Taking Tinkering Home: A Study of Children's Tinkering Activities Following Participation in a Workshop

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 9
  In Poster Session: Qualitative Inquiries in Out-of-School Time

Abstract

The Maker Movement in education and STEM-rich (Bevan, Gutwill, Petrich, & Wilkinson, 2014) making and tinkering have become popular among parents and educators across various domains. As resources inspired by the movement such as lessons and kits are becoming easily available, we are realizing that we don’t know enough about interest-based making and tinkering as activities that are a part of children’s learning lives and a vehicle for meaningful learning across contexts. In this paper, we analyze the progression of interest-based tinkering activities of two boys aged eight and twelve over eight weeks. We tracked their tinkering projects and their participation and found that through tinkering they connected to other hobbies, materials and tools, and people.

Authors

• Priyanka Parekh, Northern Arizona University

• Elisabeth R. Gee, Arizona State University