pH empowered: community participation in culturally responsive computing education

ABSTRACT

Culturally responsive computing (CRC) frames the localized knowledges and practices of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities as assets for working toward racial justice in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). A key part of CRC is the role that local communities play in designing and/or implementing curricula and technologies. Yet, there is a dearth of research on collaborating with local knowledge experts and what they think about CRC. In response, this paper details a two-year long research project on the design and implementation of one CRC program called pH Empowered. pH Empowered uses computing to bridge Black hairstyling, chemistry, and entrepreneurship. Through a mixed-methods study of one pH Empowered professional development workshop, we show how cosmetologists, urban farmers, and librarians had diverse perspectives about how to be culturally responsive with STEM and the racial justice goal of broadening participation in STEM education.

KEYWORDS:

• Culturally responsive computing
• STEM education
• funds of knowledge
• broadening participation
• race

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant #1640014. This work was also supported by Science + Society @ State at Michigan State University. The views and opinions expressed in this paper do not necessarily represent those of the NSF or MSU. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers, their feedback and critiques were crucial for improving this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 In chemistry, pH stands for potential hydrogen (that is, how much hydrogen is potentially available to the reaction). Chemists operationalize pH as a measure of acidity or basicity (representing the concentration of hydrogen ions) of a substance along a scale of 0–14: 0 being extreme acidity, 7 being neutral, and 14 being extreme basicity (see Figure 3). In this study, pH acted as a type of node in a network that people with varying knowledges or different levels of expertise could work with to facilitate collaboration.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under [grant number #1640014]. This work was also supported by Science + Society @ State at Michigan State University.

Notes on contributors

Michael Lachney

Michael Lachney is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University in the Educational Psychology and Educational Technology program. His research is on the cultural politics of educational technology design and implementation in both school and out-of-school settings.

Ron Eglash

Ron Eglash received his BS in Cybernetics, MS in Systems Engineering and Ph.D. in History of Consciousness. The author of African Fractals, he is a Professor of Information in the School of Information with a secondary appointment in Art and Design in the Penny W Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan.

Audrey Bennett

Audrey Bennett received her BA in Studio Art from Dartmouth College and her MFA in Graphic Design from Yale University. The author of Engendering Interaction with Images, she is a Professor of Art and Design in the Penny W Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan.

William Babbitt

William Babbitt received his BS in Finance, Mathematics, and Computer Science, and holds a Ph.D. in Multidisciplinary Science. He currently works on educational technology design strategies and the impacts of colonization on society and education.

Lakisha Foy

Lakisha Foy is a cosmetology instructor at Hudson Valley Community College. She has expertise in cosmetology, barbering, and natural hair.

Matt Drazin

Matt Drazin is a doctoral student in the Educational Psychology and Educational Technology program at Michigan State University. He studies the educational value of makerspaces.

Kathryn M. Rich

Kathryn M. Rich is a doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology at Michigan State University. She researches how technology can enhance teaching and learning, with an emphasis in K-5 mathematics and computer science.