Subgoals, Problem Solving Phases, and Sources of Knowledge: A Complex Mangle

Educational researchers have increasingly drawn attention to how students develop computational thinking (CT) skills, including in science, math, and literacy contexts. A key component of CT is the process of abstraction, a particularly challenging concept for novice programmers, but one vital to problem solving. We propose a framework based on situated cognition that can be used to document how instructors and students communicate about abstractions during the problem solving process. We develop this framework in a multimodal interaction analysis of a 32-minute long excerpt of a middle school student working in the PixelBots JavaScript programming environment at a two-week summer programming workshop taught by undergraduate CS majors. Through a microgenetic analysis of the process of teaching and learning about abstraction in this excerpt, we document the extemporaneous prioritization of subgoals and the back-and-forth coordination of problem solving phases. In our case study, we identify that (a) problem solving phases are nested with several instances of context-switching within a single phase; (b) the introduction of new ideas and information create bridges or opportunities to move between different problem solving phases; (c) planning to solve a problem is a non-linear process; and (d) pedagogical moves such as modeling and prompting highlight situated resources and advance problem solving. Future research should address how to help students structure subgoals and reflect on connections between problem solving phases, and how to help instructors reflect on their routes to supporting students in the problem solving process.Comment: ACM Student Research Competition (SRC) submission in Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '19); 3 pages; Poster: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1OrfWGp7-o8sI7KJyx4-leY-A8TioXP1IQFKNBDceht4/edit?usp=sharin

Social Affordances of Mixed Reality Learning Environments: A case from the Science through Technology Enhanced Play project (STEP)

We describe the design of the Science through Technology Enhanced Play (STEP) project. In STEP, we explore the potential for dramatic play—a form of activity that is particularly familiar to early elementary students—to promote meaningful inquiry about scientific concepts. We report on the first round of design experiments conducted with 120 first and second grade students who investigated how and why different states of matter have different properties. Pre-post analyses indicate that the majority of students learned the content and demonstrate how the affordances of the socio-technical system promoted the transition from individual observation to collective inquiry, how play as the root activity provided agency within that inquiry, and how the teacher and the social norms of the classroom reinforced these productive social processes

The Interpersonal Organization of Failure and Knowledge in Mathematics Tutoring

The ideas students have about what causes math failure are known to impact their motivation. This dissertation throws light on how attributions of failure are negotiated during math tutoring at a non-profit STEM-based after-school program. The study employs methods of interaction analysis on a small number of cases to qualitatively document how tutor-student dyads co-construct stories about failure. The project addresses the theoretical relationship between students and tutors’ enacted responses to failure and their enacted knowledge-construction practices. I argue that responses to failure involve constructing obstacles, blaming causes of obstacles, and intervening to resolve obstacles, which take place as part of public practice. How students recruit sources of knowledge (perception, reasoning, introspection, memory, and testimony) in knowledge-construction practices, and how they tell stories about breakdowns in those practices are core concerns of the dissertation. By understanding the interactional mechanics of failure, the study can inform discourse-level interventions in the future

WI21-11: Consequences and Response to Identity Theft Victimization among Older Americans

Society’s growing reliance on technology to transfer private information has created more opportunities for identity thieves to access personal data. Research on identity theft, specifically among older adults, is virtually nonexistent, yet research on victims of all ages indicates a positive association between older age and more severe economic and psychological consequences. Using data on victims ages 65 and older from the 2016 and 2018 National Crime Victimization Survey Identity Theft Supplement, this study examines how socioeconomic status, demographic characteristics, and incident-specific factors relate to how much money is stolen, the likelihood of experiencing out-of-pocket costs, emotional distress, and reporting identity theft. Older adults with incomes at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) were between two and three times as likely to suffer out-of-pocket costs relative to those at more than 500 percent FPL. Female victims were 74 percent more likely to feel distressed by the incident, as were those who suffered out-of-pocket costs and had more money stolen. Experiencing subsequent problems with friends and family members following identity theft was significantly associated with emotional distress but negatively associated with reporting to law enforcement. Results indicate that emotional distress and reporting decisions are driven largely by the financial severity of the incident and the duration of misuse, and less by socioeconomic and race characteristics. Greater advocacy and psychological support are needed to help vulnerable older adults recover from identity crimes, particularly those who experience more severe or prolonged incidents of identity misuse

