Embedded Maker Education: An Action Research Plan

Connie Sharp

EDLD 5315

Lamar University
 Embedded Maker Education: An Action Research Plan

Makerspaces, which can be described as collaborative workspaces with shareable materials for

hands on learning, are becoming more common in classrooms and especially in school libraries.

(Blakemore, 2018). Oftentimes the school librarian takes on the role of implementing and

embedding maker activities into lessons because they are familiar with grade level content and

have the opportunity to work with all students and teachers in their buildings. As many schools

are shifting between in-person and virtual learning, teachers are consistently looking for ways to

engage their students. Do educators find students more engaged when they provide a hands-on

activity that goes along with the lesson being taught?

Fundamental Research Question

This researcher will ask: Does incorporating a hands-on maker activity into a library lesson

increase the level of engagement in 4th grade students? This is important because some students

are finding online learning difficult. The hope is that by providing a hands-on activity, students

will be more apt to participate in class and engage more readily in the assignment.

Study Information

The action research study will occur between January-April 2021. It will begin with a call for

volunteers occurring in January, two lessons taught in February through March, data compiled in

April and finally, the results will be shared in May with district leaders and librarian participants.

Five elementary librarians who teach 4th grade students will be chosen to participate in this study.

They will teach 2 lessons to 2 different groups of students. One group will be taught through the

didactic method and the other group of students will be taught the same information, but will

have a hands-on activity incorporated into the lesson. The timeline of the study is outlined

below.
 Action Research Study Timeline

Month Goal
January Send request for volunteers (5 Librarians)
February Librarians will teach 1st lesson- Didactic
Approach
March Librarians will teach 2nd lesson- Incorporating
a hands-on lesson
April Compile the Data
May Share the results of the study through a Canva
Infographic with librarians and district
leaders.

Research Design

Quantitative data will be gathered from the librarian at the conclusion of each lesson. Taking this

data immediately will gather the best impression of lesson engagement by the students.

Research Method

Participants will use a Likert scale to offer their best impression of student engagement. This

data will be gathered through the use of a Microsoft Form.

Data Collection and Analysis

The following questions will be asked through the Microsoft Form. Librarians will receive the
Form prior to the lesson.

o Did most students choose to turn their cameras on? (Agree, Same, Disagree)

o Did most students complete the activity? (Agree, Same, Disagree)

o Did the interaction between student/teacher increase from previous lesson?

(Agree, Same, Disagree)

Sharing and Communicating Results

Results of the study will be shared with participants and district leaders at the completion of the

study in April 2021. All results will be shared through the use of an Infographic created with

Canva.
Final Reflection

Research shows that one way to incorporate maker education is to connect a maker activity to the

lesson being taught and align it to the standards. (Mann, 2018). Through this action research

study, this researcher hopes to gain a better understanding of whether incorporating a hands-on

activity into a lesson will also increase engagement. Our students deserve the very best we have

to offer and my hope is that with this one change, they will be more apt to participate in lessons

and engagement will increase.

 References

Blakemore, M. (2018). Problem scoping design thinking and close reading: Makerspaces in the

school library. Knowledge Quest, 46(4), 66–69.

Mann, L. (2018). Making a place for makerspaces in information literacy. Reference & User

Services Quarterly, 58(2), 82–86.