Entering the Clubhouse: Case Studies of Young Programmers Joining the Online Scratch Communities

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Organizational and End-User Computing

Volume

2

Issue

22

Publication Date

2010

First Page

21

Last Page

35

Abstract

Previous efforts in end-user development have focused on facilitating the mechanics of learning programming leaving aside social and cultural factors equally important in getting youth engaged in programming. As part of a four-month long ethnographic study, we followed two 12-year old participants as they learned the programming software Scratch and its associated file-sharing site, scratch.mit.edu, in an after-school club and class. In our discussion we focus on the role that agency, membership, and status played in their joining and participating local and online communities of programmers.

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