Exploring Black and Latine Parents’ Perceptions of Computational Thinking and its Role in Children’s TV

• In Event: Children’s Media and Technology: What Context and Content Reveal about children’s development and learning.

Abstract

Employment for computer occupations are expected to grow at least 12% between 2014 to 2024 (Fayer et al., 2017), yet American children’s interest in STEM learning remains low (Stoet & Geary, 2018). One area of concern is the underrepresentation of individuals from minoritized racial backgrounds in STEM careers. Black/African Americans make up 11% of the total workforce, yet they account for only 5% of professional scientists and engineers (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021). These disparities start early. Research shows racial gaps in children’s science abilities and achievement starting in preschool and kindergarten (Greenfield et al., 2009), and these gaps persist with age (Morgan et al., 2016).

The rise in children’s media use and the prioritization of STEM learning has led to the development of new STEM-related apps, TV shows, and other media for young children. One topic in this area gaining popularity is computational thinking (CT). Researchers refer to CT as an approach to problem solving based in computer science (Barr et al., 2011) that involves concepts such as sequencing and debugging (Grover & Pea, 2013). Research suggests that learning CT at a young age can be beneficial to children’s analytical skills and provides them with new approaches to problem solving (Bers, 2018, 2020; Botički et al., 2018).

Studies have shown that media can support young children’s STEM learning (Aladé et al., 2016; Moorthy, S. et al., 2014) which works best when parents co-view media together with their children and are able to actively scaffold the learning material (Morgenlander, 2010; Neuman et al., 2019). For CT-related educational media to have a positive impact, it is likely necessary that their parents have some familiarity with CT learning goals, which may be challenging for parents from racially minoritized backgrounds who have been systematically excluded from CT-related jobs and industries. In this study, we interviewed Black and Latine parents about their perceptions, understanding, and recognition of computational thinking in a new educational television show for preschoolers.

Guiding Research Questions:
What do parents know about CT?
Do parents feel CT is an appropriate and important subject to be taught via educational television?
To what extent do parents recognize that the television show teaches CT and/or STEM-related concepts?

Method: This ethnographic case study focuses on 10 Black and Latine parents interviewed about their reactions to an educational television show that features a computational thinking curriculum. Interviews were conducted in person and completed in a University research space or community center in western and central Michigan. We utilized a semi-structured interview protocol to guide the discussion.

Preliminary Findings: The majority of parents were unfamiliar with the term CT. When asked what they thought it meant, several parents brought up problem solving. Once given a definition of CT, many parents liked the idea of this subject and thought it was important for their child to know. After learning that the television show had a computational thinking focus, most parents stated that they would be more likely to encourage their child to watch this show.

Authors

• Breniel Lemley, Northwestern University
  Presenting Author

• Fashina Alade, Michigan State University

• T.J. Mesyn, Michigan State University

• Anissa Eddie, Michigan State University