Recreational making–related beliefs in adolescents: developing a comprehensive belief category system

Making activities, such as creating individual artifacts via 3D printing, offer great potential for adolescents to acquire skills beneficial for their digital empowerment. To develop interventions that may increase adolescents’ making engagement, their making-related beliefs need to be explored and systematized. Therefore, based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991), this interview study elicited beliefs regarding recreational making with N = 29 adolescents. The sample included both female adolescents and those from a low socioeconomic status to ensure that beliefs specific to these groups were not overlooked. The key research output is a category system that aligns with the TPB and differentiates salient beliefs that are important for recreational making. The discussion focuses on how this category system may be applied in future studies to create qualitative interview guidelines and quantitative questionnaires regarding making-related beliefs. The study also discusses how this category system can inform the development of tailored interventions and educational programs that resonate with adolescents’ beliefs.