Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Date of Award

6-18-2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College

College of Education

First Advisor

Donna Kiel

Abstract

This study explores the role of self-assessment in makerspaces, examining how students engage in metacognitive reflection and self-regulation within these creative environments. Although self-assessment is the most popular assessment strategy in educational makerspaces, little research has been done on how to best support teachers and students in their attempts at self-assessment. Self-regulated learning was chosen as a theoretical framework since it is well-researched in educational psychology, leads to positive learning outcomes, and is one example of self-assessment. This study employed a qualitative approach, using concept content analysis to evaluate the presence of self-regulated learning phases in blogs written as part of educational makerspaces at the university level. A decision scheme with mutually exclusive categories enabled the researcher to establish consistent codes (Krippendorf, 2004). Results indicate that makers do engage in self-regulated learning behaviors as they make projects of personal interest. These findings suggest that the integration of self-regulated learning into educational makerspaces is appropriate and can support learners across content areas and outside of the STEM focus usually ascribed to educational makerspaces.

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