Digital Fabrication in Arts and Crafts Education: A Critical Review

This article presents a critical review of research on digital fabrication in K-12 arts and crafts education. We provide an overview of the research field from two perspectives: 1) digital fabrication technologies and classroom practices, and 2) applied theoretical frameworks and research methodologies. Results show that robotics, e-textiles and 3D are the most common digital fabrication themes in arts and crafts education. In the typical DF research project, a qualitative paradigm is chosen, and learning is described from a constructionist perspective. We conclude the article with two specific opportunities for consolidating research on digital fabrication for arts and crafts education.