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Moments where children encounter problems in their chosen activities represent potentially generative sites for learning, particularly when supportive adults are present to scaffold the learning process. Scholars of autonomy support study these dyadic problem-solving processes in defined tasks, and describe specific types of parental support that have implications for children’s future competence as independent learners. In two exploratory case studies, we expand on the study of autonomy support by examining dyadic problem solving in naturalistic, outdoor family play. We apply a situated method of interaction analysis to perform a detailed, micro-longitudinal decomposition of two extended problem-solving arcs, identifying the specific contributions of parents and children. In doing so, we apply additional lenses of problem-solving, debugging, play-based learning, and intergenerational learning to develop a more comprehensive understanding of endogenous, dyadic problem solving. Our findings suggest the presence of inherent tradeoffs between various potential goals and time horizons for children’s learning and raise actionable considerations for both future research and practice in collaborative learning spaces.

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Although volunteer community engagement has been recognized as promoting positive academic outcomes among college students, such experiences can be impractical for underrepresented students who often need to work. Community-engaged employment offers paid opportunities for students to earn money while participating in meaningful community initiatives. In this study, we explored the impact of community-engaged employment on the academic outcomes of underrepresented students. We created a comparison group using propensity score matching, which reduced selection bias and group differences on background characteristics, thus strengthening causal arguments. Results showed that underrepresented students who were employed in a community-engaged work program had significantly higher second-year retention rates, graduation rates, grade point averages, and number of credits completed compared to similar students not employed in the program. These findings indicate that community-engaged employment can provide positive academic outcomes similar to volunteer community engagement experiences, while also addressing financial barriers that many underrepresented students encounter. ____ A pesar de que se reconoce que la participación comunitaria voluntaria promueve resultados académicos positivos entre los estudiantes universitarios, estas experiencias pueden resultar no muy prácticas para los estudiantes infrarrepresentados, quienes a menudo necesitan trabajar. Los empleos comprometidos con la comunidad ofrecen oportunidades pagadas para que los estudiantes ganen dinero al mismo tiempo que participan en iniciativas comunitarias significativas. En este estudio, exploramos el impacto que tienen los empleos comprometidos con la comunidad en los resultados académicos de estudiantes infrarrepresentados. Para ello, creamos un grupo de comparación utilizando el pareamiento por puntaje de propensión (‘propensity score matching’ o ‘PSM’ en inglés), lo que redujo el sesgo de selección y las diferencias de grupo basadas en el entorno social, fortaleciendo así los argumentos causales. Al comparar los resultados académicos de estudiantes infrarrepresentados empleados en programas de participación comunitaria con estudiantes similares no empleados en dichos programas, observamos que tanto la tasa de retención en el segundo año de estudios, como la tasa de graduación, los promedios de calificaciones y el número de créditos completados fueron significativamente más altos en los primeros. Estos hallazgos indican que el empleo comprometido con la comunidad puede proporcionar resultados académicos positivos similares a las experiencias de participación comunitaria voluntaria, al tiempo que ofrece una solución a las barreras financieras que enfrentan muchos estudiantes infrarrepresentados.