RESEARCH

The Digital Youth Divas program has evolved through a 3-year design-based research effort, building on previous work by the Digital Youth Network. A new key idea was using narrative stories to engage girls in STEM activities to support STEM-linked knowledge, interest, and identity development.

Our research agenda sought to look at changes in domain-specific interest, knowledge, and identity for participating girls, identify patterns of participation in the face-to-face and online spaces, and explore the role of narratives in the project, especially as related to girls’ developing STEM identities.

Publications

2019
Pinkard, N., Martin, C.K., Erete, S. (2019). Equitable Approaches: Computational Thinking Through Design. Special issue on Computational Thinking. Interactive Learning Environments. DOI: 10.1080/10494820.2019.1636070

2017

Pinkard, N., Erete, S., Martin, C.K., McKinney DeRoyston, M. (2017). Digital Youth Divas: Exploring Narrative-Driven Curriculum to Spark Middle School Girls’ Interest in Computational Activities. Journal of the Learning Sciences Special Issue: Designing Learning Environments for Disciplinary Identification.
DOI: 10.1080/10508406.2017.1307199

2016

Erete, S., Pinkard, N., Martin, C. K., & Sandherr, J. (2016, August). Exploring the use of interactive narratives to engage inner-city girls in computational activities. In Proceedings of Research on Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT), 2016 (pp. 1-4). IEEE.
DOI: 10.1109/RESPECT.2016.7836168

Nacu, D. C., Martin, C. K., Pinkard, N., Hamid, T., Li, T., Raicu, D. S., & Gemmell, J. (2016, August). Helping educators leverage youth interest in STEM out-of-school programs. In Proceedings of Research on Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT), 2016 (pp. 1-1). IEEE.
DOI: 10.1109/RESPECT.2016.7836178

Martin, C. K., Pinkard, N., Erete, S., & Sandherr, J. (2016). Connections at the Family Level: Supporting Parents and Caring Adults to Engage Youth in Learning about Computers and Technology. In Y. A. Rankin & J.O. Thomas (Eds.) Moving Students of Color from Consumers to Producers of Technology. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 220-245.
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-2005-4.ch011

Erete, S., Martin, C.K., & Pinkard, N. (2016). Digital Youth Divas: A Program Model for Increasing Knowledge, Confidence, and Perceptions of Fit in STEM amongst Black and Brown Middle School Girls. In Y. A. Rankin & J.O. Thomas (Eds.) Moving Students of Color from Consumers to Producers of Technology. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 152-173.
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-2005-4.ch008

2015

Martin, C.K., Erete, S., Pinkard, N. Developing Focused Recruitment Strategies to Engage Youth in Informal Opportunities. In Proceedings of the 1st Annual Research on Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT) conference, Charlotte, NC, August 14-15, 2015.
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Erete, S., Pinkard, N., Martin, C., Sandherr, J. Employing Narratives to Trigger Interest in Computational Activities with Inner-city Girls. Proceedings of the First Annual Research on Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT) conference, Charlotte, NC, August 14-15, 2015.
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Presentations

2019

PinkardN., Martin, C., & Erete, S. (2019). Digital Youth Divas: Orienting E-Textiles in Individual Learning Pathways. In session entitled Interactive Stitch Sampler of Equitable Learning and Teaching With E-Textiles in K–12 Education (Gayithri Jayathirtha and Yasmin Kafai, organizers). (Toronto, CA, April 2019).

2018

PinkardN., Barron, B., Martin, C.K. (2018). Parents collaborating to learn: Insights from family co-design workshops about reframing expert roles. In symposium entitled Designing for Axiological Innovation within Family-Center Learning Environments. International Conferences of the Learning Sciences (Enrique Suárez, organizer), ICLS (London, June 2018).

PinkardN., Martin, C.K., Erete, S. (2018). Valuing and revealing networks of engagement around computational making. In symposium entitled The State of the Field in Computational Thinking Assessment (Mike Tissenbaum, organizer), International Conference of the Learning Sciences (London, June 2018).

