Secondary Students' Perceptions of Collaboration in a Formal Makerspace

• In Event: Play, Maker Space, and Designerly Ways of Knowing

Abstract

Despite the emergence of makerspaces in formal school settings, relatively little research focuses on students’ perceptions of their experiences within formal makerspaces (e.g., Blackley et al., 2017). This single case study explores how secondary students perceive collaborating in a formal makerspace from a social capital perspective. Student midterm reflections were collected and year-end interviews conducted. Results indicate that students with different self-perceptions of prior academic engagement take on different collaborative roles, students make collaborative decisions based on perceived factors of social capital, and students prefer self-initiated collaborations in makerspaces to what they perceive to be teacher-mandated in traditional settings. Our findings provide insight into student perspectives and inform future research toward creating equitable learning experiences in formal makerspaces.

Authors

• Sarah Lilly, University of Virginia

• Sarah Shepherd, University of Virginia

• Jennifer L. Chiu, University of Virginia