Exploring the Effects of Learners’ Cultural And Social Histories on the Practices of Learning Scientists

Abstract

Research on how learner's cultural and social histories mediates opportunities to learn with computer-based learning tools is seriously under-conceptualized in the field of learning sciences. I argue, that in order for learning scientists to create theories of learning and/or learning tools that provide equitable opportunities to learn for all learners, the field needs to rethink how learners' social and cultural histories impact the conceptualization of questions we explore, the population of users upon which we study the phenomena we are exploring, our process of design and or methods of analyzing the effectiveness of our designs. All facets of our research process need to be reexamined to ensure that our theories and designs are inclusive of the nuances of human experiences influenced by learners' social and cultural histories.