A Critical Crossroads for Computer Science for All

Abstract

This chapter builds upon research findings that identified pernicious belief systems and structural inequalities that limit opportunities for students of color and females to have access to computer science learning opportunities (Margolis, Estrella, Goode, Holme, & Nao, 2008). The chapter shows how President Obama's agenda of Computer Science for All presents unusual opportunities for and potential threats to attempts to democratize computer science learning. Two approaches to broadening participation in computing are contrasted: “building” and “identifying” talent. These two approaches are examined within the context of school tracking—one of the most persistent structural forms of inequality in today's schools (Oakes, 2005). The Exploring Computer Science program and three case studies of students within the program are discussed as examples of a “building talent,” detracking educational reform.

#Resilience is not enough for Black women in STEM: Counterstories of two young Black women becoming a STEM person

“…The systemic racism inherent to both STEM and higher education is deeply felt by Black women in college STEM majors (McGee, 2020; Morton & Parson, 2018; Smith et al, 2019). Black women in STEM majors face social isolation, academic difficulties, and financial stresses, leading to feelings of alienation, which continues into graduate school and careers (Farinde & Lewis, 2012; Johnson et al, 2011; Ko et al, 2013; Margolis et al, 2011). McGee argues that the current colorblind ideology in both higher education and STEM promotes unhealthy forms of resilience for Black women (e.g., grit and perseverance that take an emotional and physical toll) and ignores “the social, political, and educational systems that continue to abuse and neglect (Black women's) bodies and minds” (McGee, 2020, p. 635).…”

Is Computational Empowerment Promoted in the Hour of Code? Analyzing Opportunities for Conceptual, Creative, and Critical Engagement in the Design of Introductory Computing Activities

“…For instance, Murphy and Thomas (2008) argued that in computing, while students with growth mindsets perceive bugs as opportunities for learning, those with fixed mindsets become frustrated with failure and see it as a challenge to their intelligence. When encountering bugs and attempting to fix them, novice learners may experience feelings of helplessness, frustration, and anxiety, promoting fixed mindsets (Scott & Ghinea, 2013;Nolan & Bergin, 2016), leading to withdrawal and even abandonment of computing (Margolis et al, 2017). Yet while fixed mindsets are prevalent and common among novice computing learners (Gorson & O'Rourke, 2019), designing learning environments and interventions that promote growth mindsets can positively influence student motivation and engagement (Flanigan et al, 2022).…”

“…The existing, but limited, research on growth mindset in computing education has yielded some promising results that suggest that mindset interventions increase interest, particularly among novices (Burnette et al, 2019). However, most studies have been conducted at an undergraduate level (Flannigan et al, 2022;Kwak et al, 2022;Apiola & Sutinen, 2020;Burnette et al, 2020;Quille & Bergin, 2020;Woods, 2020;Gorson & O'Rourke, 2019;Stout & Blaney, 2017;Nolan & Bergin, 2016;Scott & Ghinea, 2013) or with adults (Rangel et al, 2020), with little attention given to younger middle and high school students (Loksa et al, 2016;Kench et al, 2016;Margolis et al, 2017). At the same time, the majority of these interventions use didactic techniques, such as delivering growth mindset information through videos, teacher lectures, and readings, occasionally followed by reflective writing and "saying is believing" exercises (Simon et al, 2008;Cutts et al, 2010;Rangel et al, 2020).…”

“…In sum, alongside conceptual understanding and debugging practices, students need to engage with growth mindset practices and develop growth mindsets to overcome the motivational and emotional challenges they encounter when facing bugs. While top-down approaches and exposure to models of growth mindset can be helpful, experience-based mindset interventions may be better suited to supporting students to overcome challenges in computing (Burnette et al, 2020;Margolis et al, 2017). In the remainder of this paper, we focus on an intervention that was designed to engage students in creating intentional bugs for their peers to solve and promote their growth mindset practices.…”

“…We report on four cases of student groups participating in our implementation of "Debugging by Design" (DbD), an open-ended design learning activity, in a high school computing classroom over a period of eight 50-minute class periods . This activity was situated in the context of Exploring Computer Science, an introductory year-long high school computing curriculum (Margolis et al, 2017). In DbD, students worked with e-textiles, which involve creating wearables using programmable microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators that can be sewn into fabrics (Buechley et al, 2013).…”