Abstract
Children’s attitudes about STEM are formed early. As such, the ecology of early childhood classrooms can either afford or deny access to relevant experiences that help children nurture early self-understandings and ways of positioning themselves in relation to STEM. This early positioning and the funds of identity they afford are critical to early STEM academic identity development. While Fasso and Knight (2020) offer Makerspace Pedagogy for fostering identity development, Marsh et al. (2017) note a lack of wide-spread application and related research on deliberate employment of Makerspace Pedagogy in early childhood classrooms. To address this gap and to explore the adoption of Makerspace pedagogy in an early public-school setting, a university research team joined with a kindergarten teacher to pilot an emergent curriculum focused on tinkering and making. Initial findings suggest that design-based activities may support kindergartners taking on the role of STEM practitioners, that Makerspace activities seem to help produce a syncretism of early STEM and multimodal literacy practices and that Makerspace Pedagogy may offer a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of various aspects of children’s early identity formation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bassok, D., Latham, S., & Rorem, A. (2016). Is kindergarten the new first grade?. AERA Open. Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2332858415616358
Beier, M. E., & Rittmayer, A. D. (2008). Literature Overview: Motivational factors in STEM: Interest and self-concept. SWE-AWE-CASEE ARP Resources. Retrieved from: https://www.engr.psu.edu/AWE/misc/ARPs/ARP_SelfConcept_Overview_122208.pdf
Bezemer, J., Diamantopoulou, S., Jewitt, C., Kress, G., & Mavers, D. (2012). Using a social semiotic approach to multimodality: Researching learning in schools, Museums and Hospitals. NCRM Working paper. Retrieved from: http://eprints.ncrm.ac.uk/2258/4/NCRM_working_paper_0112.pdf
Blikstein, P. (2013). Digital fabrication and ‘making’ in education: The democratization of invention. In J. Walter-Herrmann & C. Büching (Eds.), FabLab: Of machines, makers and inventors. Bielefeld, Germany: Transcript Publishers.
Blikstein, P., & Worsley, M. (2016). The Maker Movement: The last chance of progressive education? In K. Peppler, E. Halverson, & Y. Kafai (Eds.), Makeology: Makerspaces as learning environments (Vol. 1). New York: Routledge.
Braun, V., & Clark, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Brooks, M. (2005). Drawing as a unique mental development tool for young children: Interpersonal and intrapersonal dialogs. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 6, 80–91.
Brown, R., Brown, J., Reardon, K., & Merril, C. (2011). Understanding STEM: Current perceptions. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 70(6), 5–9.
Cheryan, S., Master, A., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2015). Cultural stereotypes as gatekeepers: Increasing girls’ interest in computer science and engineering by diversifying stereotypes. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1–8.
Corbin, J., & Strass. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing Grounded Theory (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Crespo, M. N., Kraatz, E., & Pallansch, L. (2014). From fearing STEM to playing with it: The natural integration of STEM into the preschool classroom. SRATE Journal, 23(2), 8–16.
Docherty, S. (2014). 5 Reasons why fairy tales are good for children. Retrieved from: http://hcmslcunningham.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/1/5/13158368/5_reasons_why_fairy_tales_are_good_for_children.pdf
Donaldson, J. (2014). The maker movement and the rebirth of constructionism. Hybrid Pedagogy. http://www.hybridpedagogy.com/journal/constructionism-reborn/
Dooley, C. M., & Matthews, M. W. (2009). Emergent comprehension: Understanding comprehension development among young literacy learners. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 9(3), 269–294.
Dyson, A. H. (2008). Staying in the (curricular) lines: Practice constraints and possibilities in childhood writing. Written Communication, 25(1), 119–159.
Early Childhood STEM Working Group. (2017). Early STEM Matters, Providing high-quality STEM experiences for all young learners: A policy report by the Early Childhood STEM Working Group. Erikson Institute. Retrieved from: http://d3lwefg3pyezlb.cloudfront.net/docs/Early_STEM_Matters_FINAL.pdf
Ejiwale, J. (2013). Barriers to successful implementation of STEM education. Journal of Education and Learning, 7(2), 63–74.
