Exploring How a "Judgment-Free" Makerspace Supports African American Girls' Identity Work as Community Makers and Engineers

• In Event: Toward Building Makerspaces for All: New Theories and Practices to Design Inclusive Makerspaces

Abstract

This study explores the ways in which a “judgment-free” youth makerspace influence African American (AA) girls to become innovators and identify themselves as youth makers/engineers. Current research highlights some beneficial impacts informal science experiences can bring to minority youth, such as increasing their interests and sense of competencies in science (e.g. Rahm & Ash, 2008; Dawson, 2014; Fadigan & Hammrich, 2004). Concurrently, the troubling trend of AA females deemed incapable of succeeding in school science and taking higher level science courses, persists (e.g. Hanson, 2009). This study takes up the notion of such “judgment” AA females may face while engaging in science, and explores how a “judgment-free” environment in an informal, community maker/engineering club can affect AA females’ identity work and agency. Our research questions are:
1. What does a judgment-free informal youth engineering/makerspace look like?
2. How does such a judgment-free setting influence AA girls’ identity work as makers/engineers, and their developing engineering/making agency?

Drawing on critical theory (Freire, 1998) and black feminist theory (Collins, 2009) for the theoretical basis of our conceptual framework, we situate this study against the backdrop of power inequalities manifested in preferred “cultural capital” and the resultant hegemonic pressure that affect the science identity and agency development in AA females. Critical theory and black feminist theory provide us with a useful lens to investigate and probe with more nuance the structures, elements and consequences of a “judgment-free” maker/engineering learning environment in which AA females engage.

We engaged in longitudinal, critical ethnography over 2 years where we took on dual roles as both facilitators and researchers of a community youth maker club, located at a community youth center. Data sources include field note observations, an emoji barometer created by youth, youth blogs of their making experiences, interviews, and youth-produced artifacts. Youth Maker Club runs for 75 minutes weekly during the school year and in the summer for two weeks (2 hour sessions) at the community maker club.

We present two case studies of AA females (aged 11 to 15), detailing their engagement in the Youth Maker club. We describe how the girls perceived “judgment” or “judgment-free” interactions in specific contexts (e.g. how activities were presented, set up, and negotiated), and by whom (adult facilitator or peers). We discuss how instantiations of specific kinds of judgment or non-judgment prompted what kinds of follow-up actions by the girls, and the consequences such actions have on their emerging maker/engineer identity work and agency. We discuss the conundrums in maintaining a “judgment-free” maker environment, particularly when the girls are innovating and tackling design problems.

This study explicitly takes up the notion of a “judgment-free” informal engineering learning environment for minoritized AA females. Findings will shed light on how AA females perceive and respond to what kinds of judgments (or non-judgment) in an informal engineering context and the implications on designing informal STEM learning environments for minoritzed youth, including AA females.

Authors

• Faith Brown Freeman, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Edna Tan, University of North Carolina at Greensboro