An unplugged remix of culturally responsive computing for early childhood education
Abstract Despite a growing movement towards expanding computer science education in PreK‐12, gaps in computing opportunities along lines of race, ethnicity, class, and gender have widened. Emergent theories and practices related to culturally responsive computing show promise in addressing this gap;...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Future in Educational Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/fer3.41 |
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| _version_ | 1832086442110615552 |
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| author | Frances K. Harper James A. Larsen Margaret Quinn Lori Caudle Bethany Parker Amir Sadovnik The CRRAFT Partnership |
| author_facet | Frances K. Harper James A. Larsen Margaret Quinn Lori Caudle Bethany Parker Amir Sadovnik The CRRAFT Partnership |
| author_sort | Frances K. Harper |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Despite a growing movement towards expanding computer science education in PreK‐12, gaps in computing opportunities along lines of race, ethnicity, class, and gender have widened. Emergent theories and practices related to culturally responsive computing show promise in addressing this gap; however, little is known about engaging Black, Latinx, and Indigenous preschoolers in computer science. In this paper, we utilized qualitative content analyses to explore how an early childhood computer science curriculum created opportunities for young Black and Latinx preschoolers to develop computational thinking skills while engaging in culturally responsive computing. Overwhelmingly, we found the curriculum, co‐developed with educators and caregivers, emphasized unplugged tools and coding activities to support computational thinking. These unplugged opportunities positioned children as innovators with technology and technosocial change agents, in developmentally‐appropriate, play‐based ways. Findings demonstrate a need to emphasize the value of unplugged tools and coding activities in order to support computational thinking and align the goals of culturally responsive computing with the unique needs of young children. We discuss implications for a theory of culturally responsive computing specifically for early childhood education. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-770f7ed5bd824c84ad9f4119a6f0fde6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2835-9402 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Future in Educational Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-770f7ed5bd824c84ad9f4119a6f0fde62025-02-06T15:35:25ZengWileyFuture in Educational Research2835-94022024-12-012447849710.1002/fer3.41An unplugged remix of culturally responsive computing for early childhood educationFrances K. Harper0James A. Larsen1Margaret Quinn2Lori Caudle3Bethany Parker4Amir Sadovnik5The CRRAFT PartnershipUniversity of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee USAAppalachian State University Boone North Carolina USATexas A & M University College Station Texas USAUniversity of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee USAUniversity of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee USAOak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge Tennessee USAAbstract Despite a growing movement towards expanding computer science education in PreK‐12, gaps in computing opportunities along lines of race, ethnicity, class, and gender have widened. Emergent theories and practices related to culturally responsive computing show promise in addressing this gap; however, little is known about engaging Black, Latinx, and Indigenous preschoolers in computer science. In this paper, we utilized qualitative content analyses to explore how an early childhood computer science curriculum created opportunities for young Black and Latinx preschoolers to develop computational thinking skills while engaging in culturally responsive computing. Overwhelmingly, we found the curriculum, co‐developed with educators and caregivers, emphasized unplugged tools and coding activities to support computational thinking. These unplugged opportunities positioned children as innovators with technology and technosocial change agents, in developmentally‐appropriate, play‐based ways. Findings demonstrate a need to emphasize the value of unplugged tools and coding activities in order to support computational thinking and align the goals of culturally responsive computing with the unique needs of young children. We discuss implications for a theory of culturally responsive computing specifically for early childhood education.https://doi.org/10.1002/fer3.41computational thinkingcontent analysisculturally responsive computingearly childhood educationpreschool |
| spellingShingle | Frances K. Harper James A. Larsen Margaret Quinn Lori Caudle Bethany Parker Amir Sadovnik The CRRAFT Partnership An unplugged remix of culturally responsive computing for early childhood education Future in Educational Research computational thinking content analysis culturally responsive computing early childhood education preschool |
| title | An unplugged remix of culturally responsive computing for early childhood education |
| title_full | An unplugged remix of culturally responsive computing for early childhood education |
| title_fullStr | An unplugged remix of culturally responsive computing for early childhood education |
| title_full_unstemmed | An unplugged remix of culturally responsive computing for early childhood education |
| title_short | An unplugged remix of culturally responsive computing for early childhood education |
| title_sort | unplugged remix of culturally responsive computing for early childhood education |
| topic | computational thinking content analysis culturally responsive computing early childhood education preschool |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/fer3.41 |
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