Abstract
Integrated STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) making activities have become increasingly popular in recent years. Many tout their benefits for STEAM interest development. However, we know relatively little about how these activities cultivate STEAM interests or about the relation between interest development and learning. This paper examines these issues in the context of one set of in-school, choice-based, STEAM making and learning environments, FUSE Studios. Drawing on sociocultural approaches to interest development, we present the case of one student's interest pathway through FUSE. By the end of the schoolyear, this student had developed an interest in and was recognized as a relative expert at 3D printing. She also connected this interest in 3D printing to a career aspiration to “help cancer kids and become a doctor for them”. Drawing on ethnographic observations and microanalysis of video-recordings, we trace her year-long interest pathway through FUSE to understand how her interests, in interaction with the socio-material context of FUSE, shaped her learning. We argue that the choice-based nature of FUSE allowed her to pursue her interests, organize her own learning, and consequently, cultivate STEAM interests and learning.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 100262 |
| Journal | Learning, Culture and Social Interaction |
| Volume | 23 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2019 |
Funding
This work was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF), United States grants DRL-1348800 and DRL-1433724 . However, any opinions, findings, conclusions, and/or recommendations are our own and do not reflect the views of the NSF. We would like to thank Jaakko Hilppö, Dionne Champion, and Peter Meyerhoff for their help with data collection and feedback on this work, as well as Kemi Jona, Henry Mann, and the members of the FUSE development team for their work developing and supporting FUSE. Finally, we would like to thank the administrators, teachers, and students at our partner schools for their participation in FUSE and our research. This work was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF), United States grants DRL-1348800 and DRL-1433724. However, any opinions, findings, conclusions, and/or recommendations are our own and do not reflect the views of the NSF. We would like to thank Jaakko Hilppö, Dionne Champion, and Peter Meyerhoff for their help with data collection and feedback on this work, as well as Kemi Jona, Henry Mann, and the members of the FUSE development team for their work developing and supporting FUSE. Finally, we would like to thank the administrators, teachers, and students at our partner schools for their participation in FUSE and our research.
Keywords
- Interest
- Learning
- Makerspace
- STEAM
- STEM
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Education
