Study+Components+EF+2

__ Review of Relevant Literature and development of methodological in-roads for research __ Review of Literature on Making, “DIY”, Citizen Science, Civic Science, Technological Citizenship and Critical Consciousness. Although I plan to do some interviewing and participant observation at several makerspaces, I will probably focus on an approach that gathers gray material and examines how public engagement with the sciences has occurred historically, its current state, and possibilities for the future creation of a technological citizenship, particularly through Critical-making and Participatory Design practices within Maker communities. I will be focusing on grounded theory, situational analysis, symbolic interactionalist theory and a Foucauldian discourse analysis method, which I am currently developing.

__ Collection of gray material __ I will do a survey of programming at science museums as well as how displays have transformed and what information they currently display. I will survey museum event and workshop programming, as well as programming available at various community centers, libraries, after school groups, and other skill-sharing/making communities. I will also collect data from O n-line communities, follow their forums and message boards and take note of the programming and workshops they show and the face they put forth for the greater community. I may also visit archives to look at the historical relationship between science museums and the public.

__ Survey of Possible Sites __ Before I fully commit to observing at particular sites for data collection, I want to gather information on various places through website literature and hopefully through travel during the coming summer of 2013. I think it will be very important to compare the public face of the Makerspaces, Science Museums and community centers with the physical space and concrete work that they are doing and an upfront survey of what they bring to the community and their visibility within their immediate surroundings.

__ Some participant Observations at Makerspaces and community centers, Interviews and Workshops  __ As I am still feeling out my overall methodological I may not do participant observation, but instead help to set-up and run workshops that create a space for the community centers, makerspaces and citizen science groups to do reflexive work and think critically about their actions, innovations, and dealings with technology and science.

__ Data Analysis __ This will involve discourse analysis of gray material, particularly for online communities and other symbolic imagery and artifacts. I will also analyze surveys and interviews conducted within Makerspaces, in community centers and at science museums. If I am allowed to set-up workshops that incorporate participatory design and critical-making within a community, I will analyze the results from these workshops and gather opinions and ideas from the participants.