Making In Education: A Study Of Teachers Decisions To Participate In Professional Development, Their Emerging Understandings Of Making, And Teacher Plans For Implementation

There is great hope that the implementation of the maker-based education within school-based learning will help bridge the ever-growing gap between formal classroom knowledge and real world problem solving. However, there is little known about the ways in which teachers perceive making in education, as well as what their essential needs are with respect to implementation of maker programming and overall professional development in maker education.;Through a qualitative grounded theory research design, this dissertation examines the experiences of K-12 Northern California educators as they engaged in a professional development opportunity in maker education, and subsequently their intention to implement maker-based practices at their school sites.;As part of the main research question for this study, there was a focus on discovering the perceived reasons K-12 teachers chose to participate in a maker certificate program. The purpose for this focus was to highlight similarities and inconsistencies behind the motivations, needs, and plans of maker educators. Participant responses centered around three main categories: (A.1) Maker Educator Network; (A.2) Student Engagement in Making; and (A.3) Innate Maker Philosophy. Several subcategories emerged consistently as secondary themes though the analysis of the interviews.;Findings highlight the unique role that teachers play as stewards of maker education. Participants in this study expressed a need for leadership training in maker education as they exhibited an entrepreneurial commitment and passion for maker education and advocacy at their school sites and beyond. As the key informants in this investigation, participants revealed important insights into the ways in which professional development opportunities in maker education can support implementation of making in formal education.