PhD Oral Exam - Nathalie De La Haye Duponsel, Education

When studying for a doctoral degree (PhD), candidates submit a thesis that provides a critical review of the current state of knowledge of the thesis subject as well as the student’s own contributions to the subject. The distinguishing criterion of doctoral graduate research is a significant and original contribution to knowledge.

Once accepted, the candidate presents the thesis orally. This oral exam is open to the public.

Abstract

Maker-centered education, inspired by the Maker Movement, has gained popularity in schools for its creative, hands-on approach, yet its integration into formal K-12 settings remains complex and underexplored. This thesis investigates key challenges and enablers for teachers in adopting maker-centered education by investigating the challenges reported in the current K-12 literature, the factors experienced maker-centered educators perceive influence teachers’ ability to integrate maker-centered education into K-12 formal education settings, and the potential learning outcomes of an interdisciplinary maker-centered learning experience in the context of higher education.

This thesis presents three manuscripts. Manuscript 1 reports the results of a scoping review that identified 105 studies reporting challenges in maker-centered education integration in 10 primary areas. Findings revealed that although one third of studies mentioned challenges, most lacked detailed explanations. Notably, challenges varied based on educators’ level of experience with maker-centered education; however, only a minority of studies that identified challenges involved experienced teachers in maker-centered education. These findings highlight the need for further research with experienced educators of maker-centered education to better understand these challenges.

Manuscript 2, a qualitative study involving 21 educators with maker-centered education experience, provided insights into both known and newly identified challenges, together with factors that facilitate integration. The findings highlighted the need for further research in each of the challenge areas, particularly regarding learning outcomes of maker-centered education as some remain unconvinced of its learning potential.

In manuscript 3, I document a maker-centered learning experience in which I participated during my doctoral program that resulted in publishable scientific findings, contributing valuable evidence toward the educational benefits of maker-centered education.

This thesis reveals numerous educator-perceived challenges when implementing maker-centered education, underscoring the need for a structured approach for successful integration of maker-centered education programs in formal education settings. With a greater understanding of these factors, the Guiding Questions Framework for Developing a Maker-Centered Education Program and a set of recommendations were developed to help education leaders and educators develop and implement maker-centered education programs in formal education settings so that students can benefit from its many affordances.