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“I can do data for my people”: experiences of giving back for Native undergraduates in computing

Nuria Jaumot‑Pascual, Kathy DeerInWater, Maria Ong, Christina B. Silva
Jaumot-Pascual, N., DeerInWater, K., Ong, M. et al. “I can do data for my people”: experiences of giving back for Native undergraduates in computing. Cult Stud of Sci Educ (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-023-10172-5

Abstract

This paper focuses on the undergraduate experiences in computer sciences (CS) disciplines of eight Native women and two-spirit undergraduates and how their values and experiences around the communal goal of giving back enable them to persist in computing. The paper draws from a one-year study that included participants across the U.S.A from predominantly White institutions, Native serving institutions, and tribal colleges. Utilizing the decolonizing and participant-centered methods of photo elicitation, our interviews used photographs taken by participants as starting points for conversations. This method resulted in deep understandings of participants’ experiences of the supports and barriers in their CS programs, and of the importance of giving back for persistence.