Media designs with scratch: what urban youth can learn about programming in a computer Clubhouse
John H. Maloney, Mitchel Resnick, Natalie Rusk, Kylie Peppler, Yasmin B. Kafai · 2008
Abstract: We report on the programming learning experiences of urban youth ages 8-18 at a Computer Clubhouse located in South Central Los Angeles. Our analyses of the 536 Scratch projects, collected during a two-year period, documents the learning of key programming concepts in the absence of instructional interventions or experienced mentors. We discuss the motivations of urban youth who choose to program in Scratch and the implications for introducing programming at after school settings in underserved communities. Numerous approaches to broadening participation in computing have been discussed in K-12 and college education, such as mentoring, revised curricula, tool development outreach programs, and programming courses for non-majors (Margolis & Fisher, 2003). A surprisingly neglected area of research is the learning of programming in community technology centers. In these venues, the learning of programming is more casual and takes place at the discretion of the learner rather than part of a formal curriculum. Such out-of-school activities also present opportunities for youth to succeed who may not flourish in traditional school environments. As a case in point, we focus on the use of Scratch (see Figure 1 or www.scratch.mit.edu), a block-based programming language designed to facilitate media manipulation for novice programmers (Resnick, Kafai, & Maeda, 2003), at a Computer Clubhouse—an urban community technology center (Resnick, Rusk, & Cooke, 1998). Scratch is not the first