Surfacing the complex conceptions of equity across making and tinkering spaces
| Date | 31 July 2023 |
| Pages | 221-239 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-10-2022-0115 |
| Published date | 31 July 2023 |
| Author | Ricarose Roque,Stephanie Hladik,Celeste Moreno,Ronni Hayden |
Surfacing the complex
conceptions of equity across
making and tinkering spaces
Ricarose Roque
Department of Information Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder,
Colorado, USA
Stephanie Hladik
Centre for Engineering Professional Practice and Engineering Education,
Price Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, and
Celeste Moreno and Ronni Hayden
Department of ATLAS Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder,
Colorado, USA
Abstract
Purpose –Relatively fewstudies have examined the perspectives of informal learningfacilitators who play
key roles in cultivatingan equitable learning environment for nondominantyouth and families in making and
tinkeringspaces. This study aims to foreground the perspectives of facilitatorsand highlight the complexities
and tensionsthat influence their equity work.
Design/methodology/approach –Interviews wereconducted with facilitators of making and tinkering
spaces across three informal learning organizations: a museum, a public library system and a network of
community technologycenters. This study then used a framework thatexamined equity along dimensions of
access to what, for whom, based on whose values and toward what ends to analyze both the explicit and
implicitconceptions of equity that surfaced in these interviews.
Findings –Across organizations, this study identified similarities and differences in facilitators’
conceptualizationsof equity that were influenced by their different contexts and hadimplications for practice
at each organization. Highlighting the complexity of enacting equity in practice, this study found moments
when dimensions of equity came together in resonantways, 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 a nd
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
facilitatorsto highlight the complexity and tensions of enactingequity in practice.
Keywords Equity, Informal learning organizations, Facilitators, Making and tinkering,
Makerspaces, Out-of-school
Paper type Research paper
The authors want to thank Lila Finch for organizing this interview study. This material is based
upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. (2005764).
Complex
conceptions of
equity
221
Received19 October 2022
Revised26 April 2023
7July2023
Accepted7 July 2023
Informationand Learning
Sciences
Vol.124 No. 7/8, 2023
pp. 221-239
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-10-2022-0115
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2398-5348.htm
1. Introduction
Making and tinkering spaces [1], such as those in museums, libraries and community
centers, are informal learningspaces which have the potential to invite children and families
into learning experiencesthat build on their interests, recognize their family and community
knowledge and engage them socially supported environments (Bevan et al., 2015;Roque,
2020;Tzou et al., 2019;Vossoughi and Bevan, 2014). Informal learning educators, or
facilitators, play important roles in enabling participation in making and tinkering spaces,
as well as ensuring spaces are welcoming learners from nondominant groups (Calabrese
Barton et al., 2017;Vossoughi et al.,2013). Studies of facilitators reveal the depth of their
practices to spark and support youth interests, sustain engagement and deepen learning
trajectories (Gutwill et al.,2015). Like participants, facilitators themselves have a wealth of
knowledge and history of practices that they bring into their role and spaces. They have
varying interests, backgrounds and teaching experiences. They may also have varying
experiences engaging youth and families, especially from communities who have been
historically marginalized. These backgrounds and experiences go on to influence the kinds
of learning experiences they may create for participants.In other words, facilitators’varied
experiences influence how they may interpret and enact broad organizational goals for
equitable participation. These enactments include the design of spaces and programs as well as
moment-to-moment interactions with youth and families from nondominant communities.
While recent research has highlighted vignettes of equitable learning in making and tinkering
environments (Calabrese Barton et al., 2017;Vossoughi et al.,2020),therehavebeenfew
investigations into exactly how facilitators conceptualize equity in their spaces and
communities and how those conceptualizations impact their professional practice (Hladik,
2022).
In this paper, we present a study of how facilitators conceptualize equity in their work.
We examined facilitator perspectives across makerspaces withina public library system, a
museum making and tinkering space (MMTS) and a network of community technology
centers (CTC) as they participated in a multi-institutional collaboration to co-design
computing activities that met the needs, interests and strengths of their communities. We
analyzed 16 interviews with facilitators by adapting a framework from Vossoughi (2017)
that expands conceptions of equity beyond access to consider who participates, whose
values are embedded in these experiences and what outcomes are prioritized. We found a
variety of conceptions of equity that tendedto align with their organizational commitments
and ranged from a focus on access to materials, people and opportunities to cultivating
connections between youth interests and future possibilities with college and careers. We
also examined facilitators’reflections on their actions and noted the significant complexity
and tensions in the ways facilitatorstried to align their commitments to equity in practice.
As Philip and Azevedo (2017) argue, “comparing and contrasting across [informal
learning] settings offer the potential to understand the nuances and span of various
meanings of equity in everyday science learning”and to reveal “what other lenses would
elucidate these settings as sites of contestation”(p. 530). Along those lines, this paper
contributes to ongoing conversations on how informal learning settings can be spaces that
provide youth and families from nondominant groups more expansive and equitable
engagement in making and tinkering spaces. In particular, we highlight the complexity which
facilitators need to navigate to meet this potential for equitable learning opportunities. We also
argue that equity-oriented researchers need to pay attention to facilitators’conceptions of
equity –how these conceptions occur, what supports them and its implications for enabling
equitable participation in informal learning environments. This work has implications for what
kinds of professional development opportunities are needed to help facilitators reflect on and
ILS
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