ABSTRACT

Drawing from sociocultural cognitive theory (Cole, 1996), this study explores the participant structures of an after-school Latino family computer program. The program was designed to strategically create flexible participation roles. The study uses discourse analysis and the concept of third space to show how Latino families used their funds of knowledge to became brokers for each other as they learned about basic computing practices for educational applications. In third space, where the curriculum script and the families counter-script intersect, what counts as knowledge is negotiated and co-constructed. The study is relevant in light of the increase in use of learning technologies within the new paradigm of constructivist pedagogies that emphasize a shift in foci from teaching to learning, from individuals to collectives, and from habitual to reflective practices.