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Using Culturally Responsive Practices to Broaden Participation in the Educational Pipeline: Addressing the Unfinished Business of Brown in the Field of Computing Sciences

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Abstract

The effective integration of African American students into previously segregated careers was one of the main goals of the Brown decision and, in turn, the outcomes of such efforts have been the subject of much scholarly interest). This qualitative study, drawing on critical race theorist Derrick Bell’s critique of Brown, makes the case for applying culturally relevant pedagogy theory (CRPT) to positively impact student achievement and career choice, particularly as it relates to the STEM field of computing sciences. Cultural barriers such as early exposure to technology, students’ perceptions of their own potential in the field, and the lack of culturally relevant social support, often deter African American students from pursuing careers in STEM fields, particularly computing sciences. Although there is a dearth in the literature regarding how to expand the pipeline to computing sciences using culturally specific practices, this study produced results that suggest culturally responsive practices as an effective method for broadening participation in computing. Using CRPT, this qualitative study identifies culturally relevant practices that positively affect the persistence of African Americans in the STEM field of computing science.
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... Besides content and PCK, CS teachers should be prepared to engage economically, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students (Montoya, 2017). Teachers need to understand the importance of culturally relevant interactions to the persistence and success of students traditionally underrepresented in CS (Charleston et al., 2017). These cultural interactions may be reflected in CS course curriculum as well as in culturally sensitive teaching and assessment strategies that focus on what diverse groups of students know and can do (Ladson-Billings, 1995). ...
... In addition, cultural interactions presented through peer and community modeling, familial cultivation, and multifaceted mentoring can be strategically encouraged by teachers. These need be a part of CS teacher preparation, as these interactions have been shown to broaden the participation of African Americans and others in the CS educational pipeline (Charleston et al., 2017). Budge (2006) pointed out the importance of teacher leaders' understanding the culture in rural schools in order to be successful. ...
... The literature review informed the processes of this study, as seen by the importance of strategic and comprehensive recruitment of experienced teachers (Garcia & Weiss, 2019;Luft et al., 2011;Qian et al., 2018). Preparing teachers involves PCK, knowledge of common misconceptions, culturally responsive interactions, and CS content (Charleston et al., 2017;Qian et al., 2018;Yadav et al., 2016;Yadav & Korb, 2012). Supporting teachers as they move into leadership is central to the idea of creating master teachers, requiring school system support and guidance on the unique demands of STEM teacher leaders (Criswell et al., 2018;Whitworth & Chiu, 2015). ...
... The culture of CS privileges Whiteness, the systemic reproduction of which is obscured by colourevasive and meritocratic ideologies and their attendant discourses [7,9,17,[20][21][22][23][24]. Though this culture is problematic for racialized students from a variety of backgrounds, it creates an especially hostile environment for Black students in general, and Black women in particular, whose ongoing experience of systemic, anti-Black racism compromises their ability to persist and thrive in CS programs and professions [5,[24][25][26]. ...
... In CS programs and professions-as in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields more generally-the underrepresentation of marginalized people is often framed in terms of a metaphorical leaky pipeline (e.g., [4,6,7,11,20,31]). According to this metaphor, racialized and gendered students are more likely than their White, cis-male counterparts to leak out of the STEM pipeline. ...
... In phase three, which consisted of six rounds, we (16) imported the digital libraries of Yolanda Rankin and Jakita Thomas. These digital libraries are online electronic libraries that can be accessed online on Google by typing DBLP followed by the name of the expert; (17) manually screened the results for duplicate records (e.g., studies considered during phase one or two) and ineligible studies (e.g., studies that are not peer reviewed); (18) applied the inclusion-exclusion criteria to the remaining records to select relevant study; (19) emailed four experts to request potential additional studies we may have missed; (20) manually screened the additional suggested studies; and (21) applied the inclusion-exclusion criteria to the remaining records to select relevant studies. One member of the research team (i.e., a postdoctoral fellow) was responsible for importing records from Rankin s and Thomas s digital libraries, screening the results, applying the inclusion-exclusion criteria, and documenting their decisions along the way. ...
