INNOVATION POTENTIAL OF TOYS MADE IN STEAM MAKERSPACES: REFLECTIONS FROM TEACHERS

Özet

This research endeavors to investigate the innovative potential of toys produced within STEAM Makerspaces, as perceived by teachers, utilizing a concurrent parallel mixed-method approach. Quantitative and qualitative data were simultaneously collected to provide a comprehensive understanding. A quasi-experimental design underpinned the quantitative portion of the study, while qualitative methods encompassed observations, document analysis, and structured interviews. The study involved 25 preschool educators from Turkey who had participated in STEAM Makerspace activities. The "STEAM-Teacher Interview Form", "STEAM Engineering Design Observation Form", "STEAM Engineering Design Process Photographs", and "Innovative Thinking Disposition Scale for Preschool Teachers", developed by Bilir, Akbaş and Darıca (2023) with established validity and reliability, were employed as data collection instruments. T-tests were utilized to examine the pretest-posttest scores in the quantitative phase, while thematic content analysis was applied to interpret the qualitative data. The results suggest that the toys produced within STEAM Makerspaces possess innovative potential, serving as a reflection of educators' cognitive abilities, particularly in terms of imagination and creativity.