Paula MacDowell
Papers
1
Total Citations
4
H-Index
1
About
Paula MacDowell’s research sits at the vital intersection of gender equity, digital literacy, and maker culture, with a particular focus on empowering girls and young women as active creators rather than passive consumers of technology. Her most cited work, a dissertation titled *Empowering Girls as Change Makers in Maker Culture*, documents a transformative summer camp series called 101 Technology Fun. In this study, MacDowell engaged 30 co-researchers—girls aged 10 to 13—in hands-on learning labs spanning animation, game design, movie production, and robotics. Rather than simply teaching technical skills, she positioned the girls as co-designers of their own learning, demonstrating how maker spaces can be reimagined to foster confidence, creativity, and a sense of agency. Her work challenges the dominant, often male-centric narratives of maker culture and provides a concrete, replicable model for inclusive STEM education. While her citation count is still growing, MacDowell’s contributions are foundational to a critical conversation about who gets to build, design, and innovate. Her research is essential reading for educators, curriculum designers, and anyone committed to dismantling the barriers that keep girls from seeing themselves as technologists and change makers.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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