The Makerspace as a collegial and technologically mediated learning environment: A practice-oriented analysis of workplace-based learning at a vocational school

Abstract

New teaching materials and learning environments provide new learning opportunities, not only for students but also for teachers. This article focuses on makerspaces and associated digital technologies as collegial, workplace‑based learning environments in vocational schools. Through an action research project, teachers engaged in experimental forms of practice where technology and craftsmanship were brought into play in relation to their own teaching practice. Based on eight interviews conducted in the ’LabSTEM’ project, challenges in vocational teachers’ work in the makerspace were identified. The analysis is grounded in an integrated practice‑theoretical framework, using three complementary theoretical traditions: communities of practice theory (Wenger), cultural‑historical activity theory (Engeström), and actor‑network theory (Latour), which conceptualize learning as situated, mediated, and collective practice. The article is anchored in a pragmatic epistemological position, where theory is understood as situated conceptual resources used generatively in analysis. These practice‑theoretical traditions serve as analytical resources that collectively demonstrate how makerspaces create spaces for the renegotiation of professional communities and the development of teaching practice. Through interaction in the makerspace, collegial dialogue and development processes emerge, where vocational domains and professional practice are disrupted and transformed.