melissa burgess, sam houston state university
DESCRIPTION
Optimal Experience and Reading Achievement in Virtual Environments Among College-level Developmental Readers. Melissa Burgess, Sam Houston State University. Literature Review. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE AND READING ACHIEVEMENT IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS AMONG COLLEGE-LEVEL DEVELOPMENTAL READERS
LITERATURE REVIEW
Learner attitudes and outcomes regarding technology use match or surpass instruction which does not use technology (Petrides et al., 2006; Prensky, 2005)
Importance to equip today’s students with technology skills/new literacies (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, & Commack, 2004)
Developmental reading students often have cognitive and affective deficiencies (i.e., motivation, self-regulation, time management skills (Boylan, 2002)
Developmental reading students prefer hands-on and visual instruction (Canfield, 1976; Lemire, 1998)
Also evidenced in this study through informal observation was the high level of focused engagement.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Junco and Mastrodicasa (2007) found high levels of social technology use in today’s students
Millennial generation is coined digital natives (Van Eck, 2006)
In response to social networking skills many digital natives possess, virtual environments should be part of the educational research agenda (Steinkheuler, 2006; Prensky, 2005)
Barab, Hay, Barnett, and Keating (2000) and Barab, Hay, Barnett, and Squire, (2001) reported that students acquired conceptual understanding and practical skills in 3-D modeling utilization
In a mixed methods study conducted by Mayrath, Sanchez, Traphagan, Heikes, and Trivedi (2007). Second Life was implemented in an English course where students’ learning experiences were significantly enhanced when course learning goals and students’ needs were carefully considered.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
RQ1: To what extent are college-level developmental readers digital natives?
RQ2: To what extent do college-level developmental reading students experience Flow in Second Life?
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Theory of Optimal Experience is:
the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.
METHODOLOGY
Sample & Participants
Criterion-based sampling (LeCompte & Preissle, 1993)
This study included 11 college-level developmental reading students at a four-year university in rural southeast Texas.
METHODOLOGY
This study is a methodological study soliciting emic viewpoints in order to determine meanings and purposes that people use to explain actions (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1990).
The research paradigm is from a constructivist stance.
METHODOLOGY Sample and Participants
This research project included 11 college-level students enrolled in a developmental reading course
College-level developmental reading course was taught at a rural southeast Texas university.
College-level developmental reading students often have cognitive and affective deficiencies in:
self-regulation
effective reading strategies
reading comprehension skills
analytical thinking skills,
time management skills
interest in reading
motivation (Boylan, 2003)
INSTRUMENTS Qualitative data will include
open-ended questions measuring perceived:
comfort/skill with social technologies (Technology Knowledge Questionnaire)
optimal experience (Optimal Experience Questionnaire)
reading achievement (Optimal Experience Questionnaire)
INSTRUMENTS Technology Knowledge Survey (Caverly & Delaney, 2008)
This survey measures developmental students’ perceptions on how comfortable/adept they are with social technologies. This instrument is comprised of 10 open-ended questions. Example
1. How comfortable are you with each of these forms of social technologies on a scale of 1 (very uncomfortable) to 4 (very comfortable)?
E-mail, instant messaging, text-messaging discussion boards, blogs, chat, Facebook or MySpace, Virtual Worlds
Describe how you became comfortable. (Qualitative)
INSTRUMENTS
Optimal Experience Questionnaire (Researcher developed)
This questionnaire measures the extent to which developmental reading participants experience optimal experience in the following categories:
Enjoyment/Interest
Personal Relevance
Sense of Control
Positive challenge
Sense of loss of time
Perceived reading achievement
QUALITATIVE PROCEDURE
The researcher sought, and was granted IRB approval
The researcher sought written permission to conduct research from participants.
The Technology Knowledge Questionnaire was administered as soon as IRB approval was granted.
The Optimal Experience Questionnaire was explained to participants before administration to ensure a thorough understanding of what optimal experience is by providing examples. The questionnaire was given immediately after the Second Life reading activity.
