Education Research: Maker Education, STEM, Spatial Intelligence & More

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During 2017-18, Macquarie University partnered with the NSW Department of Education, three schools and Makers Empire for a research study examining how maker activities using 3D technology could enhance learning and teaching outcomes. The study showed:

1. Makerspaces can be highly effective at developing children’s creativity, critical thinking, design thinking and digital skills.
2. Students were highly engaged with 3D technology and solving design challenges – it helped boost their confidence and resilience when dealing with setbacks, particularly for less capable students.
3. Teachers became more comfortable with technology and more collaborative and flexible in their teaching.

“…makerspaces is bringing the best pedagogies together, delivering the ultimate teaching and learning experiences for students and teachers. It [is about] problem solving, thinking critically and creatively and integrating across all KLAs… empowering students to propose solutions, try and refine without the fear of failure. It’s the best example I have seen of collaboration between students (and teachers!).”

Participating Teacher
NSW public school, Australia

Research on Maker Education

• The Maker Movement in Education
• The Urgency of Maker education 
• Bringing the Maker Movement to the School
• The Maker Movement in Education
• The Makerspace Experience and Teacher Professional Development
• Maker movement spreads innovation one project at a time
• Maker Principles and Technologies in Teacher Education – A National Survey
• Learning in the Making – A Comparative Case Study of Three Makerspaces
• A place to make, hack and learn: makerspaces in Australian public libraries
• Change in the Making – Makerspaces and the Ever-Changing Landscape of Libraries
• Creativity Through Maker Experiences and Design Thinking in the Education of Librarians
• Paperts Prison Fab Lab – Implications for the maker movement and education
• Re-‘making’ the world of education: A learning revolution
• What is Maker education?
• How maker education is impacting student cognition 
• The Maker Movement in K-12 Education: A Guide to Emerging Research
• The Invention Studio – A University Maker Space and Culture

Research on Active Learning

• Active learning leads to higher grades and fewer failing students in science, math, and engineering – Wired
• Research on active learning at Duke
• What does research say about active learning? – Pearson
• Active Learning in Research Methods Classes Is Associated with Higher Knowledge and Confidence, Though not Evaluations or Satisfaction
• Does active learning work? A review of the research
• Active learning interventions and student perceptions

Research on Spatial Intelligence

• Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth – Vanderbilt University
• Can Teaching Spatial Skills Help Bridge the STEM Gender Gap?
• A Comparative Analysis of Spatial Visualization Ability and Drafting Models for Industrial and Technology Education Students
• Effectiveness of communication of spatial engineering information through 3D CAD and 3D printed models
• Why Spatial Intelligence is Important and How to Help Students Develop It

Research on Inquiry Thinking

• Education for Thinking Project – Inquiry – Education for Thinking
• Inquiry Based Learning – Australian Curriculum
• Inquiry-Based Learning: A Review of the Research Literature – Galileo

Research on Girls and Women in STEM

• Under challenge: Girls’ confidence level, not math ability hinders path to science degrees
• Articles on Women in STEM – The Conversation
• Why don’t European girls like Science or Technology? – Microsoft
• Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – AAUW
• Girls in STEM – Accenture
• Generation STEM – Girl Scouts
• Researchers look to make maths, sciences appealing to girls – The Australian
• The Research Files Episode 38: Girls in STEM – Teacher Magazine
• Cracking the code: Girls’ and women’s education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) – UNESCO
• We’ve studied gender and STEM for 25 years. The science doesn’t support the Google memo – Recode
• The Complex Data on Girls in STEM – The Atlantic
• Researchers explain how stereotypes keep girls out of computer science classes – The Washington Post

Research on Project-Based Learning

• Project-Based Learning Research Review – NEA
• A Review of Research on Project Based Learning – BIE

Research on technology integration

• The NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2017 K–12 Edition
• Teaching in a Digital Age: How Educators Use Technology to Improve Student Learning
• Effects of integrating mobile devices with teaching and learning on students’ learning performance – Science Direct
• Technology Integration Research Review: Annotated Bibliography – Edutopia