Article
Background : People who are racialized, gendered, or otherwise minoritized are underrepresented in computing professions in North America. This is reflected in undergraduate computer science (CS) programs, in which students from marginalized backgrounds continue to experience inequities that do not typically affect White cis-men. This is especially true for Black students in general, and Black women in particular, whose experience of systemic, anti-Black racism compromises their ability to persist and thrive in CS education contexts. Objectives : This systematic mapping study endeavours to (1) determine the quantity of existing non-deficit-based studies concerned with the persistence of Black students in undergraduate CS; (2) summarize the findings and recommendations in those studies; and (3) identify areas in which additional studies may be required. We aim to accomplish these objectives by way of two research questions: (RQ1) What factors are associated with Black students’ persistence in undergraduate CS programs?; and (RQ2) What recommendations have been made to further bolster Black students’ persistence in undergraduate CS education programs? Methods : This systematic mapping study was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 and SEGRESS guidelines. Studies were identified by conducting keyword searches in seven databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were designed to capture studies illuminating persistence factors for Black students in undergraduate CS programs. To ensure the completeness of our search results, we engaged in snowballing and an expert-based search to identify additional studies of interest. Finally, data were collected from each study to address the research questions outlined above. Results : Using the methods outlined above, we identified 16 empirical studies, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies informed by a range of theoretical frameworks. Based on data collected from the primary studies in our sample, we identified 13 persistence factors across four categories: (I) social capital, networking, & support; (II) career & professional development; (III) pedagogical & programmatic interventions; and (IV) exposure & access. This data-collection process also yielded 26 recommendations across six stakeholder groups: (i) researchers; (ii) colleges and universities; (iii) the computing industry; (iv) K-12 systems and schools; (v) governments; and (vi) parents. Conclusion : This systematic mapping study resulted in the identification of numerous persistence factors for Black students in CS. Crucially, however, these persistence factors allow Black students to persist, but not thrive, in CS. Accordingly, we contend that more needs to be done to address the systemic inequities faced by Black people in general, and Black women in particular, in computing programs and professions. As evidenced by the relatively small number of primary studies captured by this systematic mapping study, there exists an urgent need for additional, asset-based empirical studies involving Black students in CS. In addition to foregrounding the intersectional experiences of Black women in CS, future studies should attend to the currently understudied experiences of Black men.
... Like the STARS program (from which we draw our data), iAAMCS promotes a number of interventions to improve the experience of Black undergraduate students in computing, including faculty and staff training, support to attend the Tapia Conference, technical webinars, robotics competitions, undergraduate research opportunities, and writing supports [29]. The iAAMCS program has contributed significantly to the literature on the experiences of Black women in computing, particularly through their 2014 qualitative analysis of focus group interviews of 15 Black women who have been successfully engaged in computing programs [14]. This article employed Black Feminist Thought and Critical Race Feminism as a theoretical foundation, arguing that the intersectional experiences of Black women provide a unique viewpoint that are not the result of adding race to gender or vice versa. ...
... It is likely that what attracts students to the field of computing is different than what retains them in the field, and so different interventions may be necessary to attract Black women to the field of computing. This is supported by research findings that show that Black women who pursue careers in computing have attested to the influence of exposure and encouragement to learn computing from childhood [14]. This includes at-home opportunities to use and tinker with electronics and encouragement from family and friends to get into computing classes and activities [13,78,102]. ...
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Black women remain severely underrepresented in computing despite ongoing efforts to diversify the field. Given that Black women exist at the intersection of both racial and gendered identities, tailored approaches are necessary to address the unique barriers Black women face in computing. However, it is difficult to quantitatively evaluate the efficacy of interventions designed to retain Black women in computing, since samples of computing students typically contain too few Black women for robust statistical analysis. Using about a decade of student survey responses from an NSF-funded Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) alliance, we use regression analyses to quantitatively examine the connection between different types of interventions and Black women’s intentions to persist in computing, and how this compares to other students (specifically, Black men, white women, and white men). This comparison allows us to quantitatively explore how Black women’s needs are both distinct from—and similar to—other students. We find that career awareness and faculty mentorship are the two interventions that have a statistically significant, positive correlation with Black women’s computing persistence intentions. No evidence was found that increasing confidence or developing skills/knowledge was correlated with Black women’s computing persistence intentions, which we posit is because Black women must be highly committed and confident to pursue computing in college. Lastly, our results suggest that many efforts to increase the number of women in computing are focused on meeting the needs of white women. While further analyses are needed to fully understand the impact of complex intersectional identities in computing, this large-scale quantitative analysis contributes to our understanding of the nuances of Black women’s needs in computing.
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