Makerspaces in the High School Setting

The Student Perspective

Abstract

Makerspaces, also sometimes known as fab labs or hackerspaces, are locations where students and patrons can produce, craft, solve problems, collaborate, and develop new skills (Preddy, 2013). The purpose of this study is to provide a look into the perceptions, both through text and image, of public high school students who have a maker learning space in their high school library at Monticello High School in Charlottesville, Virginia. The rationale for this research was that, by obtaining a better understanding of student perceptions and perspectives, librarians and peer researchers in the field would gain a better comprehension in how students view their makerspace. Individual one-on-one interviews with student participants were used to move toward a thematic analysis of perspectives of makerspaces in a high school library setting.