Investigating culturally contextualized making with the Navajo Nation

Background Recently there has been considerable interest in making as a means to promote interest in engineering careers. Leveraging making practices that already exist in communities could provide a way to address the severe underrepresentation of minority groups, such as Native Americans, in engineering. Before any programs or curricula can be developed to accomplish this goal, it must first be determined how these communities understand the experience of making. Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the Navajo people's unique understanding of making. It was guided by the following research question: “In what ways do the Navajo describe the experience of making?” Design Qualitative data were collected in the form of semi‐structured interviews given to participants who identify as being Navajo. Interview transcripts were analyzed using phenomenography. Findings Five hierarchical categories emerged from the data analysis: survival, communication, pride, self‐actualization, and community. A sixth category, spirituality, also appeared as an overarching category. Conclusions This study identified the ways in which the participants understand the experience of making. These findings may aid the development of making programs and curricula that are designed to promote engineering education on the Navajo Nation.