DATA COLLECTION
Optimal Experience Questionnaire Data
The data gathered from this instrument were placed into a priori categories (i.e., enjoyment/interest, personal relevance, sense of control, positive challenge, sense of loss of time, and perceived reading achievement.
Data were analyzed using classical content analysis Holsti (1969) offers a broad definition of content analysis as, "any technique for making inferences by objectively and systematically identifying specified characteristics of messages" (p. 14).
DATA COLLECTION Technology Knowledge
Survey The data gathered from this
instrument were placed into a priori categories: technology use, knowledge, comfort, interest and value
Data were analyzed using classical content analysis Holsti (1969) offers a broad definition of content analysis as, "any technique for making inferences by objectively and systematically identifying specified characteristics of messages" (p. 14).
CATEGORIES FOR RQ #1
RQ1: TO WHAT EXTENT ARE DEVELOPMENTAL READERS DIGITAL
NATIVES?Technology Use Knowledge Comfort Interest Relevance/Value
P1 Playstation; games; various purposes according to needs
I am knowledgeable about most technologies
I am comfortable; it came easy to me
I had rarely used them before
I use email more than other options
P2 Computer in the Reading center; for entertainment
Use it in everyday living By using it more and more
Very interested Discussion boards and virtual worlds can help me better understand a topic
P3 Facebook; write on comment boxes (The wall)
Finding them out myself; friends helping me
I became comfortable by doing it often
I want to learn more; fun to learning something new
I find them easy and effective
P4 Email I am knowledgeable with email, text-messaging, Facebook, MySpace
I am comfortable with technology
I have interest in email and text messaging
Email is important to me
P5 PC, cell phone, iPod, Facebook Internet and friends By getting used to it and practicing
I have an interest in learning more technologies
Better communication
P6 Home computer, iPod, email, MySpace I use email, MySpace and Facebook all of the time
I am very comfortable with using them
I would like to know text messaging
I think I would like text messaging because it is fast and reliable
P7 Cell phone, Facebook, MySpace, text messaging, email
Very knowledgeable; I learned from other people
I am comfortable with them
I am interested because I think it is important to keep up with technology
I like to keep in contact with students
P8 Cell phone, iPod, email, IM, Facebook, MySpace I am knowledgeable about email, text messaging, IM, discussion boards, blogs, chat
I use it everyday; peers I use it everyday I use it everyday I use it everyday
P9 My computer, iPod; I use technology for my own enjoyment
School, TV and other people Learned them and got good at it
I know about them or they sound interesting
I email my teacher all of the time just checking on things
P10 Cell phone, iPod, Other computer, my computer, PDA, email, IM, Text messaging, blogs, chat
The forms of communication was the only way to talk to family and friends back home
Just by using it several times and gaining that confidence
They all have high interest because this is a new world and technology will pave the way
Email, IM and text messaging, Facebook and MySpace have my highest rating because it has fast contact and communication
P11 Cell phone, iPod, my computer, PDA, IM, text messaging, discussion boards, chat, MySpace, and Facebook
From school experiences and friends
I became comfortable with it since I am on it almost everyday
With me learning how to do more things communications-wise, I think it’s good for me to know other ways.
Just another way for teachers to send a message without calling the person they are trying to reach.
CATEGORIES FOR RQ#2
TO WHAT EXTENT DO DEVELOPMENTAL READING STUDENTS EXPERIENCE FLOW IN
SECOND LIFE?Enjoyment Personal Relevance Sense of Control Positive Challenge Sense of loss of time Perceived Reading Achievement
P1 Fun Made reading much more fun, easy
I did feel in control I don’t feel it was a positive challenge because it was fun
I wasn’t aware of the time because people were texting me
I learned to understand inference situations more
P2 entertaining It will help me with social skills and confidence
I was totally in control I was eager to find the boxes; it gave me a positive feeling
It seems to be over so fast Yes, it has me understand and respond.
P3 enjoyable -- -- It was a challenge, but not that much
Time went by fast Yes, it was good to go back and see why the other person chose that answer.
