Project staff: Sarita Yardi, Sarai Mitnick

Our primary goal for this project is to form an understanding of the role of technology and online media in the lives of girls. We are particularly interested in how girls view the web as a communication forum, how technology fits into their social worlds, and how they view themselves in relation to the technology. We are also interested in exploring how these relationships and existing practices might fit into the framework of media literacy education. We would like to uncover ways that girl’s motivations, practices, and interactions may inform these types of educational initiatives.

Research Questions

• What are young women's current practices regarding communication on the web (blogs, social networking, etc), and how can these be utilized to enhance learning?
• How do girls view the web in terms of communication and social relations?
• How might the web be used to develop a sense of efficacy in young women? In what ways is this occurring?
• What are girls’ attitudes toward media, including the web, and how is this affected by interaction with other girls?
• How does a same-sex environment affect girls’ views of and relationship to technology?
• How do gender perceptions alter or influence girls’ feelings about technology?
• What factors lead to the formation of technical ability and literacy on the web?
• What is the attitude of girls to technology in relation to various power structures and institutions (e.g. parents, teachers, counselors)?
• What kinds of technology are the girls embracing, and what are the primary characteristics of these technologies?
• How do girls learn, share, and communicate in regard to sensitive issues?

Site Description

We are conducting our research through the YWCA TechGYRLS program at the Claremont Middle School computer lab in Oakland, CA. TechGYRLS meets on Mondays and Thursdays from 4:40-6pm. Claremont Middle School is in a relatively upscale neighborhood and close to public transportation. However, the school itself is not as upscale as its surrounding neighborhood. Many of the student take the bus or BART to school from Oakland.

The three main goals of the Berkeley YWCA program are elimination of racism, empowerment of women, and leadership development. The goal of TechGYRLS is to empower girls through the use of computers and technology. The majority of the girls are from lower class demographics. Most of the girls in the program range between the ages of 11-13.

We are conducting our research using participant observation methods. Our role in the club is the same as the other volunteers mentors. We help to teach them and run the sessions. We jot down field notes when we can do so unobtrusively. However, the majority of our field notes are written immediately after each session. Our research began in the Fall of 2005 and will continue through the Spring of 2006, possibly longer, depending on our findings.