Difference without deficits: culturally responsive SEL for diverse early learners of STEM

This qualitative study focused on how two teachers employed culturally responsive pedagogy in conjunction with social emotional learning in a year-long LEGO Robotics afterschool program to facilitate STEM learning for four and five-year-olds in a Northern California elementary school. Data included class video recordings, field notes, review of curriculum documents, and the creation of content logs on 15 of the one-hour classes during the 2023–2024 school year. Also, semi-structured, informal, and teacher noticing interviews were conducted with the two teachers. By the end of the school year, their 11 diverse students had similar outcomes designing, building, and programming LEGO robots and other aspects of STEM learning to what had been achieved earlier with fourth and fifth graders. These results contribute to understanding effective, culturally responsive SEL approaches to early STEM learning that can inform instruction within both U.S. and global contexts on ways to increase achievement for early learners of STEM.