Maker Education in Primary School: A Qualitative Study of Guidance and Evaluation of Teacher Training

Abstract

Technological changes have profoundly transformed all areas of human life, including education (Sánchez-Caballé et al., 2020). This article focuses on the analysis of a Maker Teacher Training to implement Maker Education in primary school classrooms. The objectives are to identify the key aspects worked on in this training and to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses from the teachers’ perspective. The methodology is qualitative, adopting an interpretive approach to understand the events of the research from the experience in two schools in the province of Tarragona. The data collection instruments are an observation rubric and semi-structured interviews. The results were analysed with the software ATLAS. ti and several aspects of the training were analysed in depth. The results show that the training covered different aspects such as the design, implementation, and evaluation of activities, although certain elements were little addressed. Teachers valued the personalisation of the training, the support they received, and the practical usefulness of the strategies acquired, highlighting a positive impact on pupils’ interest and autonomy. Finally, it was emphasised that the training was comprehensive and positively considered, although there were some areas for improvement, such as inclusivity and the use of technological tools. The study reaffirms the need to provide maker training for teachers, promoting an interdisciplinary approach.