Abstract:

Makerspaces are increasingly seen as a way to draw diverse and interdisciplinary learners together to teach a variety of skills. This qualitative interview study explores the experiences of women in 1 such interdisciplinary makerspace course at a graduate school of education. Drawing on findings from Margolis and Fisher’s (2002) study of women in computer science education, we find that this makerspace course was a productive environment to engage women’s diverse motivations for making and computing, increasing their confidence across domains. Additionally, we find their learning was tied closely to their identities, which shaped how they experienced the course and instructional support, particularly sexism, the congruence of their thinking and learning with course pedagogy, and collaboration and community. The diversity of experiences these women described provides a challenge for instructors but suggests that gaining an understanding of women’s motivations and identities can inform course design and personalized support.

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