Browsing by Subject "design and technology education"

The purpose of this Master’s Thesis was to study the various types of objectives and contents created in a makerspace set in Finnish comprehensive school, and to find practices for developing similar innovative learning environments. The starting point was a research problem according to which the infrastructure of several comprehensive schools is in many ways inadequate in relation to the latest national core curriculum (POPS 2014), and therefore it fails to serve the acquisition of 21st century skills. The larger theoretical framework of this thesis is a socio constructivist learning theory, within which I review research done on learning environments and learning by making, with emphasis on design-oriented maker-culture. Previous studies have shown that inadequate physical learning environments may have negative impacts on learning and well-being in schools. Furthermore, there is strong scientific proof that emphasizing student-centered education and self-direction furthers learning. The research subject was the makerspace of a design education-oriented comprehensive school, whose concept has been selected as an educational innovation for the international project HundrED. The research approach selected was a case study and its qualitative data collected discretionarily through expert interviews. Visual anthropology as a research method enabled the use of visuality as part of content analysis. The analysis revealed that the makerspace aims at creating wide-ranging contents and objectives across school subject borders. Design methods are applied to the makerspace as part of both official and informal teaching. Data-based content analysis yielded a narrative image of the various stages of the creating process, pedagogical thinking of interviewees, and the still developing nature of the makerspace. The results of the thesis can be used particularly in creating new learning environments, which are making their way into basic education. Additionally, the results can be applied to designing and planning new schools.