"I am a Technology Creator": Black Girls as Technosocial Change Agents in a Culturally-Responsive Robotics Camp

Black girls and women have long been creators in computing spaces. However, much computing education positions Black girls as workers who execute tasks for others’ purposes. Our work takes a different approach by positioning Black girls as technosocial change agents who challenge dominant narratives and construct more liberating identities and social relations as they create new technologies. We draw on data from seven Black girls, ages 9-12, who participated in a 20-hour culturally responsive computing (CRC) camp focused on robotics. Using a thematic analysis approach, we explore how these Black girls demonstrate and enhance their technosocial change agency (TSCA) throughout the camp. We identify themes related to how creating technology helps Black girls refine and fulfill their definitions of technical creators and develop agency through technology creation. We discuss computing education and technology design recommendations within the TSCA framework to support learners’ emerging TSCA in future CRC programs.