Shaping STEM attitudes: the impact of a Makerspace experience on Primary preservice teachers

Background Primary teachers are known to exhibit adverse attitudes towards STEM and experience few formal opportunities for growth once in the profession. Interventions to develop STEM skills and confidence within initial teacher education are thus vital.Purpose This study focused on preservice teachers (PSTs) enrolled in a Bachelor of Primary Education first year Science and Technology subject at an Australian university who experienced an intervention in a university makerspace that involved completing a design-based project as part of an assessment in the subject.Sample There were N = 98 matched pre- and post-test responses to a questionnaire. Four (two female, one non-binary and one male) PSTs in addition to one makerspace facilitator also participated in semi-structured interviews, where they were asked to reflect on various elements of their experience in the makerspace.Design and methods Quantitative data were collected from a survey administered in a pre- and post-test design to the cohort. Five constructs or single-item measures are reported in this paper: Design Self-Efficacy, Innovation Self-efficacy, Tinkering Self-Efficacy, General Technology Self-Efficacy, and Technology Identity. Quantitative analysis focused on changes between pre- and post-test measures and differences between genders. The qualitative data were collected in the form of semi-structured interviews that were coded using thematic analysis.Results PSTs began the intervention with relatively negative attitudes towards STEM, and a low sense of technology identity, with improvements across all measures (apart from General Technology Self-efficacy) noted after the intervention. In general, gender differences were modest, with both male and female participants showing similar gains. Qualitative findings highlighted the importance of the makerspace in fostering engagement and inclusion, particularly for female and non-binary participants who described increased confidence and shifts in perception despite feelings of marginalization resulting from prior experiences.Conclusions After participating in the makerspace PSTs developed more positive attitudes towards STEM.