Share Paper: Makerspace Professional Development: A Self-determination Theory Analysis

1. Michael L Schad, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States
2. Monty Jones, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States

Abstract: It is the aim of this paper to present an analysis of teacher experiences from a makerspace professional development through self-determination theory (SDT). This qualitative study examined K-12 teachers’ perceptions of an eight-week professional development experience based in a makerspace in the United States. Semi-structured individual interview data and semi-structured reflections were collected from all 15 teachers who participated in the experience during Summer 2017. Out of the 15 teachers, two female art teachers were chosen to qualitatively code their responses into the three components which comprise basic psychological traits embedded in SDT: autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Deci & Ryan, ...