Race, Technology, and Transformative Resistance: How Youth of Color Leverage Computer Science to Survive and Resist Oppression in STEM Classrooms

• In Event: Inclusion in Computer Science Education: Documenting, Designing, and Supporting Transformative Learning in Computer Science Classrooms

Abstract

The historic and contemporary exclusion of historically marginalized groups in STEM+CS, including girls, students with dis/abilities, Students of Color, and LGBQTIA+, has been thoroughly documented. In response to these ongoing inequities, the CS for All movement has spread throughout the US, seeking to ensure that all students – regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, ability, home language, etc. – have access to quality CS education that encourages their interest in the field and understanding of ways to apply CS to various careers and social purposes. At the same time, youth on the margins are continuing to develop their own means of challenging inequitable conditions with CS. This presentation takes a closer look at the resistance strategies of youth, particularly those from the margins of society, and how these attempts to “take space and make space” in computer science allow for more equitable and transformative learning experiences for all students interested in CS.
In particular, we examine the identity-specific and historically-anchored acts of student agency deployed by youth who have been historically underrepresented in computer science – young women, Students of Color, low-income students, English Learners and new immigrants – to ensure that their voices, needs and community interests are seen and valued. We describe student agency as youth choosing to take up space with their voices or ideas and, in turn, having “rightful presence” (Calabrese Barton & Tan, 2019b) in a field that does not necessarily reflect their identities or communities, challenging expectations about who can or should excel with CS in schools and society at large. Thus, this paper explores what student agency and transformational resistance looks like while answering the research question “From the perspective of minoritized students historically underrepresented in computing, what makes a critical difference in their sense of agency in introductory CS high school classes?”
Our research-practice partnership used qualitative data (including classroom observations, interviews, student artifacts, and video/photos) and surveys to surface the perspectives and visions of minoritized youth. The research describes what student agency looks like as youth – who have had no prior CS learning experiences – use CS as a tool to resist marginalization and dehumanizing school contexts, while declaring their own “rightful presence” in CS classrooms. Findings demonstrate the importance for CS curricula and pedagogy to center the lives of students in ways that are consequential for minoritized youth. This would support deeper engagement with content learning and student agency with computing.

Authors

• Tiera C. Tanksley, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Jean J. Ryoo, University of California - Los Angeles