ERIC Number: EJ1417140
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1042-1629
EISSN: EISSN-1556-6501
A Makerspace Walks into a High-School: A Case Study of the Micropolitics of School Reform
Ofer Chen; Fabio Campos; Yoav Bergner
Educational Technology Research and Development, v72 n1 p385-403 2024
Adoption of Maker programs entails deep cultural and structural changes within schools. In this case study, we interviewed a principal and seven faculty members in a high school in the United States, after the first year of implementing making-centered curricula. We report how faculty members responded to the reform, their motivations and beliefs, and the concomitant shifts in power and status. We found that educators are required to make non-trivial adaptations to their skills, instructional approaches, and pedagogical beliefs, and that successful adaptation may lead them to gain status, resources, and support within the school. Those are gained on account of technical expertise and educators' efforts to promote the vision of the reform. The extent to which faculty members adapt to a reform, accommodate and support others in their process of adapting, or resist it, may determine whether the reform is successful or not. As such, school leaders face the challenge of encouraging faculty to buy into such reforms. The case study provides a unique perspective on Maker-centered reforms and outlines important implications for administrators seeking to implement similar programs.
Descriptors: Shared Resources and Services, Creativity, Educational Change, Politics of Education, High Schools, Principals, Faculty, Curriculum Implementation, Instructional Effectiveness, Teacher Attitudes, Adjustment (to Environment), Personality Traits, Skill Development, Resistance to Change, Technology Uses in Education, Educational Technology
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A