Abstract
As a means to nurture innovation and better prepare students for the world of tomorrow, schools are establishing makerspaces. Consequently, school makerspaces are gaining momentum in recent years. While makerspaces have been studied mostly in museums and libraries, little research has been conducted inside K–12 school makerspaces. The purpose of this exploratory mixed-methods case study was to examine the perceptions of teachers and students concerning learning in a standalone school makerspace, how the identifiable indicators of learners’ learning differ by station and to identify how such learning may assist students in being future-ready.
Data collection is performed using mixed methods. The sample included 79 high school students and seven teachers who worked at five makerspace stations on different projects. Data were collected via online surveys, reflective journals, and observational notes. The tinkering learning dimensions framework, 21st-century skills framework, Gibbs’s reflective cycle, and the makerspace quadrant guided the design of data collection tools and discussion of the findings. This study contributes to the field by demonstrating how this school makerspace facilitated learning during a crisis through long-term projects using a novel blended projects model developed in this study.
The cross-case analysis revealed that social and emotional engagement was the most visible learning dimension across all stations. The study results reveal that school makerspaces offer a context to develop 21st-century skills, becoming a hub for exploring many career pathways and providing real-life connections. The evidence also shows there to be a potential relationship between the makerspace stations and the learning dimensions. For example, while students at the technology station with no hands-on work had the lowest level of learning indicators, those at the 3D printing station had higher levels of learning indicators. The findings contribute to the ongoing scholarly conversations about the educational values of school makerspaces, and the discussion culminates in recommendations for practice and research.