Child Care and Early Education Research Connections

Skip to main content

Designing culturally situated playful environments for early STEM learning with a Latine community

Share
Description:

Children from underserved, minoritized, and immigrant families have less access to early out-of-school STEM learning opportunities. Playful Learning Landscapes increase the accessibility of early STEM learning in everyday public spaces (e.g., bus stops, grocery stores) by merging principles of guided play and STEM learning goals with local community’s values. We used community-based design research to (1) identify Latine families’ funds of knowledge related to play, science, and math learning, and (2) create designs for playful environments merging families’ values and practices with guided play and STEM learning principles. Our design partners were 32 parents, primarily Spanish-speaking immigrant mothers from Mexico, and two directors of a local community organization. The design process consisted of co-design sessions, interviews, inductive thematic analysis, elaboration, playtest and feedback, and iteration. Our findings showed that familismo, heritage representation, and the meaning of community spaces influenced the ways families engaged in STEM learning and the learning environments they desired in their community. Moreover, families’ STEM practices were rooted in everyday experiences of playing cultural games, family food routines, and outdoor activities. Incorporating Latine parents in the design process and leveraging their funds of knowledge resulted in culturally situated designs aligned with playful and STEM learning principles. This study contributes to knowledge of Latine families’ values and practices that can help create home-community connections to strengthen children’s learning. (author abstract)

Resource Type:
Reports & Papers
Country:
United States

- You May Also Like

These resources share similarities with the current selection.

Early STEM matters: Providing high-quality STEM experiences for all young learners: A policy report by the Early Childhood STEM Working Group

Other

Early STEM matters: Providing high-quality STEM experiences for all young learners: A policy report by the Early Childhood STEM Working Group [Executive summary]

Executive Summary

State of the children: Early learning & care: North Central Region -- Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas, and Grant Counties

Fact Sheets & Briefs
Release: 'v1.36.0' | Built: 2023-09-22 13:54:40 EDT