Australian and Indonesian Primary Students’ Engagement with STEM using a Makerspace Approach: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Research has found that core discipline areas continue to be taught separately as school subjects with little or no integration [1]. However, students’ immersion in authentic, integrated STEM education in “rich” cross-curricular tasks is an aspirational way of learning. Using a Makerspace approach, the researchers created a community of experts, comprising pre-service teachers, through workshop training sessions. They then provided opportunities for school students to apply their subject knowledge to create hands-on, engaging artifacts influenced by an integrated STEM approach and Maker influence. This paper examines the experiences of primary school students who participated in a STEM-based project. A model of reflective identity formation was used to support the hands-on learning of pre-service teachers in Australia and Indonesia. The Wigglebots project engaged 385 primary school students from Australia and Indonesia, emphasizing their technological and scientific skills and knowledge by tasking them with creating a 'wiggle bot.' Following the completion of the project, the students were asked to complete a survey that gauged their confidence, engagement, and ability to identify and apply scientific knowledge. The results revealed that the Makerspace hands-on approach successfully engaged the students in STEM education. Moreover, all the surveyed students successfully created the bots and collaborated efficiently in groups mentored by pre-service teachers. Groups of students in Australia reported engagement at slightly lower levels than the Indonesian students; however, the Australian students were more able to represent and explain the underpinning science concepts.