Material and Identity Play in a School-Based Maker Space: A Case Study

• In Event: Equity, Identity, and Inclusivity in STEM and Engineering Education: Exploring Cultural Practices, Team Dynamics, and Systemic Barriers

Abstract

Marginalized youth face pervasive barriers to STEM identity development. This paper presents a case study of a sixth grade Latina’s STEM identity work within a school-based maker education experience as she worked to create a “pet robot.” Our study comes from a design-based research project created as part of an ongoing research-practice partnership between the university, a public elementary school, and a public housing agency. Analysis of a pivotal moment shows how one participant leveraged an opportunity to engage in identity play with a set of material resources, transforming them through imagination, dance, and music, into relational resources for herself and others. Play was a catalyst for becoming a person who can “do STEM,” connecting material and relational resources together.

Authors

• J.C. Leapman, University of California - Davis

• Lee Michael Martin, University of California - Davis