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

Rebecca.reynolds@gmail.com

Rutgers University websitehttp://comminfo.rutgers.edu/directory/rbreynol/index.html

Thanks to IMLS!

Thanks to my partners!

Globaloria.orgWorldwideworkshop.org

Thank you!