A wearables-based approach to detect and identify momentary engagement in afterschool Makerspace programs

Abstract

Educational activities and programs associated with the Maker movement, which emphasizes creation of physical and digital artifacts as part of the learning experience, are presumed to be highly engaging for youth. However, there has been limited research examining what features of Maker learning activities are associated with youth engagement. We describe a research approach using wearable electrodermal activity sensors and wearable cameras to obtain data from two afterschool programs at a community Makerspace for adolescent girls (N = 12, 13). Using data obtained from these two sources along with daily survey data, we compare what is revealed from these different data sources. We observe a moderate correlation between electrodermal activity and engagement from survey responses. We also observe that activities emphasizing personal expression elicited engagement from many youth. From the EDA data and first-person video, we also identify 23 moments when groups of participants had several concurrent EDA responses suggesting high levels momentary engagement. Key features associated with those moments were opportunities for peer socialization, interactive instructional discourse, and physical making activities when objects were being assembled and manipulated.