Designing Culturally Responsive Computational Learning Tools for Children

Various programming tools for children have been developed to support their learning of computing. However, these tools often neglect the identities and cultural preferences of young learners from non-dominant groups and non-Western backgrounds, which could compromise these children's computational learning experiences. To bridge the cultural gaps in the design of computational learning tools, we are collaborating with Dr. Natalie Rusk from the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT Media Lab to systematically investigate the design of culturally responsive programming learning tools for children using the OctoStudio kit. Ultimately, we will develop design guidelines for learning technologies that can better accommodate the identities and preferences of children with diverse cultural backgrounds.