Do years of teaching experience matter in maker teacher professional development? K-12 teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and design of maker lessons

Abstract

With the advance of the Maker movement, teacher professional development is needed to prepare K-12 teachers for maker-centered instruction. This study examined the influence of teaching experience in learning maker-centered instruction. Data included surveys, 3D models, and maker lesson plans created by 162 in-service K-12 teachers. Results show that, overall, years of teaching experience did not make a difference in knowledge, attitudes, and design of maker lessons between veteran and novice teachers. Both teacher groups held positive attitudes, yet were concerned with limited maker knowledge and skills. After the initial training, both groups were able to integrate maker technology and design maker lessons in creative ways. Research and practical implications are discussed for the maker-teacher professional development of K-12 teachers.

Keywords:

• Maker-centered instruction
• teaching experience
• K-12 teachers
• 3D making
• teacher professional development

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The data of this study can be made available upon request.

Notes

1 Cohen’s kappa ≤ 0 as indicating no agreement, 0.01–0.20 as none to slight, 0.21–0.40 as fair, 0.41– 0.60 as moderate, 0.61–0.80 as substantial, and 0.81–1.00 as almost perfect agreement (McHugh, 2012).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ye Chen

Ye Chen is an assistant professor of Instructional Technology, Media, and Design at University of West Georgia. She teaches courses in makerspace education, technology integration, and instructional design and development. Her research interests include makerspace teacher professional development, technology integration, preparing teachers for using technology, online learning, and learning analytics.

Li Cao

Dr. Li Cao is a professor of educational psychology in the College of Education. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses of Educational Psychology, Research Methods, & Program Evaluation for teacher education and UTeach programs. His research focuses on metacognition and self-regulated learning in the traditional face-to-face and e-learning environment. His recent publications include a book on teacher reflection, book chapters on the mixed-method research, and educational technology applications in classroom, and journal articles on teacher game-based learning design, maker-centered instruction, learning strategy, help-seeking, student motivation, and self-efficacy.