How Sustained Engagement
in Game Design and Social Media Use
Among Diverse Students Can
Mitigate Effects of the Digital Divide
2013 AERA ConferenceRebecca Reynolds, Assistant Professor
Rutgers University
Ming Ming Chiu, ProfessorSUNY-Buffalo
Digital Participation in a Democracy
• Important social, political, cultural, economic activity is occurring in online environments and participation in digital culture is becoming necessary to democracy (Mossberger, Tolbert, and McNeal; Jenkins, 2009, Hobbs, 2010; Horrigan, 2011).
• Inequalities in technology access may result in knowledge gaps, educational opportunity barriers and disparities in groups’ socio-economic potential, all of which run counter to fulfillment of democratic goals and ideals (Bonfadelli, 2002).
Research Questions
How can we cultivate such digital literacy in young people to bring about a more equitable society? Broadly: • To what extent does middle school and high school students’ participation
and engagement in a guided discovery-based program of game design learning mitigate the effects of some of the known socio-economic predictors of the digital divide?
• To what extent are known predictors of digital literacy in cross-sectional research maintained, reduced, or washed out entirely as predictors after students engage in program?
Intervention
Globaloria: • Introduces students to online tools, resources, information, communities both
inside and outside of the e-learning environment• Designed to cultivate students’ digital fluency, perhaps meeting Papacharissi &
Easton’s interesting definition• Affords opportunity, tools, and environment to explore, discover, play with
ideas, possibilities• Also allows students to practice what it means to influence the design of
games, rules, systems, mechanisms • Conscious conceptualization of field, and influence over its rules, as
powerful actors
INTERVENTION: Guided discovery-based game design program and curriculum offered by the World Wide
Workshop. MS, HS teachers and students gain experience and expertise in a range of agentive digital
practices.
Globaloria is currently active in 4 U.S. states: CA, TX, NY, WV, >2000
students
Domains of Learning and Expertise
• Game Example
• Constructionist digital literacy (skills needed in knowledge economy => 6-CLAs)
• Computational thinking through game design in Flash and programming in Actionscript
• Core curricular subject matter:o When game subjects are linked to core curriculum and students deepen
knowledge about topic through online research and design
• STEM career interests: Technology & Engineering; Computer Science
• Motivation, Affect, Attitudes, Life Choices, New Possibilities and Horizons
Globaloria Game Design Program Learning Objectives:
Cultivate the Six Contemporary Learning Abilities (6CLAs)
Developing games in a social e-learning system cultivates participatory practices that simulate productive engagement in today’s digital cultures
and knowledge-based economy
Analysis
Results, Home Computer Use• Before the game design activity, students whose
parents had one level of schooling above the mean showed 6% greater home computer use than students whose parents had the mean level of schooling.
• After the game activity however, there was no significant difference with respect to parent education
Results, School Computer Use• Students averaged 26% greater school computer use
after the game design activity than before it.
• Further, findings indicate that school-level parent education influences outcomes. • Imagine two schools, one whose students’ parents have
more schooling and one whose students’ parents have less schooling. After Globaloria, school computer use increases substantially in both schools, but more so in schools in which students’ parents have less schooling.
• These variables accounted for 18% of the variance in students’ school computer use.
Results, Basic Computer Activities• Students whose self-reported grades were one letter
grade above the mean averaged 2% fewer computer activities after the game design activity than before it.• Self-reported grades accounted for 1% of the variance
in students’ basic computer activities.
Results, Advanced Computer Activities• Students averaged 14% more advanced computer
activities after the game design activity than before it.
• Before the game design activity, student who reported grades one letter grade above the mean averaged 17% more advanced computer activities than students who reported grades at the mean.
• After the game design activity however, the advanced computer activities did not differ significantly among students with different self-reported grades
Discussion• Students from schools with lower levels of parent
education (SES proxy) may stand to gain; programs like this may aid in allowing lower income students to catch up / achieve greater equity among more affluent peers• May also give students who underperform in traditional school
contexts a new activity in which they can flourish in the school environment (geeking out club)
• Longer-term research may indicate that Globaloria affords students with life experiences that influence their habitus, cultural capital, understanding and practice in fields• Vision of life and livelihood possibilities
Rutgers University websitehttp://comminfo.rutgers.edu/directory/rbreynol/index.html
Thanks to IMLS!
Thanks to my partners!
Globaloria.orgWorldwideworkshop.org
Thank you!