Spaces and Practices within University Makerspaces

Academic makerspaces are an increasingly popular venue for informal, opt-in, STEM educational experiences, and many have lauded their potential to increase student access to and engagement with STEM [1], [2]. However, many scholars have critiqued the modern movement as a white, male, middle-class pursuit and have warned against the STEM-oriented, techno-centric framing of making activities [3], [4]. These narrow limits on what “counts” as STEM making have the potential to limit both who opts in to participating in these spaces and what types of activities they do there. Following these critiques, there have been calls to broaden student participation, but no examination of why some students choose not to visit these spaces. In this paper, we investigate perceptions of makerspaces amongst STEM undergraduate students using the lenses of Social Boundary Spaces [5], [6], Repertoires of Practice [7], and the Production of Space [8]. Specifically, we ask: (1) How do students view a STEM makerspace? (2) What repertoires of practice do students see as valid within a STEM makerspace? and (3) What is the relationship between students' beliefs about making and their opinions about the physical elements of a STEM makerspace? To answer our research questions, we interviewed 20 undergraduate students about their impressions of the makerspace, whether they have visited, if they have interest in the space, and what their reasons for participating or not were. We specifically targeted those students who had not ever visited the makerspace or had limited experiences there. Preliminary analyses illustrate divisions between what they conceptualized as making generally, and what they felt counted as making within the context of a STEM makerspace. Implications for alleviating barriers and supporting continued involvement in STEM makerspaces are discussed.