The Development of Parent Support Roles in a Family Technology Program

• In Event: Expanding Participation in Science and Technology Learning Through Novel Designs for Family Science Nights

Abstract

1. Objectives
Research strongly emphasizes the influence of parents’ support in children’s learning experiences and pathways with technology (Simpkins, Davis-Kean, & Eccles, 2005). However, parents without backgrounds and insights into the changing landscape of technology struggle to negotiate what roles they can play to support their children (DiSalvo, Ried, & Roshan, 2014; Roque, 2013). In this session, we share how parents took on to support their children in a family learning program called Family Creative Learning (FCL), particularly what processes supported the development of these roles.

2. Perspective
Barron and colleagues (2009) identified roles that parents can play to support their children in creative computing, such as collaborator, teacher, and learner. However, what supports are available for parents who have diverse motivations and backgrounds to develop positive and constructive roles? Parents also need and want learning opportunities to understand the kinds of roles they can play. While there have been a number of successful programs for families from under-represented groups in informal STEM learning activities (Weisbaum, 1990; Heil et al., 2012; Rivas & Olmsted, 2013), these initiatives have generally focused on basic computer literacy and miss opportunities to support creative and expressive uses of computing.

3. Methods
We took an ethnographic approach to understand individual perspectives as well as to examine the social and cultural practices emerge within the learning environment.

4. Data sources
We collected data over the course of two program implementations of FCL in 2013, which included 11 families. Children ranged in age from 7 to 12 years old. We collected observations as well as photos, videos, and project artifacts during the workshops. After the workshops, we conducted 30-90 minute interviews with individual family members about their experience.

5. Results
We describe case studies of parents developing multiple roles to support their children (Roque, Lin, & Luizzi, 2016). These roles emerged based on the needs and interests of their children. Additionally, parents built on top existing practices they used during other activities such as homework help or arts and crafts. Different aspects of the workshop (tools, activities, facilitation, and space) supported parents’ role development. For example, facilitators modeled supportive practices during the project making process as well as highlighting parents’ actions during separate parent meetings.

6. Significance
Computing outreach programs often serve children, without integrating other people in the larger learning ecology (Barron, 2004). Children are left to explain and advocate for their interests to their parents (DiSalvo et al., 2013). Through a shared experience of creating their own projects with technology, families could apply practices that they used in other activities, such as homework help, and adapt it to the context of computing. Families can build connections to this important context in their lives while building relationships within their families and connecting to other families in their community. By engaging in design-based computing activities at their own community center, parents come to understand the wider learning ecology around their children’s developing interests and see the kinds of people, activities, and interactions that can support their children.

Author

• Ricarose Roque, University of Colorado Boulder