| This study explored the cognitive and social effects of an after-school digital media arts program on underperforming and low-income adolescents from different high schools in the San Francisco East Bay. Utilizing frames of reference from human development as well as language and literacy traditions, this case study provided a window into the lives of youth media artists and collaborators who inventively utilized digital media technology to construct their versions of urban youth identity. Findings from an initial questionnaire offered a cross-sectional demographic description of the youth participants who elected to join the community as well as revealed attitudinal profiles of ability beliefs, hope in the future, and sense of community. By analyzing field observations, interviews, and media artifacts of focal students, the opportunities for cognitive and social development were traced from the conception of storylines, to the production process, to the screening and audience reception of youth works.;Several key findings illustrated the impact of this digital media arts community on the lives of its youth participants. First, the students from lower income families and who worked with peers similar to their racial origin and gender tended to be less able to handle constructive criticism, were more dependent on adult mentors, and were less optimistic about the impact of their media work on the community. Second, at the intermediate apprenticeship level, an alternative creative and social alliance similar to close-knit families and gangs was observed despite the disparities in ethnicity, race, gender, location of school, and socioeconomic status between the participants. Third, the media producers imaginatively employed cognitive tools to illustrate the beliefs about their own world which ranged from dramatic narratives to humorous public service announcements.;Finally, the intermediate youth media producers were cognizant of their agency and ability to promote social change through harnessing the mutable tools of media production to more fully express their voice and identity. These qualitative and quantitative findings will be highly relevant to teachers, parents, and school administrators interested in developing youth as creative, collaborating, and productive citizens. They will also hold significant interest to video producers and after-school coordinators. |
