Young Patients as Innovators: Developing Pediatric Makerspaces to Enhance Chronically Ill Children's STEM Learning, Self-Agency, and Identity

创客空间是参与者通过使用丰富多样的工具和材料，通过创造、修补和发明人工制品来探索自己的兴趣和学习的地方。该项目将开发和研究一种灵活的创客空间模式，该模式可以适应当地环境，以支持儿科环境中住院的慢性病患者的非正式STEM学习，这些患者主要是来自低收入背景的有色人种青年。这些青年受到健康差异和保健不平等的影响。他们经常缺课和参加其他活动，破坏了友谊的形成，减少了他们获得社会支持的机会，减少了他们通过学习和创造性活动感受到自我能动性的环境。通过以患者为中心的协同设计，该项目将建立适应性强的STEM创客空间环境，有利于STEM丰富的学习、自我能动性的锻炼和STEM身份的发展。项目设计将侧重于易受伤害人群（即免疫功能低下的患者）工作的敏感性。该项目将开发和传播以下资源：(1)灵活的创客空间模式，可以适应不同的儿科环境；(2)在高敏感环境中与年轻患者一起进行研究的研究方法；(3)专业发展资源和剧本，包括指南和辅助指南，阐明在儿科环境中设计、实施和维持创客空间的原则和过程。这些资源将通过制造商和其他非正式的STEM网络广泛传播。该项目将进行两项创新。首先，该项目将在儿科环境中开发适应性强的非正式STEM创客空间的物理设计。其次，该项目将开发创新的以患者为中心的方法，用于研究物理设计方法和创客空间装置对非正式STEM学习、自我代理和STEM身份发展的影响。使用基于设计的研究方法，该项目将调查：(1)物理创客空间设计在多大程度上支持获得stem学习和福祉的材料、关系和概念资源；(2)创客空间设施、研究人员和医疗保健人员在多大程度上支持患者获取和生成用于个人学习和主体感的工具和其他资源；(3)专注于提供材料、关系和理念资源的创客空间设计在多大程度上为年轻患者提供了探索自己兴趣和培养STEM身份的丰富机会。除了开发适应性强的创客空间模型之外，该项目的创新之一是开发一种以患者为中心的创新方法，用于开展教育研究，以扩大在高度敏感的医疗环境中参与STEM的范围。该项目将采用混合方法的研究设计，并收集各种数据来解决这些研究领域的问题，包括创客空间设计方案和效果图的文档，通过实地记录、视频和音频记录收集的观察数据，对患者、其家人和儿童护理人员的非正式访谈，以及患者生成的人工制品。研究人员和从业人员的文章将提交到适当的专业期刊和同行评审的出版物上发表。作为加强非正式环境中学习的总体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）项目资助了用于各种环境的创新研究、方法和资源。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A makerspace is a place where participants explore their own interests and learn by creating, tinkering, and inventing artifacts through the use of a rich variety of tools and materials. This project will develop and research a flexible model for makerspaces that can be adapted to local settings to support informal STEM learning for hospitalized, chronically ill patients in pediatric environments who are predominantly youth of color from low-income backgrounds. These youth are subject to health disparities and healthcare inequities. Their frequent absence from school and other activities disrupt friendship formations, reduce their opportunities for social support, reduce their access to environments where they can feel a sense of self-agency through learning and creative activities. Through patient centered co-design, this project will build adaptable STEM makerspace environments conducive to STEM-rich learning, the exercise of self-agency, and development of STEM identity. Project design will focus on the sensitive nature of working with vulnerable populations (i.e., immunocompromised patients). The project will develop and disseminate several resources: (1) a flexible makerspace model that can be adapted to work in different pediatric settings; (2) research methods for conducting research in highly sensitive environments with and alongside young patients; and (3) professional development resources and a playbook including guidebook and facilitators guide that will articulate principles and processes for designing, implementing and sustaining makerspaces in pediatric settings. These resources will be widely disseminated through maker and other informal STEM networks. The project will pursue two innovations. First, the project will develop the physical design of adaptable informal STEM makerspaces in pediatric settings. Second, the project will develop innovative patient-centered methodologies for studying approaches to physical design and the effects of makerspace installations for informal STEM-learning, self-agency, and STEM identity development. Using a design-based research approach, the project will investigate: (1) the extent to which physical makerspace designs support access to material, relational, and ideational resources for STEM-learning and well-being; (2) the extent to which makerspace installations, researchers, and medical care staff support patients in accessing and generating tools and other resources for personal learning and a sense of agency; and (3) the extent to which makerspace design with a focus on affording material, relational, and ideational resources provide rich opportunities for young patients to explore their own interests and cultivate STEM identities. One of the project's innovations, beyond development of adaptable makerspace model involves developing an innovative patient-centered methodology for conducting educational research toward broadening participation in STEM in highly sensitive medical care environments. The project will employ a mixed-methods research design and collect a variety of data to address these areas of research including documentation of makerspace design plans and renderings, observational data gathered through fieldnotes, video and audio recordings, informal interviews with patients, their families, and child-care staff, and patient generated artifacts. Articles for researchers and practitioners will be submitted for publication to appropriate professional journals and peer-reviewed publications.As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds innovative research, approaches, and resources for use in a variety of settings.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.