me++: Finding Oneself in Computer Science

<a href="https://embed.stanford.edu/iframe/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpurl.stanford.edu%2Fsf227qn6054" class="su-underline">Show Content</a>

Abstract/Contents

Abstract: In the university context, student experiences of courses, dorm life, and more affect how they discover where they belong. In that stream of thought, I followed five students taking CS 106A at Stanford to see how they made sense of their position within and relative to computer science, over the course of the quarter. In those interviews, I watched my participants make sense of their experiences, and co-construct knowledge with them. I saw how they were reflecting on their experiences to form a sense of where they belong in computer science, and at Stanford more generally. I propose a framework of three dimensions to capture their reflections: computer science (a) as a cultural milieu; (b) as a constellation of negotiated values; and (c) as an affective experience. As their positions within and relative to computer science evolved throughout the quarter, my participants relied on those three dimensions, in conjunction with one another, to make sense of their experiences in the course. These results problematize the static treatment of one’s position within and with respect to a discipline, and emphasize the importance of liberatory interview practices in qualitative studies of sensemaking. For educators, this work emphasizes the importance of curriculum construction in context—student-centered education requires a nuanced understanding of the student context.

Author	Sarin, Parth

Subject	computer science education
Subject	academic identity
Subject	culturally relevant pedagogy
Subject	introductory class
Subject	narrative as liberatory practice
Genre	Text
Genre	Thesis

DOI	https://doi.org/10.25740/sf227qn6054
Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/sf227qn6054

Use and reproduction: User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC).

Preferred citation: Sarin, P. (2022). me++: Finding Oneself in Computer Science. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at https://purl.stanford.edu/sf227qn6054

Undergraduate Honors Theses, Graduate School of Education

Loading usage metrics...