Esteban-Guitart, M., & Moll, L. (2014). Lived experience, funds of identity and education. Culture & Psychology, 20(1), 70–81.
Fasso, W., & Knight, B. A. (2020). Identity development in school makerspaces: Intentional design. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 30, 275–294.
Furner, J. M. (2018). Using children’s literature to teach mathematics: An effective vehicle in a STEM world. European Journal of STEM Education, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/3874.
Galliher, R. V., McLean, K. C., & Syed, M. (2017). An integrated developmental model for studying identity content in context. Developmental Psychology, 53(11), 2011–2022.
Gee, J. P. (2000). Identity as an analytic lens for research in education. Review of Research in Education, 25, 99–125.
Griffith, G., & Scharmann, L. (2008). Initial impacts of No Child Left Behind on elementary science education. Journal of Elementary Science Education, 20(3), 35–48.
Hachey, A. C. (2009). I hate math: What we want young children NOT to learn. Texas Child Care Quarterly, Fall, 2009, 2–7.
Hachey, A. C. (2013). Teachers’ beliefs count: A study of teacher beliefs and practices in early childhood mathematics education (ECME). NHSA Dialog: A Research-to-Practice Journal for the Early Childhood Field, 16(3), 77–85.
Hachey, A. C. (2020). Success for all: Fostering early childhood STEM identity. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching and Learning, 13(1), 135–139.
Harel, I., & Papert, S. (Eds.). (1991). Constructionism. New York: Ablex Publishing.
Hawkins, M. R. (2005). Becoming a student: Identity work and academic literacies in early schooling. TESOL Quarterly, 39(1), 59–80.
Kaplan, A., & Garner, J. K. (2017). A complex dynamic systems perspective on identity and its development: The dynamic systems model of role identity. Developmental Psychology, 53(11), 2036–2051.
Kaplan, A., Sinai, M., & Flum, H. (2014). Design-based interventions for promoting students identity formation within the school curriculum. In Motivational interventions (pp. 243–291). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Katz, L. G. (2017). STEM in the early years. SEED: Collected paper from the SEED (STEM in Early Education and Development) Conference. Retrieved from: http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/beyond/seed/katz.html
Kellogg, R. (1973). Mis-understanding children’s art. Art Education, 26(6), 7–9.
Kim, A. Y., Sinatra, G. M., & Seyranian, V. (2018). Developing a STEM identity among young women: A social identity perspective. Review of Educational Research, 20(10), 1–37.
Kim, S.-J., & Hachey, A. C. (2020). Engaging preschoolers with critical literacy through counter-storytelling: A qualitative case study. Early Childhood Education Journal. Retrieved from: https://0-doi-org.lib.utep.edu/10.1007/s10643-020-01089-7
Langer-Osuna, J. M., & Nasir, N. S. (2016). Rehumanizing the “other” race, culture, and identity in education research. Review of Research in Education, 40(1), 723–743.
Li, Y., Schoenfeld, A. H., diSessa, A. A., Graesser, A., Benson, L. C., English, L. D., & Duschl, R. A. (2019). Design and desing thinking in STEM education. Journal for STEM Education Research, 2, 93–104.
Marsh, J., Kumpulainen, K., Nisha, B., Velicu, A., Blum-Ross, A., Hyatt, D., et al. (2017). Makerspaces in the early years: A literature review. University of Sheffield: MakEY Project. Retrieved from: http://makeyproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Makey_Literature_Review.pdf
Martin-Hanson, L. (2018). Examining ways to meaningfully support students in STEM. International Journal of STEM Education, 5, 53.
May, S. (2017). Engineering design process. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/best/edp.html
National Academies Press. (2011). Successful K-12 STEM education: Identifying effective approaches in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
NMC. (2015). Horizon report: 2015 higher education edition. Retrieved from: https://library.educause.edu/-/media/files/library/2015/2/hr2015-pdf.pdf
Pantaleo, S. (2009). An ecological perspective on the socially embedded nature of reading and writing. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 9(1), 75–99.
