Exploring Youth Learning and Identity at the Intersections of Community, Data Science, and Social Justice

• In Event: Justice Outside the Classroom: Civic Participation, Protests, and Teaching

Abstract

This paper explores the identity work and socio-scientific sense-making of high school juniors engaged in a year-long participatory design-based research project aimed at supporting data science literacies connected to local and global issues of environmental and social justice. We focus on the identity work of one focal case – Evan – who entered the program with the most uncertainty about STEM and comes to see himself as more interested in STEM as a result of his participation because of its connection to community. Yet, Evan questions his agency as a social actor in bringing about desired local changes. We discuss these findings and implications for further research and designed environments that support connected learning experiences associated with data science and community-based science.

Author

• Carrie D. Allen, University of North Texas