African-American Middle School Girls Research Articles

Exploring collaborative talk among African-American middle-school girls in the context of game design for social change

Computer Science education research establishes collaboration among students as a key component in learning, particularly its role in pair programming. Furthermore, research shows that girls, an un...

Exploring the Difficulties African-American Middle School Girls Face Enacting Computational Algorithmic Thinking over three Years while Designing Games for Social Change

Computational algorithmic thinking (CAT) is the ability to design, implement, and assess the implementation of algorithms to solve a range of problems. It involves identifying and understanding a problem, articulating an algorithm or set of algorithms in the form of a solution to the problem, implementing that solution in such a way that the solution solves the problem, and evaluating the solution based on some set of criteria. CAT is an important scaffolded on-ramp as students develop more advanced computational thinking capabilities and apply computational thinking to solve problems that are more constrained and require greater expertise. Supporting Computational Algorithmic Thinking (SCAT) is both a longitudinal between-subjects research project and a free enrichment program supporting and guiding African-American middle school girls over three years as they iteratively design a set of complex games for social change. This article explores Scholars' reflections about the difficulties they faced while using CAT capabilities as they engaged in collaborative game design for social change over those three years. We particularly focus on how these difficulties changed over the course of three years as well as new difficulties that emerged from year to year as Scholars become more expert game designers and computational algorithmic thinkers.

Belongingness and Pedagogy

In the present study, school belongingness was explored in the context of a mathematics classroom over the course of one academic year. In-depth interviews with eight African American middle school students and their three White teachers were conducted at two time periods. This phenomenological qualitative investigation of African American middle school girls revealed two primary themes of personal connection with their teachers and authentic pedagogy. As practitioners and researchers continue to examine the factors related to African American student achievement, empirical research should highlight the importance of teacher warmth and instructional relevance in the experiences of students of color in middle grades and secondary mathematics classes.

African-American Middle School Girls: Influences on Attitudes toward Computer Science

The number of women in computing is significantly lower than the number of men in the discipline, with African-American women making up an even smaller segment of this population. Related literature accredits this phenomenon to multiple sources, including background, stereotypes, discrimination, a lack of self-confidence, and a lack of self-efficacy. However, a majority of the literature fails to represent African-American females in research studies. The purpose of this study is to understand the factors that influence the attitudes of African-American middle school girls toward computer science. The results reveal that the African-American middle school girls in the sample generally have negative attitudes toward computer science. However, after participating in a computer science intervention, perceptions become more positive due to four factors: engaging in the intervention, the intervention content domain, the facilitation of performance accomplishments, and participant characteristics.

Best of RESPECT, Part 2

The guest editors introduce best papers on broadening participation in computing from the RESPECT'15 conference. The five articles presented here are part two of a two-part series representing research on broadening participation in computing. These articles study participation in intersectional ways, through the perceptions and experiences of African-American middle school girls, the sense of belonging in computing for LGBTQ students, the impact of a STEM scholarship and community development program for low-income and first-generation college students, a leadership development program, and how African-American women individually take leadership to enable their success in computing.

While Enacting Computational Algorithmic Thinking in the Context of Game Design

Computational algorithmic thinking (CAT) is the ability to design, implement, and assess the implementation of algorithms to solve a range of problems. It involves identifying and understanding a problem, articulating an algorithm or set of algorithms in the form of a solution to the problem, implementing that solution in such a way that it solves the problem, and evaluating the solution based on some set of criteria. CAT has roots in Mathematics, through problem solving and algorithmic thinking. CAT lies at the heart of Computer Science, which is defined as the study of algorithms. CAT embodies the ability to think critically and creatively to solve problems and has applicability in a range of areas from Computer Science to cooking to music. This article introduces CAT as explored through the Supporting Computational Algorithmic Thinking (SCAT) project, an on-going longitudinal between-subjects research project and enrichment program that guides AfricanAmerican middle school girls (SCAT Scholars) through the iterative game design cycle resulting in a set of complex games around broad themes. This article also explores the difficulties SCAT Scholars face while using CAT capabilities in the context of game design over almost two years as described by the Scholars themselves in online journals.

Asthma in Underserved Schoolchildren in Miami, Florida: Results of a School- and Community-Based Needs Assessment

