Agentic Framework for Informal Digital Spaces within STEM

• In Event: Gender (in)equality and norms in digital spaces

Proposal

Introduction
The digitalization of society has fostered the emergence of informal counterspaces where power redistribution and racial representation occur. In the context of sustainable development and education, understanding how these digital counterspaces operate is vital, as they reimagine access, agency, learning, and empowerment for marginalized communities. These spaces serve diverse purposes, including engagement in STEM activities (Ellisson & Qui, 2023; Cameron, 2023; King & Pringle, 2019), fostering Black girl literacies (Muhammad & Haddix, 2016), promoting digital Black feminism (Steele, 2021), preserving cultural heritage (Steele, 2016), and creating interest-driven learning environments (Azevedo, 2013). Despite their informal nature, these spaces maintain an organizational structure that underpins their liberative attributes and ensures sustainability.
In this proposal, we analyze global empirical studies of digital counterspaces (Solórzano et al., 2000) that support Black girls and women in STEM. Our goal is to propose an Agentic Framework for Informal Digital Spaces within STEM, identifying essential structuring elements that guide the design of these platforms. Our analysis is driven by the following research question: How do digital counterspaces support Black girls and women through their intended purpose, philosophy of space, and operational strategy to facilitate liberative engagement in STEM?

Theoretical Basis
We employ two theoretical frameworks: the Black Girls Literacies Framework (Muhammad & Haddix, 2016) and Digital Black Feminism (Steele, 2021) to explore how digital spaces support Black girls in achieving competence and knowledge.
The Black Girls Literacies Framework (BGLF) identifies essential components for fostering multiple literacies, emphasizing that Black girl literacies are multifaceted, connected to identities, historical, collaborative, intellectual, political, and critical (Muhammad & Haddix, 2016).
Digital Black Feminism (DBF) (Steele, 2021) positions Black girls and women as inherently equipped with the tools to thrive in digital spaces, highlighting how these tools are used in their pursuit of liberation. As Price-Dennis (2016) notes, “Black girls' literacies that occur in digital spaces have the potential to be transformative and helpful in constructing a model for being fully human in the world and working to make conditions for others more humane” (p. 341).

Method of Inquiry
This paper is a meta-synthesis (Walsh & Downe, 2005) of empirical research on digital informal STEM learning for Black girls and women. It integrates studies on their digital practices (Garcia, Fernández & Okonkwo, 2020; Steele, 2021; Lewis Ellisson & Qui, 2023), literacies (Muhammad & Haddix, 2016), and informal learning communities (King & Pringle, 2019; Cameron, 2023; Reynolds, 2021; Innis-Thompson et al., 2024) to identify key elements through thematic analysis for creating equitable learning environments. Research on informal STEM learning environments emphasizes the importance of guiding tools and frameworks that encourage self-reflection and navigate the complexities of digital spaces (Archer et al., 2022).

Findings and Contribution
The Agentic Framework for Informal Digital Spaces within STEM is built on three key pillars: Desired Purpose, Philosophy of Space, and Operational Strategy. Each pillar is explicated through the analysis of relevant literature and our conceptual insights.
The Desired Purpose of digital counterspaces is to establish spatial relevance for Black girls and women. This is collectively achieved by fostering sustained agency (Ellisson & Qui, 2023), promoting interdisciplinarity, providing safe community spaces (Reynolds, 2021), and embracing counternarratives (King & Pringle, 2019). The development of these counternarratives relies on critical thinking (Garcia, Fernández & Okonkwo, 2020), experiential learning, inclusivity through gender identity and racial representation, and historical awareness (Muhammad, 2023).
The Philosophy of Space is divided into two components: Driving Philosophy and Enabling Philosophy. Driving Philosophy involves acknowledging the challenges faced by Black girls and women, with a focus on context and experience. Enabling Philosophy is both remedial and aspirational, emphasizing collaborative learning through epistemological expansion (the inclusion of alternative knowledge sources and practices) and ontological validation (the acceptance of diverse perspectives).
Finally, Operational Strategy addresses the logistical arrangements of these spaces, which center on collaboration within and between different communities that share a common purpose. This collaboration leads to the alignment of resources, the division of work, the design of enabling activities, and the selection of the appropriate digital platform (such as a website, blog, or social media platform).


Relevance
This paper aligns with the conference theme, "Envisioning Education in a Digital Society," in two ways:
First, it explores the intersection of informal digital spaces (King & Pringle, 2019; Joseph, 2022) and STEM education (Collins et al., 2020; Joseph et al., 2023; Quintana, 2024), broadening our understanding through ontological validation and epistemological expansion. This intersection is crucial for designing spaces that support diverse approaches to knowledge essential for sustainable development.
Second, the proposed framework guides the creation, development and understanding of inclusive digital communities that address educational challenges through collaboration. By focusing on informal spaces, it highlights their role in helping marginalized communities reclaim identity and representation while leveraging digital access.

Implications
Our framework is built around three key types of stakeholders, each playing a critical role in supporting Black girls and women in STEM. Curriculum developers are encouraged to value indigenous STEM knowledge equally with mainstream STEM, enriching the curriculum by integrating diverse perspectives. Educators are urged to adopt culturally relevant (Ladson-Billings, 1995; 2014) and culturally sustaining pedagogy (Alim & Paris, 2017) to ensure that diverse cultural contexts are represented and respected in STEM education. Policymakers are proposed to play a crucial role in shaping education policies that support the learning and practice of shared ideas within informal, indigenous, digital spaces.

Conclusion
This study leverages the successes of agentic Black girls and women as learners, knowledge contributors and creators of informal digital spaces to highlight essential structural elements for imagining and developing such environments. While conceived specifically for Black girls and women, the framework has utility for other demographics as well. The spatial boundaries of these informal digital spaces are expansive and collaborative to encompass broad, geographical connections of Black girls and women across the diaspora (Robinson & Williams, 2021). Informal digital spaces need to be recognized, guarded, sustained and promoted in order to ensure the continued availability of equitable learning and knowledge production in STEM.

Authors

• Grace L Tukurah, Michigan State University

• Muhammad Zulqurnain Ul Haq Qazi, College of Education & Human Ecology

• Hawanya Smith, UC Davis