A Place to Be Your Best: Youth Outcomes in the Computer Clubhouse
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A Place to Be Your Best: Youth Outcomes in the Computer Clubhouse Prepared for The Computer Clubhouse Network One Science Park Boston, MA 02114 Prepared by Vera Michalchik, Carlin Llorente, Patrik Lundh, and Julie Remold Center for Technology in Learning, SRI International 333 Ravenswood Ave. Menlo Park, CA 94025 July 2008 • 333 Ravenswood Avenue • Menlo Park, California 94025-3493 • 650.859.2000 • www.sri.com A Place to be Your Best: Youth Outcomes in the Computer Clubhouse 2 July 2008 Contents Contents ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 The Clubhouse Model ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Youth Impact Survey .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Network Documentation.................................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Interviews ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Training Observation ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Clubhouse Site Visits .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Review of Relevant Research Studies ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 Analysis ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Notes on Quotations and Sources ............................................................................................................................................................. 10 21st Century Skills ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 11 Authentic Problem Solving .......................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Creative Production ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 17 Communicating in New Ways ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Working with Others ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Technological Fluency ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 31 Creating New Content and Products ........................................................................................................................................................ 32 Participation and Engagement ................................................................................................................................................................... 34 Sharing Creations Openly ............................................................................................................................................................................. 38 Learning Technology Collaboratively ..................................................................................................................................................... 39 Linking Technology, Identity, and Development ............................................................................................................................... 41 Focusing on Projects ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 46 Accessing New Pathways ................................................................................................................................................................................... 51 Orienting to the Future .................................................................................................................................................................................. 51 Engaging with School ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 54 Identifying a Professional Path .................................................................................................................................................................. 57 Commitment to Community and Service .................................................................................................................................................... 59 Pride and Service Within the Clubhouse ............................................................................................................................................... 59 Service Beyond the Clubhouse Walls ...................................................................................................................................................... 62 Youth Development Processes in the Clubhouse .................................................................................................................................... 66 Trajectories of Greater Participation ....................................................................................................................................................... 67 Charting Personal Progress ......................................................................................................................................................................... 68 Quality of Social Life in the Clubhouse .................................................................................................................................................... 69 Identity in the Clubhouse Community .................................................................................................................................................... 71 Broader Connections to the Greater Community ............................................................................................................................... 75 Mentoring in Building Clubhouse Community .................................................................................................................................... 77 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 83 References ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 85 A Place to be Your Best: Youth Outcomes in the Computer Clubhouse 3 July 2008 Executive Summary Since 2004, the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International in Menlo Park, California, has been conducting quantitative assessments of the effect of Computer Clubhouse participation on youth members, particularly on their socioemotional attitudes, academic attitudes, and technology use. To extend this analysis to a broader range of outcomes and provide a rich look at the environment in which these outcomes develop, SRI recently conducted a qualitative study drawing on the large body of documentation gathered over several years by the Clubhouse Network and supplementing this with site visits to Clubhouses and interviews with staff from around the world. The resulting analysis, combining quantitative