Why Won't It Work? Analyzing Questions Children Ask in a Tinkering Workshop

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Abstract

Tinkering is a playful, iterative, experimental approach to making that holds promise for science education. This article explores three elementary-age children's science learning in a tinkering workshop as the children work with circuit components to create artifacts of their choice. This article uses a microethnographic analytic approach to analyze children's questions and the contexts of the questions to understand tinkering as a context for science learning. Findings suggest that children ask questions about materials, problems and potential solutions, and possibilities for their projects, ask specific kinds of questions to peers and mentors, and use questions to position themselves socially. The article concludes that tinkering projects might function as boundary objects that bridge worlds of play and inquiry-based learning.

Author

• Priyanka Parekh, University of Colorado - Boulder