Mentorship in the Age of Computational Participation: Exploring Mentorship in the Virtual Space of Scratch

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Designing STEM Learning Environments

Abstract

As the literacy practices of youth shift toward engagement in virtual worlds it is important to consider the ways in which peer mentorship is provided. In this paper, I present findings from a descriptive case study of early adolescents engaged in an online programming community called Scratch. Specifically, I discuss the ways in which participants engaged in mentorship as they created digital media within the virtual space of Scratch. Findings include 1) varied engagement in mentorship, 2) remixing as a form of mentorship, and 3) mentorship as social practice. The mentorship observed in this study are the types of experiences required for youth to achieve full participation and negotiation of a technologically saturated society.

Author

• Julia Hagge, The Ohio State University - Marion