ERIC Number: EJ1253902
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2158-6195
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
How Do Makerspaces Communicate Who Belongs? Examining Gender Inclusion through the Analysis of User Journey Maps in a Makerspace
Melo, Marijel
Journal of Learning Spaces, v9 n1 p59-68 2020
The tension between cultivating inclusive library makerspaces and the gender biases rooted in the spatial configurations of makerspaces are examined in this article. This case study outlines a pilot study that investigated the relationship between gender identity and the decisions that study participants made regarding how and why they navigated a library makerspace in a certain way. Specifically, the guiding research question asked: "How does gender identity potentially impact the creation processes and behaviors of students in techcentric environments such as makerspaces?" The study yielded three preliminary findings: men-identified users were more mobile in the makerspace than women-identified users; conventional makerspace technologies were readily coded as being either associated with men or women; participants pointed to gender identity as a factor informing their decisioning during their collaborative making experience.
Descriptors: Shared Resources and Services, Gender Bias, Gender Differences, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Cooperative Learning, Academic Libraries, Student Behavior, College Students
University Libraries, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. PO Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402. Tel: 336-334-5880; Fax: 336-334-5399; e-mail: erhelp@uncg.edu; Web site: http://libjournal.uncg.edu/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

Peer reviewed
