Making changes: Counteracting Latina Young Women’s Negative STEM Experiences Through Culturally Responsive Physical Computing

Abstract

We show how non-traditional approaches to engaging young women in computing and engineering can impact their sense of what STEM is and who can do it. We designed and implemented a four-day Animal Investigators camp in which rural youth designed technologies for the animals in their lives. We wanted to understand the ways in which young peoples’ prior knowledge about and experiences with animals and animal care could serve as a pathway into engineering and computing, particularly for non-dominant individuals who might not otherwise see themselves as belonging in these disciplines. Here, we present a single case study of Latina adolescent to address the following question: How did engagement in the Animal Investigators camp affect Latina adolescents’ perceptions of what STEM is and who can do it? In the discussion, we address what we can learn from the adolescent’s experiences about designing STEM environments that increase identification with STEM disciplines.