Might Young Makers Be The Engineers Of The Future?

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The purpose of this study is to understand Young Makers in K-12 and how their knowledge,skills, and attitudes might prepare them to pursue advanced STEM education and careers. Thisstudy will advance the currently limited knowledge of the Young Maker community bydeveloping theory characterizing Young Makers and their pathways through the lens of formalengineering education. The aim is to establish evidence as to how Making benefits YoungMakers and affects their pathways to STEM majors and related careers.The results of this study will transform the conversation of who Young Makers could become,linking Making with engineering in the same way that students who excel in science and mathare pointed toward engineering by parents and career counselors. By sharing a diverse (by age,gender, and ethnicity) set of success profiles of Young Makers widely in the formal educationsystem to students, K-12 school administrators, university leaders, admissions officers, and toYoung Makers both online and at Young Maker community events, we aim to illuminatepathways for Young Makers to become the engineers of the future. In addition, this study couldinform future innovation in formal K-12 STEM pedagogy based on successful attributes ofinformal engineering education and tinkering activities.