Who Signs Up and Who Stays? Attraction and Retention in an After-School Computer-Supported Program

We report findings from a study assessing computer-supported curriculum designed to engage low SES, underrepresented minority middle school students enrolled in an afterschool program with collaborative tasks that build 21st century skills, particularly related to digital literacy. Early in the program, we collected survey data from participants and from a sample of after-school attendees who decided not to enroll in our program concerning their goals, feelings toward STEM, and experiences with and access to technology. Over the first 7 weeks of programming, we also have collected attendance records. We report findings relating students’ individual factors at program onset to their attraction to and retention in our program. Our findings shed light on important issues relevant to the CSCL community and the conference theme, including identifying potential for attrition among students and engaging a diverse pool of students in computer-supported collaborative learning. Background Computer-supported collaboration has the potential to impact student learning in a personalized and engaging way (Jeong & Hmelo-Silver, 2016). Such programs may be particularly suited to increase interest and broaden participation to include underrepresented groups in STEM fields (Margolis, Ryoo, Sandoval, Lee, Goode, & Chapman, 2012; Peterson & Britsch, 2013). Recent initiatives and reports from national funding agencies place emphasis on developing and evaluating the impact of such programs on student outcomes (e.g., 2014 Science and Engineering Indicators, National Science Board, 2014; Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST), National Science Foundation, 2016). Before we can begin to consider the effect of computersupported educational programs on students’ interest and learning in STEM subjects, we must understand the complex issues associated with attracting and retaining students in these programs. Attraction and retention are particularly challenging when educational programs are housed in informal settings (e.g., outside of the classroom), in which participation is not compulsory, and when working with adolescents from populations that are typically underrepresented or even marginalized in the targeted STEM domains (Bell, Lewenstein, Shouse, & Feder, 2009; Hernandez et. al, 2013). Weisman and Gottfredson (2001) assessed 8 Maryland-based after school programs for youth in grades 4-8 from 1998 to 1999. 80% of their sample self-reported race as Black, or non-White. Although the focus of their work was on relations between at-risk behavior and retention in after school programming, they also found a third of program dropouts reported being bored. The implication is that to recruit and maintain enrollment in such programs, activities must hold participants’ interest. The research reported here starts at a crucial point. First, we analyze patterns in student attendance and determine factors associated with student retention in a computer-based after-school program. Second, we examine differences in factors across a subsample of students who chose to participate in our program and those who did not. Specifically, we consider students’ gender, goals, prior experiences, and access to technology as factors that may influence students’ decision to participate in our program and to continue attending over time. Prior work supports relations between gender and interest in STEM (e.g., Peterson & Britsch, 2013); between goal orientation and persistence in STEM programs (e.g., Hernandez et al, 2013); and between experiences with and access to technology and STEM achievement (e.g., Judge, 2005). We extend this work to consider these relations in an informal computer-supported program for Black or African American middle school students in an urban setting. We expect the findings we present here and any resulting discourse among researchers with similar aims to advance efforts in line with those of the CSCL 2017 Conference Theme, prioritizing equity and access in CSCL.