Education Commons^™

Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Using Maker Activities In Formal K-12 Educational Settings: A Multi-Institutional Study, W. Monty Jones, Shaunna Smith, Jonathan Cohen

Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This qualitative study examined preservice teachers' beliefs about using maker activities in formal educational settings. Eighty-two preservice and early-career teachers at three different universities in the United States took part in one-time workshops designed to introduce them to various maker tools and activities applicable to K–12 educational environments. Data were collected from 16 focus groups conducted during the workshops in spring 2016. Researchers analyzed the data using the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985, 1991) to better understand the teachers' attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control related to making activities, with the ultimate goal of using this information to …

Educators’ Perceptions Of A Maker-Based Learning Experience, Jonathan Cohen, Julia Huprich, W. Monty Jones, Shaunna Smith

Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine a cohort of educators’ perspectives of a semester-long, maker-based university course.

Design/methodology/approach - This qualitative study utilized participants’ weekly and end-of-semester written reflections to illustrate participants’ perceptions of a semester-long university course focused on the role of maker principles and technologies in a variety of educational contexts.

Findings - Participants’ perceptions of learning following the semester-long maker experience viewed learning as a more collaborative experience, and noted the benefits of a classroom community that arose from the collaboration.

Originality/value - This study adds empirical research to the literature base on …