts showed improved commitment at the district and school level as administrators were inspired by these SCR YPAR teams who were deeply engaged in authentic work to better their own community (at a time when most students were struggling to stay engaged in school at all). Following the SCR research cycles, all schools formed (adult & student) “action cycle” teams to bring their research recommendations to life within their schools and districts. Funds were provided from the grant to support the students’/adults’ visions of change at their sites.

This paper will highlight the ways in which the students of CS LISTEN worked as leaders of the project. It will showcase scaffolds that provided students and teachers with a gradual release of responsibility during the research cycle as they explored specific barriers to CS within their classrooms and schools. But, it will also highlight how the YPAR process within CS LISTEN was able to move quickly from research to action → as students actively led new initiatives/ campaigns/ workshops/ presentations/ mini-camps to improve representation in CS classes. Most importantly, the paper will showcase project outcomes. Of the nine CS LISTEN high schools engaged in this YPAR work, all substantially increased their CS enrollment of students in the following year, including increases of underrepresented student populations.

Authors

• Susan S. Yonezawa, University of California - San Diego

• Minhtuyen Mai, University of California - San Diego