Objective. Asthma is the most common chronic condition in childhood and disproportionately impacts the poorer and ethnic minorities. The objectives of the study were to estimate the prevalence of asthma in Miami–Dade County (MDC) schoolchildren to aid case-finding and linkage to care. Methods. We used the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) definition of possible asthma (“Ever told by a doctor or nurse that they had asthma and still had asthma”) and analyzed data from four sources. These included the: (1)-MDC YRBSS 2009, (2)-MDC Health Connect Asthma Survey of school nurses (>2008), (3)-parents’ survey in the five HealthConnect survey elementary schools with highest asthma prevalence, and (4)-focus group with parents of asthmatic children. Results. (1)-MDC YRBSS data showed that 21.3% of high- and 21.4% of middle-school students had been diagnosed with possible asthma. Prevalence was the highest in African-American middle-school girls (26.9%). (2)-HealthConnect survey responders reported that 4.9% of the students in 131 MDC schools had possible asthma. Asthma prevalence was higher in elementary schools (median = 7.1%) and in low-income MDC zip codes. (3)-Of the parent survey responders, 24.9% indicated that their child had possible asthma, and 19.2% reported that their children had no usual source of care. (4)-Focus group participants reported frequent loss of Medicaid coverage for their children, landlords’ indifference to the role of poorly maintained housing in asthma, and unmet needs regarding knowledge of health system navigation. Conclusions. Asthma may be common in MDC schoolchildren, particularly in poor communities. Formidable structural factors limit the caregivers’ abilities to manage childhood asthma.

Sexualized and Dangerous Relationships: Listening to the Voices of Low-Income African American Girls Placed at Risk for Sexual Exploitation

Introduction: Youth from low-income, urban backgrounds face significant challenges to maintaining a positive developmental trajectory. Dangerous neighborhoods and stressed relationships are common in these settings and threaten adaptation by weakening the natural assets that undergird resilience. African American girls in these contexts face specific, multiple risks, including gender stereotyping, violence, and sexual exploitation. The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a multibillion-dollar industry victimizing over 1 million children around the globe. The typical victim in 1 city in the southeastern United States is an African American girl 12–14 years old. There has been little research investigating the characteristics of girls placed at risk for CSEC and even less research on the personal perspectives of these girls.Methods: Over 3 school terms we provided preventive intervention groups for 36 African American middle school girls who were placed at risk because they lived in neighborhoods with high rates of interpersonal violence and CSEC. Two group leaders and a process recorder took detailed notes on each group session. Our focus on group conversations over a period of weeks increased the probability of recording spontaneous, open comments by the children and is a promising method with this population. The data were analyzed qualitatively and resulted in an account of the girls' own views of the environmental challenges and personal experiences that may influence their development.Results: The girls' language during the group sessions contained 4 themes: difficulty forming trusting relationships, frequent peer aggression, familiarity with adult prostitution, and sexuality as a commodity.Conclusion: Our research shows how girls placed at risk for CSEC view their own lives. These children described violence and sexual exploitation and cited limited supports to protect them from these risks. Understanding the perspectives of these girls should generate future research and intervention strategies to support their coping and resilience.

Another Look at Heterosocial Behaviors: One Side of the Early Intimate Sexual Behaviors Coin

The number of adolescent births is once again on the rise. Heterosocial competence described as successful interactions (i.e., heterosocial behaviors) with males (Grover, Nangler, & Zeff, 2005; Grover, Nangler, Serwik, & Zeff, 2007) is one emerging factor that has been found to be associated with adolescent sexual behavior. The aims of this cross sectional design study with 159 African American middle-school girls using the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) were to describe and assess the relationship between heterosocial behaviors and sexual behaviors. Data was obtained using four surveys. The results suggest that heterosocial behaviors were a significant predictor of sexual behaviors (p < .001).

Voices of Hope

Using the self-efficacy literature as a theoretical framework, this article discusses the reality of academic achievement and academic performance among selected African American middle school girls. Both quantitative and qualitative research approaches are used to investigate the influence of self-efficacy. Thirty-seven African American middle school girls filled out an adversity questionnaire and also responded to the Children's Self-efficacy Survey. Based on the results, 10 girls were selected for in-depth interviews. Responses to interview questions reveal how these girls' self-efficacy helped them not only cope with obstacles in their lives but also excel academically. These responses provide important insights for educators who want to help this population of students continue to succeed.

How African American Middle School Girls Position Themselves as Mathematics and Science Learners

A scholarly article by authors Cirecie West-Olatunji, Rose Pringle, and Thomasenia Adams, Adriana Baratelli, Rachael Goodman, Sophie Maxis published in The International Journal of Learning: Annual Review

Red-Eared Sliders and Neighborhood Dogs: Creating Third Spaces to Support Ethnic Girls' Interests in Technological and Scientific Expertise

Girls and women, especially if they are people of color, supposedly do not like computer technology or science. Myriad reports and studies document their limited interest and participation in these fields, both in school and at work. This article reports some preliminary results from an after-school intervention intended to increase urban, African-American middle school girls' interest and participation in computer technology and science. The intervention program was designed by university researchers, community developers, and local residents to correspond to state curriculum content standards and to be flexible enough to accommodate the girls' own interests and values. Participant observation and interview data about the course of the intervention and the girls' responses to it were collected and analyzed for the 2000–2001 school year. Using semantic domain analysis and case examples, the authors illustrate the kinds of technological activities these girls wanted to pursue and some of the ways they appropriated school-based technology and science to contribute to “third spaces” of productive hybridity (after Bhabha 1994; Moje et al. 2004) in which they were motivated to develop and display new skills and competencies.