Data Art in Place: Youth-Designed Community Inquiry as a Model for Community-Engaged Learning

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Experiential Education and Community Engagement: Scholarship and Practice SIG Roundtable 3

Abstract

This study examines a participatory visualization activity conducted during a one-week summer Data Art Camp in rural Appalachia. Middle school-aged youth used yarn and community prompts to map their relationships to people, places, and shared values. Drawing on the textual-visual thematic analysis (Trombeta & Cox, 2022), the study explores how youth express belonging, identity, and civic aspirations through multimodal forms. Findings highlight how arts-based, flexible methods can support youth agency, surface local knowledge, and foster inclusive, community-engaged learning environments. This work contributes to scholarship in rural education, participatory design, and informal STEM learning by demonstrating how tangible, collaborative tools position youth as civic narrators and co-constructors of place.

Authors

• Chulin Chen, University of Tennessee

• Amy Maples, University of Tennessee

• Lynn L. Hodge, University of Tennessee