Identity Theft Among Older Adults: Risk and Protective Factors

Although financial exploitation and fraud targeting older adults have been the focus of increasing academic attention, research on identity theft among older adults is virtually nonexistent. Identity theft refers to an intentional, unauthorized transfer or use of a person’s identifying information for unlawful purposes (Federal Trade Commission 1998). Society’s growing reliance on technology to transfer and store private information has created increased opportunities for financial predators to access and misuse personal data. Results from the most recent Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Identity Theft Supplement show that nearly 1 in 10 adults aged 65 or older experienced identity theft in the past year, with financial losses totaling $2.5 billion. Given the high frequency and cost of identity theft among older Americans, more research is needed to guide prevention efforts and interventions that support recovery. This paper examines the risk factors, protective factors, costs, and consequences of identity theft victimization among older adults, focusing on differences between those aged 65-74 and those 75 or older. Findings suggest that the prevalence of identity theft is lower among those 75 or older (6.6$155 vs $96). Compared to those aged 65-74, a lower percentage of adults aged 75 or older engaged in online shopping, thereby reducing their risk of identity exposure (48% versus 24%). However, they were also less likely to engage in protective behaviors such as checking credit reports, changing passwords, checking account statements, and using security software

Risk and protective factors of identity theft victimization in the United States

Identity theft victimization is associated with serious physical and mental health morbidities. The problem is expanding as society becomes increasingly reliant on technology to store and transfer personally identifying information. Guided by lifestyle-routine activity theory, this study sought to identify risk and protective factors associated with identity theft victimization and determine whether individual-level behaviors, including frequency of online purchasing and data protection practices, are determinative of victimization. Data from sequential administrations of the U.S. National Crime Victimization Survey-Identity Theft Supplement (ITS) in 2012 and 2014 were combined (N = 128,419). Using multivariable logistic regression, risk and protective factors were examined for three subtypes: 1) unauthorized use of existing credit card/bank accounts, and unauthorized use of personal information to 2) open new accounts, or 3) engage in instrumental activities (e.g., applying for government benefits, receiving medical care, filing false tax returns). Existing credit card/bank accounts and new accounts identity theft victimization were associated with higher levels of online purchasing activity and prior identity theft victimization. All identity theft subtypes were associated with government/corporate data breaches and other crime victimization experiences. Routine individual-level preventive behaviors such as changing online passwords and shredding/destroying documents were protective. Identity theft subtypes showed divergent socio-demographic risk/protective profiles, with those of higher socioeconomic status more likely to be victims of existing credit card/bank account identity theft. Identity theft is a pervasive, growing problem with serious health and psychosocial consequences, yet individuals can engage in specific protective behaviors to mitigate victimization risk

You\u27Re It! Body, Action, And Object In Stem Learning

In this special double symposium, sixteen established and emerging scholars from seven US universities, who share theoretical perspectives of grounded cognition, empirical contexts of design for STEM content domains, and analytic attention to nuances of multimodal expression, all gather to explore synergy and coherence across their diverging research questions, methodologies, and conclusions in light of the conference theme Future of Learning. Jointly we ask, What are the relations among embodiment, action, artifacts, and discourse in the development of mathematical, scientific, engineering, or computer-sciences concepts? The session offers emerging answers as well as implications for theory and practice. © ISLS

Baba is Hint - Designing a Scaffolding Guidebook for Game-Based Learning

Providing guidance to learners navigating a game-based learning environment requires walking a fine line between encouraging progression toward learning goals without disrupting playful engagement in the game. In this paper, we present a scaffolding guidebook developed for tutors to provide guidance in game-based learning environments that encourages exploration of the problem space and solving puzzles without disrupting engagement. Scaffolding strategies were coded and categorized from Baba is You gameplay recordings of 13 middle school and 12 undergraduate students and then situated based on guiding principles from relevant literature into a scaffolding guide. Here, we describe this guidebook and its development, which could provide educators with important tools that can help their students progress through game-based learning environments without interfering with engagement