Representations of Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Middle School Students’ Game Design Practices

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 4:20 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Who Matters? Examining Silencing, Inclusion, and Exclusion (Table 29)

Abstract

Race, gender, and sexuality have historically been deeply embedded into dynamics of social interaction across schooling contexts in the U.S. This analysis reports on middle school students’ representations of racialized, gendered, and sexual identities within the context of a science education classroom. We draw on data from a broader project focused on students’ scientific sensemaking in a game design workshop exploring an NGSS Human Activity standard where this study highlights the illustrative case of one small group of students and the relationship of their material designs and discourses with intersectional social identities as a) subversive positioning, b) identity play; and c) political resistance. We discuss the implications of this case analysis for engaging youth within politically contentious contexts.

Authors

• Kaylee Allison Laub, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Earl Aguilera, California State University - East Bay