The Role of Relationships in Engaging Latino/a High School Students in Computer Science
IEEE Computer Society Team
Published 10/12/2021
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Latinx are the fastest-growing ethnic minority population in the United States. However, this growth has still not seen its equal share in representation in computing majors and professions. Many efforts to involve the Latinx community have been mildly successful because they lack cultural and contextual understanding. This has lead to a lack of focus on building individual competencies and motivations.
In this article, authors Jill Denner and Steve Bean, propose a greater focus on relationships to increase awareness and computational skills of Latinx youth to engage and flourish in a computing education pathway. This study was focused on creating community technology centers in the agricultural regions of California. Data was collected from high school students and from center staff. Results indicated that relationships were critical in bridging cultural values and interest in computer science by forming communities of practice around CS with similar peers and mentors.
Latinx are the fastest-growing ethnic minority population in the United States. However, this growth has still not seen its equal share in representation in computing majors and professions. Many efforts to involve the Latinx community have been mildly successful because they lack cultural and contextual understanding. This has lead to a lack of focus on building individual competencies and motivations.
