Near-peer Mentors’ Experiences Facilitating Co-design Activities with Black and Brown Boys using Emerging Technologies

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Wednesday 1:45pm
  In Poster Session: Learning Sciences Poster Session 2

Abstract

Emerging technologies increasingly shape daily life, highlighting the need to develop children’s tech literacy. This is especially true for BIPOC youth, whose access to hands-on tech learning opportunities can be limited. The incorporation of near-peer mentorship and co-design in informal STEM programs can help bridge this gap through equitable intergenerational collaboration and reciprocal learning. This autoethnographic study examines how Black and brown high school and college near-peer mentors navigated their roles in an XR co-design program for middle school boys. Our findings reveal tensions between mentors’ expectations and direct experiences, challenges balancing structure with open-endedness, and opportunities for relationship-building and social learning through collaborative tech prototyping. We conclude with recommendations for mentor preparation in equity-focused, informal STEM programs.

Authors

• Elana B Blinder, University of Maryland

• Akhil Gurram, University of Pennsylvania

• Brian Gardner, University of Maryland

• Clayton Felder, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Isaiah Harris, Prince George's Community College

• Tamara L. Clegg, University of Maryland

• Elizabeth Bonsignore, University of Maryland