Making a Makerspace in early childhood education: Effects on children's STEM thinking skills and emotional development

Makerspaces are used to promote classroom change and creativity for the 21st century. Building on the learning theory of Constructionism, this intervention study used a curriculum intervention program, "Making a Makerspace" (MM), to integrate the makerspace into Chinese kindergartens. We used a quasi-experimental research design to evaluate the effects of this curriculum intervention, with 120 children enrolled in the experimental classrooms, while the other 111 children enrolled in the waitlist control classrooms. Teacher-report child performance (N = 231) showed that the MM program resulted in significantly higher scores in children's STEM habits of mind in the intervention group, relative to the control group. Analyses of parent-report child behaviors revealed that there was a significant effect of the MM program on post-intervention temperamental surgency. Our evidence shows that such a scalable program encourages and guides teachers to build a positive learning environment for supporting young children's making and thinking in everyday preschool experiences. The makerspace further sets a solid foundation for the development of children's STEM thinking skills and socioemotional skills in a rapidly changing digital society.