Design and skill labs: Identifying teacher competencies and competency-related needs in Turkey's national makerspace project

Demirata A., SADIK O.

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION, vol.55, no.2, pp.163-189, 2023 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 55 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/15391523.2021.1938301
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Applied Science & Technology Source, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, Computer & Applied Sciences, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)
  • Page Numbers: pp.163-189
  • Keywords: Cooperative/collaborative learning, informal learning, learning communities, teacher professional development, CLASSROOM
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Turkey's Ministry of National Education started to establish makerspaces called Design and Skills Labs (DSLs) in every public school across Turkey by 2023. However, public school teachers' qualifications required for DSLs are not clear. This study aimed to find out the necessary competencies for educators in makerspaces, and public school teachers' competency-based needs in DSLs. Mixed methods research design was utilized in this study. First, interviews were held with professionals working in private and non-profit makerspaces to explore and identify the necessary competencies. Following, a survey was designed and conducted with the teachers working in public schools to understand their competency-based needs. The results showed that educators in makerspaces mainly share technical, pedagogical and social skills as necessary competencies, and public school teachers should possess these skills that would improve the teaching/learning in DSL environments. This study would help improve teachers' professional development, as well as redesigning the educational policies in K-12 and tertiary education.