Erete, S., Pinkard, N. & Martin, C., & Dickinson, J. (2018). Towards an Ecological Approach to Measuring STEM Identity Shifts Amongst Non-Dominant Girls. In session entitled, Measuring Making: Methods, Tools, and Strategies for Capturing Learning, Participation, and Engagement in Maker Activities. AERA, NYC (April 2018).
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2017

Roberson, A. & Moore, S. (2017, November). Exploring circuits through constructing eCards. Workshop session at the 8th annual STEM Summit: Building Capacity and Partnerships for STEM Education. Organized by Northwestern University Office of Community Education Partnerships.

Roberson, A. (2017, October). Digital Youth Divas. In Y. Kafai, K. Peppler, L. Buechley (organizers) Textile Messages: Electronic Textiles as Disruptive Designs and Inclusive Activities Symposium. Symposium at the Digital Media and Learning Conference (DML), Irvine, CA.

Martin, C.K. (2017, October). Micro-level analysis: Digital Youth Divas Caring Adult Network. In T. Everett, N. Pinkard, Martin, C.K., S. Madison-Boyd (organizers) Community initiatives and technical platforms to understand and address equitable learning in Chicago. Symposium at the Digital Media and Learning Conference (DML), Irvine, CA.

Roberson, A. and Pinkard, N. (2017). Digital Youth Divas e-Paper. Active Learning Breakout Session at the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Washington, DC, October, 2017.

Pinkard, N., Erete, S., Martin, C.K. (2017, April). Equitable Approaches: Computational Thinking Through Design. Part of a symposium Stories From the Field: Integrating Computational Thinking Across Curricular Domains at American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference, 2017 (San Antonio, TX).
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2016

Martin, C.K., Pinkard, N., Sandherr, J. (2016). Making a Difference: Design strategies to engage underrepresented communities in maker spaces. Digital Media and Learning conference, Irvine, CA, June 3-5, 2016.

Martin, C.K., Erete, S., Pinkard, N., Roberson, A. (2016). Generating Alternative Stories: Using fictional narratives to build STEM identity, interest, and community for non-dominant girls. Digital Media and Learning conference, Irvine, CA, June 3-5, 2016.

Martin, C.K., Pinkard, N., Lang, C. (2016). Learning Analytics in Informal Spaces. Pre conference workshop at Digital Media and Learning conference, Irvine, CA, June 3, 2016.

Martin, C.K., Nacu, D., Pinkard, N., Erete, S. (2016). Supporting self-directed learning and identity development in online communities. Poster at the CIRCL Cyberlearning 2016 meeting, Washington, DC, June 2016.
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Pinkard, N. (2016). Equity in making and creating with technology. Part of the Stanford GSE seminar: Education’s digital future: Equity by design, Stanford, CA, May 2016

Martin, C.K., Sandherr, J., Boytor, E., Nacu, D., Pinkard, N., Erete, S. (April 2016). Brokering in Blended Environments: Designing to Support Learning On- and Off-Line In Nacu, D. and VanHorne, K. symposium Brokering Future Learning Opportunities: Theoretical and Practical Considerations for Linking Youth to Out-of-School Time Opportunities at AERA Conference, Washington, DC.

2015

Martin, C.K. (2015). Does making matter, and how can we tell? Presentation at the Maker Educator Institute, Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, Pittsburgh, PA, October 9, 2015.

Roberson, A., Martin, C.K., Erete, S., Pinkard, N. (2015). Flip the switch: Generating girls’ interest in STEM through e-fashion. Presentation at International Society for Technology in Education, June 28-July 1, 2015. View poster

Erete, S., & Pinkard, N., Martin, C.K., Roberson, A. (2015). Digital narratives to engage girls in computational making. In C.K. Martin and D. Nacu (Organizers), Intentional and Inclusive Design to Create Social-Technical Learning Systems. Symposium at Digital Media and Learning Conference, Los Angeles, CA, June 11-13, 2015.

2014

Martin, C.K., Nacu, D., Pinkard, N., Acholonu, U. (2014). Using a networked community to support equitable access to computational learning: The Digital Divas. SIG-Learning Sciences Poster Session at American Educational Research Association Conference, Chicago, IL, April 16-20, 2015.
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Publications

Presentations