Surfacing the Complex Conceptions of Equity across Making and Tinkering Spaces

Fuente: ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Roque, Ricarose, Hladik, Stephanie, Moreno, Celeste, Hayden, Ronni
Format: Recurso educativo Open Access
Language:en
Published: 2023
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author Roque, Ricarose
Hladik, Stephanie
Moreno, Celeste
Hayden, Ronni
author_facet Roque, Ricarose
Hladik, Stephanie
Moreno, Celeste
Hayden, Ronni
Roque, Ricarose
Hladik, Stephanie
Moreno, Celeste
Hayden, Ronni
collection Education Resources Information Center
contents Surfacing the Complex Conceptions of Equity across Making and Tinkering Spaces Roque, Ricarose Hladik, Stephanie Moreno, Celeste Hayden, Ronni Equal Education Informal Education Museums Public Libraries Community Centers Facilitators (Individuals) Attitudes Shared Resources and Services Purpose: Relatively few studies have examined the perspectives of informal learning facilitators who play key roles in cultivating an equitable learning environment for nondominant youth and families in making and tinkering spaces. This study aims to foreground the perspectives of facilitators and highlight the complexities and tensions that influence their equity work. Design/methodology/approach: Interviews were conducted with facilitators of making and tinkering spaces across three informal learning organizations: a museum, a public library system and a network of community technology centers. This study then used a framework that examined equity along dimensions of access to what, for whom, based on whose values and toward what ends to analyze both the explicit and implicit conceptions of equity that surfaced in these interviews. Findings: Across organizations, this study identified similarities and differences in facilitators' conceptualizations of equity that were influenced by their different contexts and had implications for practice at each organization. Highlighting the complexity of enacting equity in practice, this study found moments when dimensions of equity came together in resonant ways, while other moments showed how dimensions can be in tension with each other. Practical implications: The complexity that facilitators must navigate to enact equity in their practice emphasizes the need for professional development and support for facilitators to deepen their conceptions and practices around equity beyond access -- not just skill building in making and tinkering. Originality/value: This study recognizes the important role that facilitators play in enabling equity-oriented participation in making and tinkering spaces and contributes the "on the ground" perspectives of facilitators to highlight the complexity and tensions of enacting equity in practice.
format Recurso educativo Open Access
id eric_EJ1388313
institution ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
language en
publishDate 2023
record_format eric
spellingShingle Surfacing the Complex Conceptions of Equity across Making and Tinkering Spaces
Roque, Ricarose
Hladik, Stephanie
Moreno, Celeste
Hayden, Ronni
Equal Education
Informal Education
Museums
Public Libraries
Community Centers
Facilitators (Individuals)
Attitudes
Shared Resources and Services
Surfacing the Complex Conceptions of Equity across Making and Tinkering Spaces Roque, Ricarose Hladik, Stephanie Moreno, Celeste Hayden, Ronni Equal Education Informal Education Museums Public Libraries Community Centers Facilitators (Individuals) Attitudes Shared Resources and Services Purpose: Relatively few studies have examined the perspectives of informal learning facilitators who play key roles in cultivating an equitable learning environment for nondominant youth and families in making and tinkering spaces. This study aims to foreground the perspectives of facilitators and highlight the complexities and tensions that influence their equity work. Design/methodology/approach: Interviews were conducted with facilitators of making and tinkering spaces across three informal learning organizations: a museum, a public library system and a network of community technology centers. This study then used a framework that examined equity along dimensions of access to what, for whom, based on whose values and toward what ends to analyze both the explicit and implicit conceptions of equity that surfaced in these interviews. Findings: Across organizations, this study identified similarities and differences in facilitators' conceptualizations of equity that were influenced by their different contexts and had implications for practice at each organization. Highlighting the complexity of enacting equity in practice, this study found moments when dimensions of equity came together in resonant ways, while other moments showed how dimensions can be in tension with each other. Practical implications: The complexity that facilitators must navigate to enact equity in their practice emphasizes the need for professional development and support for facilitators to deepen their conceptions and practices around equity beyond access -- not just skill building in making and tinkering. Originality/value: This study recognizes the important role that facilitators play in enabling equity-oriented participation in making and tinkering spaces and contributes the "on the ground" perspectives of facilitators to highlight the complexity and tensions of enacting equity in practice.
title Surfacing the Complex Conceptions of Equity across Making and Tinkering Spaces
topic Equal Education
Informal Education
Museums
Public Libraries
Community Centers
Facilitators (Individuals)
Attitudes
Shared Resources and Services
url https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1388313