Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Research Collective (2003) explains, “we view
educational interventions as holistic-we see in-
terventions as enacted through the interactions
between materials, teachers, and learners. Because
the intervention as enacted is a product of the
context in which it is implemented, the interven-
tion is the outcome (or at least an outcome) in an
important sense” (p. 5). What happens throughout
the learning process is just as important as what
happens as a result of participation. This mixed
method approach is designed to include the overall
perspective in order to inform future implementa-
tion and design projects in MUVEs.
cessfully). An exploratory, qualitative analysis of
this data revealed four distinct patterns of in-game
activity: (1) as an Explorer, (2) as a Student, (3)
as a Presenter, and (4) as a Non-Player. Table 2
presents a summary of the most salient behavior
patterns for each group. It is followed by a detailed
discussion of each.
The first type of experience found in the data
was that of Explorer. The participants in this group
(N=12, 23%) spent the most amount of time in
the game, ranging from 183 minutes to 601 min-
utes (
M
=278;
SD
=130.51). In addition, these
learners tended to login to the system more often
than those in the other three groups. The Ex-
plorer group logged in an average of 11.5 times
(
SD=3.68, R
= 4-17 times) during the entire six-
week instructional period. In terms of in-game
behavior, quest completion, and interaction with
NPCs, all members of this group completed either
8 or 9 of the quests and tended to repeat quests
about 50% of the time. They also spent the most
time walking around the space, searching for ad-
ditional content, and attempting to interact with
NPCs via written chat methods (see Example 1).
Results
Based on the analysis of the time spent in the SIE
by each learner, as well as the patterns related to
quest completion, a better understanding of how
the participants utilized the SIE to enhance their
own second language system emerged. Overall,
the group of participants spent 6757 minutes (112
hours, 41 minutes) in the SIE over the course of
six weeks. A total of 669 quests were started and
522 were completed (either successfully or unsuc-
Table 2. Individual experience learner behavior patterns
Type of
Experience
N
Time in SIE
Typical In-Game Behavior
Explorer
12
183-601 minutes
M
=278 minutes
SD
=130.51
• Log-Ins: Multiple log-ins throughout the instructional period (4-17)
• Quest Completion: 8-9 quests completed
• In-Game Behavior: Searching, exploration, and interaction viewed as
an important part of game play; some quest resets and experimentation
with in-game content
Student
30
85-158 minutes (N=23)
M
=112 minutes
SD
=32.46
62-77 minutes (N=7)
M
=69 minutes
SD
=5.73
• Log-Ins: 2 or 3 primary log-ins
• Quest Completion: 6-9 quests completed successfully
• In-Game Behavior: Linear completion of quests; in-game time equiva-
lent to the time needed to complete all (or most) quests successfully
Presenter
7
20-44 minutes
M
=33.5 minutes
SD
= 9.76
• Log-Ins: Few log-ins (1-3)
• Quest Completion: Minimal quest resets or quest completion (2-3
quests)
• In-Game Behavior: Consists of enough time to get what is needed for
in-class presentation
Non-Player
4
0 minutes
• Log-Ins: None
• Quest Completion: None
• In-Game Behavior: None
Search WWH ::
Custom Search