Characterizing the Foundations of School Makerspace Research and Preparing for the Future

Abstract Over the past decade, makerspaces have been increasingly incorporated into schools as venues for innovative and interdisciplinary instruction. At the same time, school makerspace research has increased, and much is now known about how makerspaces support students learning a range of skills, content, and practices. However, given the emergent nature of school makerspace research, there is still a pressing need to characterize the development and progress of school makerspace research as well as to point out worthwhile pathways for future school makerspace research. In this article, we characterize the foundations of school makerspace research by: (a) identifying seminal researcher- and practitioner-focused publications and describing and analyzing their impact on the field, (b) reviewing a selection of noteworthy recent school makerspace research, and (c) discussing promising directions for school makerspace research in the future. Our goal is to provide a concise resource for researchers and practitioners working in the field of school makerspace research and a clear orientation for those who wish to conduct school makerspace research in the future.