Pantoya, M. E., Aguirre-Munoz, Z., & Hunt, E. M. (2015). Developing an engineering identity in early childhood. Journal of Engineering Education, 6(2), 61–68.
Peppler, K., Halverson, E., & Kafai, Y. (Eds.). (2016). Makeology: Makerspaces as learning environments (Vols 1 and 2). New York: Routledge.
Pritle, J. M., & Maker, C. J. (2012). A qualitative analysis of kindergarteners’ open-ended drawing and storytelling opportunities. Retrieved from: https://www.ipisr.org.rs/images/arhiva-zbornika/44/Jody%20M.%20Pirtle%20and%20C.%20June%20Maker.pdf
Reveles, J. M., Cordova, R., & Kelly, G. J. (2004). Science literacy and Academic Identity formation. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41(10), 1111–1144.
Reynolds, A., Brown, P., & Bromley, L. (2012). Creepy carrots!. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Rick, J., DeVane, B., Clegg, T., Peters, V. L., Songer, N., Goldman, S. R., et al (2012). Learning as identity formation: Implications for design, research and practice. Retrived from: https://repository.isls.org/bitstream/1/2252/1/126-133.pdf
Roffey, T., Sverko, C., & Therien, J. (2016). The making of a makerspace: Pedagogical and physical transformations of teaching and learning. Retrieved from: http://www.makerspaceforeducation.com/uploads/4/1/6/4/41640463/makerspace_for_education_curriculum_guide.pdf
Rose, G. (2007). Visual methodologies: An introduction to the interpretation of visual material. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Saucerman, J., & Vasquez, K. (2014). Psychological barriers to STEM participation for women over the course of development. ADULTSPAN Journal, 13(1), 46–64.
Seyranian, V., Madva, A., Duong, N., Abramzon, N., Tibbetts, Y., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2018). The longitudinal effects of STEM identity and gender on flourishing and achievement in college physics. International Journal of STEM Education, 5, 40.
Sharapan, H. (2012). From STEM to STEAM: How early childhood educators can apply Fred Rogers’ approach. Young Children, 67, 36–40.
Sheridan, K., Halverson, E. R., Litts, B., Brahms, L., Jacobs-Priebe, L., & Owens, T. (2014). Learning in the making: A comparative case study of three makerspaces. Harvard Educational Review, 84(4), 505–531.
Siegel, M. (2006). Rereading the signs: Multimodal transformations in the field of literacy education. Language Arts, 84(1), 65–77.
Sipe, L. (2000). The construction of literary understanding by first and second graders in oral response to picture storybook read-alouds. Reading Research Quarterly, 35(2), 252–275.
Souto-Manning, M., & Yoon, H. S. (2018). Rethinking early literacies: Reading and rewriting worlds. New York: Routledge.
Spencer, S. (2011). Visual research methods in the social sciences: Awakening visions. New York: Routledge.
STEM Smart: Lessons Learned From Successful Schools. (2013, December). Nurturing stem skills in young learners, prek–3. Stem smart brief-early childhood learning, Washington, DC. Retrieved from: http://docplayer.net/7429009-Stem-smart-brief-stem-smart-lessons-learned-from-successful-schools.html
Talafian, H., Moy, M. K., Woodard, M. A., & Foster, A. N. (2019). STEM identity exploration through an immersive learning environment. Journal for STEM Education Research, 2, 105–127.
Tao, Y. (2019). Kindergarten teachers’ attitudes toward and confidence for integrated STEM education. Journal for STEM Education Research, 2, 154–171.
van der Gaag, M. A. E., Albers, C. J., & Kunnen, E. S. (2017). Micro-level mechanisms of identity development: The role of emotional experiences in commitment development. Developmental Psychology, 53(11), 2205–2217.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hachey, A.C., An, S.A. & Golding, D.E. Nurturing Kindergarteners’ Early STEM Academic Identity Through Makerspace Pedagogy. Early Childhood Educ J 50, 469–479 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01154-9
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01154-9