UK (LSE) (Makerspaces in the Early Years)

The project focused on visits to three museums in Silicon Valley, USA in 2017.Field site A was a museum makerspace located in Marin, at the northern end of the San Francisco Bay. Many parents had high economic and cultural capital. The age range for children at this makerspace was three-to-ten. Field site B was a makerspace located in San Jose, a mixed ethnicity city, at the Southern end of Silicon Valley. While there was a wide range, the target age for this makerspace was six-to-nine-year olds. Field site C was a makerspace located across the bay from San Francisco in Berkeley, California. Although there was a range the target range for visitors were children aged four or five.Each museum makerspace was visited three to five times, for several hours per visit.Interviews were conducted with facilitators and families at each makerspace.Interviews were completed during each visit first with senior museum staff followed by families that agreed to speak with once given an information sheet and consent form.