P4 Good learning experience I related to the story -- -- Was over before I knew it --
P5 Allowed me to play -- Yes I did, I am the one doing it
--
P6 fun It is a new way to work with others, and it’s fun
It was easy to use and talk with others
It was something new and it was fun
I was focused on what I was doing
It improved my abilities to listen to the story and work in groups on it
P7 Got my interest Yes, because the input I had counted
It’s like choosing and picking every detail
Yes, to picture through someone else’s eyes
By the time it was finished time was almost up
The ability to pay more attention
P8 fun It demonstrated being new to someplace and trying to find where everything was
I felt I was in complete control of what my avatar was doing
It challenged me to learn more
It was easy to get so consumed in the activity that I would lose track of time
Demonstrated being able to talk through hard areas in the text
P9 enjoyable It helped in so many ways and you get to see other students’ ideas. Also helps you to get to know people
I was in control We got a chance to share our ideas
-- My thinking skills and my ability to answer questions more thoroughly
P10 I enjoyed it I felt like this could be used for good
I felt in control -- It went by pretty quickly I don’t really feel there was any change
P11 I really liked it -- I was in control of my avatar
I feel I could use this towards my homework so I can actually get it done
RESULTS Technology Knowledge &
Optimal Experience Survey Results
Developmental reading students in this study use some form of Internet/social networking technology on a weekly basis, if not a daily basis
Developmental reading students are comfortable using and value using social networking tools.
Developmental reading students experienced components of flow
DISCUSSION
Further studies in virtual environments need to be undertaken with this population
Studies involving other social technologies coupled with Second Life
Studies involving developmental writing and virtual environment
BEARKAT ISLAND
Second LifeSecond Life
SECOND LIFE AS ON ONLINE DISTANCE LEARNING
PLATFORM--THINK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES…
WHAT DO LEARNING SPACES IN SL LOOK
LIKE? Formal, academic-style spaces Informal Learning Spaces
Libraries, Museums, Art Galleries, Dojo Personal Library, Jazz concert, Religious
information Immersive Spaces
Role-play in costume encouraged
FORMAL, ACADEMIC SPACES
DESIGNED FOR FAMILIARITY AND
COMFORT• EdTech Island, Treehouse conference area
• Bearkat Island, Dan Rather Communication Auditorium/Lecture Hall
EDUCATIONAL USES
Science
Originally developed by Professor Mary Anne Clark aka Max Chatnoir, a Professor at Texas Wesleyan University, Genome Island (SLurl) is concentrating on using Second Life to teach genetics.
Genome Island
EDUCATIONAL USES Science
Launched in November 2007, the Abyss Museum of Ocean Science (SLurl) was created by Second Life artists Rezago Kokorin and Sunn Thunders, and is designed to provide a multi-sensory and multi-dimensional exhibition of the planet's oceans, which combines art, science, and education.
EDUCATIONAL USES Literature, Composition and Creative
Writing
The goals of Literature Alive! are:to help faculty create ethical and immersive learning environments that provide added value to students in composition, professional writing, and literature courses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCTFoP54P8o
The SL Globe Theatre: The most historically accurate rendition of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on the Internet made into a working theatre venue for live Shakespearean plays and other theatrical works performed by the SL Shakespeare Company and other artists.
EDUCATIONAL USES Language Learning
Language Lab uses Second Life to create immersive language learning opportunities for students, in a realistic environment with native-speaking teachers. They completed their beta phase and delievered their first course to fee-paying students in 2007.English Village (SLurl) founded by Fire Centaur, an ESL teacher in real life, is an immersive 3D simulation for language learners and teachers across the globe.
EDUCATIONAL USES Health/Nutrition
Recognizing the growing role of fast food in our culture, researchers at the VITAL Lab at Ohio University developed Nutrition Game, a simulation game that exists in the online virtual world of Second Life that allows users to virtually experience the effects that fast food can have on their short- and long-term health.
The Nutrition Game
EDUCATIONAL USES
History
Witnessing the Holocaust
Tombstone (role-play)
FOR MORE EDUCATIONAL
RESOURCES
THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!
Contact Information:
Melissa Burgess, Clinical ProfessorEmail: [email protected]
In Second Life, please visit SHSU’s virtual university, Bearkat Island!