Designing to Foster Data Literacy in Underserved Territories: Community-Grounded Instructional Insights

Data is increasingly prevalent in today’s society, making the ability to work with it progressively relevant, particularly given the current information disorder. However, there is a trend toward curricular reform in data teaching, and a lack of strategies and resources persists, impeding the promotion of data literacy in underserved communities. This research in progress aims to understand how these communities interact with data, identify assets for data teaching in territories, and co-design data education strategies with residents. We drew methodological inspiration from Paulo Freire’s Method, Vygotsky’s sociohistorical psychology, and Engeström’s expansive learning theory to formulate a framework for data literacy in territories. Among the preliminary results, we identified the need to convince workers and their families of the importance of data literacy; that through artistic activities and games, we can achieve community engagement; and that data-literate residents have the potential to support third-sector communication.