“I am a Technology Creator”: Black Girls as Technosocial Change Agents in a Culturally-Responsive Robotics Camp

Research Background and Issues

• Identified Problems or Challenges:
  Despite the significant contributions of Black women to the field of computing over time, they often face structural barriers related to gender and race in education and career development. Some mainstream computing education programs view Black girls as "workers" executing others' tasks rather than as creators of technology. Additionally, the focus on technical skills in computing education often neglects cultural and social contexts, thereby limiting these girls' developmental potential. This research aims to challenge such narratives and redefine the role of Black girls as "Technosocial Change Agents" (TSCA).

• Significance:
  Investigating these limitations is crucial to understanding Black girls' experiences in learning technology and their opportunities for creativity. Supporting these students in constructing their identities as creators in the field of technology can help improve equity in computing, inspire innovation, and promote community development.

• Research Motivation and Related Work:
  This study draws inspiration from previous culturally responsive computing (CRC) initiatives, such as "COMPUGIRLS," which emphasize addressing the digital divide through computing education. These programs use an intersectional perspective and integrate technological innovation to build communities. However, few prior efforts have explored how the TSCA framework influences Black girls' engagement with computer science and their self-identity. This study aims to fill that research gap.

Solution

• Method or Solution:
  The authors designed a 20-hour culturally responsive robotics and computing summer camp, providing Black girls with a rich, informal learning environment. The camp encouraged participants to explore their identities, critique technological phenomena, and innovate through creating robots. It also analyzed how the participants embodied the four dimensions of the TSCA framework: challenging traditional narratives, constructing more open identities, building more inclusive social relationships, and creating new technologies.

• Innovative Aspects:
  This is one of the few robotics education projects centered on the TSCA framework. The study not only examines how Black girls develop their capacities as technosocial change agents but also reveals the interplay between technological innovation and identity construction. By incorporating open-ended tasks and self-paced learning, the project offered a learning experience distinct from traditional educational systems, fostering participants' growth and self-expression.

• Implementation Steps and Key Techniques:

  1. Curriculum Design: Included self-identity exploration (via games and discussions), robot creation (using the Hummingbird robotics kit for children), and dialogue creation (designing stories and scenarios for interaction with their robots).
  2. Learning Environment: Featured flexible seating arrangements and emphasized collaboration and playful elements.
  3. Robot Creation: Participants used electronic components and artistic materials to build robots that reflected their culture and identity, culminating in a "robot showcase" where they presented their creations.
  4. Research Methods: Combined observations, interviews, participant-created artifacts, and immersive analysis. Thematic analysis was employed to identify data related to the four TSCA dimensions.

Research Findings

• Specific Outcomes:

  1. Changes in Identity: Influenced by the summer camp, the girls' definitions of themselves as technological creators shifted from initially unattainable high standards to concepts more aligned with their own lives and communities. By the third day, they began to see their teachers, peers, and themselves as technological creators. By the end of the program, six participants identified themselves as creators of technology.
  2. Impact of Sharing and Collaboration: Beyond independent creation, the girls gradually became more open to receiving help and began to actively support others, reinforcing their own technological identities.
  3. Technological Expression and Innovation: Participants incorporated elements related to race and culture into the design of their robots. For instance, some robots featured hairstyles associated with Black culture.

• Advantages Compared to Existing Solutions:
  This study not only imparted technical skills but also focused on exploring cultural and social change. Through open-ended tasks and identity reflection, the research helped participants establish connections with the field of technology, making it more inclusive and engaging than traditional computing education centered solely on technical skills.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results:
  Through interviews and artifact analysis, the study found that the program significantly helped the girls challenge mainstream narratives, such as redefining the identity of a technological creator and creating new technologies. It also fostered more inclusive social relationships through collaboration and sharing. Although participants were initially cautious about accepting help, they later embraced the collaborative creative process.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  1. Small Sample Size: With only seven participants, future research should expand the sample size to validate the generalizability of the findings.
  2. Pre-existing Relationships: Some participants knew each other prior to the program, which may have influenced their motivation to collaborate. Future studies could explore collaboration dynamics among groups of strangers.
  3. Causality Unclear: The study did not determine the long-term effects of the summer camp on TSCA development. Future research could employ longitudinal studies to explore its lasting impact.

Conclusion

Through the culturally responsive robotics camp, this study demonstrated that teaching approaches that position Black girls as technosocial change agents not only challenge traditional gender and racial narratives in computing education but also effectively inspire participants' technological creativity and social integration. This provides valuable insights and recommendations for designing future computing education programs that emphasize cultural and social dimensions.