Carrie Tzou
Papers
4
Total Citations
105
H-Index
3
About
Carrie Tzou is an education researcher whose work sits at the vital intersection of STEM learning, Indigenous education, and participatory design. She is best known for her leadership of the TechTales project, a groundbreaking participatory design research initiative that brought together learning scientists, public librarians, informal science educators, and Native American–serving community organizations to co-create culturally expansive family-based robotics workshops. Her most influential publication, "Storywork in STEM-Art: Making, Materiality and Robotics within Everyday Acts of Indigenous Presence and Resurgence," has garnered 84 citations and powerfully reframes STEM making activities through the lens of Indigenous presence and resurgence, challenging dominant narratives in science education. Tzou's scholarship consistently centers equity and inclusion, advocating for STEM programming that honors Indigenous knowledge systems and community priorities rather than simply integrating underrepresented groups into existing frameworks. Her collaborative methodology — designing *with* Indigenous families and educators rather than *for* them — has helped establish participatory design research as an ethical imperative in informal STEM education. Her work offers an essential model for researchers and practitioners seeking to build genuinely culturally responsive learning environments.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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