Generative and Hindering Roles of Student-Material Intra-Actions in a University Makerspace

Abstract

As design-based and construction-oriented maker activities are increasingly integrated into formal education, it has become important to better understand how materials and tools contribute to student learning. This study analyzed intra-actions between students and materials in a university makerspace during a graduate summer course. Incorporating constructionist and posthumanist perspectives, the study aims to understand how materials and tools ‘co-contribute’ to student engagement and learning. Conducting diffractive reading of student journals and reflections, we illustrate how materials in the makerspace intra-acted with students both constructively and counter-productively for their engagement and learning.