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Abstract University makerspaces have been touted as a possible avenue for improving student learning, engagement, retention, and creativity. As their popularity has increased worldwide, so has the amount of research investigating their establishment, management, and uses. There have, however, been very few studies that use empirical data to evaluate how these spaces are impacting the people using them. This study of three university makerspaces measures engineering design (ED) self-efficacy and how it is correlated with involvement in the makerspaces, along with student demographics. The three university makerspaces include a relatively new makerspace at a Hispanic-serving university in the southwestern US, makerspaces at an eastern liberal arts university with an engineering program that has been created within the last decade, and a makerspace at a large, research university in the southeast often considered to be one of the top programs in the US. Students at all three universities are surveyed to determine their involvement in their university's makerspace and how they perceive their own abilities in engineering design. The findings presented in this paper show a positive correlation between engineering design self-efficacy (EDSE) and involvement in academic makerspaces. Correlations are also seen between certain demographic factors and the percentage of students who choose to use the academic makerspace available to them. These findings provide crucial empirical evidence to the community on the self-efficacy of students who use makerspaces and provide support for universities to continue making these spaces available to their students.
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This content will become publicly available on June 1, 2026
Women and URM Experiences in Makerspaces
Academic makerspaces represent an ideal opportunity to present engineering students with active, experiential learning opportunities that reinforce theoretical concepts through conceptual design and prototyping. When appropriately supported, experiential learning in makerspaces has the capacity to drive development of technical skills and positive self-efficacy among novice engineers. However, research suggests that students who identify as part of historically underrepresented groups (i.e. those who are not White and male) can experience makerspaces in ways that marginalize their success. Thus, care must be taken in makerspace design and operation to create an environment that has a positive impact on the success of all students. In this study, we consider the perceptions and experiences of women and underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities (URMs) in an academic makerspace at one large, research intensive institution. We surveyed 256 undergraduate mechanical engineering students to compare and contrast their self-efficacy, their perceptions of makerspace support, and their peer-to-peer interactions. We found that student self-efficacy for conceptual design and prototyping did not differ by race or gender. However, females reported they were more likely to have a positive experience in the makerspace when supported by a teaching assistant who was also female. Students who identified as URM were significantly more likely to report discomfort in working with peers in the makerspace. We anticipate the outcomes of this study will provide implications for faculty and staff makerspaces at other postsecondary institutions who aim to build an inclusive and accessible learning environment for all students.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2301341
- PAR ID:
- 10636805
- Publisher / Repository:
- ASEE Conferences
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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