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Gabbing While Gaming: Commandeering Commercial, Off-The- Shelf (COTS) Video Games to Structure Student-Centered Social Studies Discussion

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University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School January 2020 Gabbing While Gaming: Commandeering Commercial, Off-the- Shelf (COTS) Video Games to Structure Student-Centered Social Studies Discussion Joshua M. Patterson University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Other Education Commons Scholar Commons Citation Patterson, Joshua M., "Gabbing While Gaming: Commandeering Commercial, Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Video Games to Structure Student-Centered Social Studies Discussion" (2020). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/8574 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Gabbing While Gaming: Commandeering Commercial, Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Video Games to Structure Student-Centered Social Studies Discussion by Joshua M. Patterson A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Social Science Education Department of Teaching and Learning College of Education University of South Florida Major Professor: Michael J. Berson, Ph.D. Sanghoon Park, Ph.D. Arthur Shapiro, Ph.D. Michael Sherry, Ph.D. Date of Approval: January 30, 2019 Keywords: virtual simulations, primary source investigation, digital discourse, media literacy, social constructivism, phenomenological case study Copyright © 2020, Joshua M. Patterson DEDICATION This arduous and painstaking dissertation process could not have been made possible without the support of my loved ones, specifically my girlfriend, Gabrielle Tucker, and my mother and sister, Lois and Lauren Patterson. Through their guidance, patience, and support, these three ladies have ignited the spark within me to achieve this academic milestone. This is not to say that I have not been meaningfully influenced by other relatives, both living and passed, to challenge me to attain excellence; nonetheless, these women were actively involved in encouraging me throughout my six-year expedition towards the completion of my terminal degree. Gabrielle was instrumental in my admission to doctoral candidacy, spending countless hours aiding me in the preparation for my qualifying exam. She developed mnemonics to assist me with the memorization of dozens of articles, often recalling the authors’ names and year of publication more accurately than I. Her largest contribution, however, was the innumerable hours she invested in transcribing my audiovisual recordings of the nine weeks of data collection, in addition to the small group participant interviews and my field notes. Gabrielle’s generosity can never be understated, as she dedicated her free time to this tremendous typing task, saving me thousands of dollars in transcription fees. I owe the title of my dissertation to her unwavering loyalty and enthusiasm throughout this stimulating project. The Patterson ladies also deserve some recognition in this section for the seemingly impossibly high standards they have set for me as a son and brother. I understand that they evoke this attitude out of love for me, ensuring that I will always put forth my best possible efforts and strengthen their admiration for me. Lois, my mother and original educator, has always functioned as an inspirational figure throughout my life, battling back from a multitude of health challenges to be my voice of reason and motivation for entering the teaching profession. Through her blunt yet caring form of honesty, she has reined in my more outlandish ideas and has done everything in her power to keep me on the path to success (including proofreading this prose). Lauren, my only sibling, has always challenged me to be the best possible role model for her, though I have admittedly failed in that capacity in previous years. I sincerely hope that in earning this degree, I demonstrate to her that I wish to strengthen our sometimes-fraught relationship and once again become the big brother she respects and reveres. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The vision responsible for this dissertation was derived from a myriad of mediums, some formal settings like my thirteen years of higher education courses and other more casual experiences like the incalculable hours consumed by my video gaming hobby. While it is not possible to pay homage to all the individuals who stirred my desire to develop the contents of this composition, I would like to salute some of the more consequential change agents. First, I would be remiss if I did not recognize Nintendo Co., Ltd., the enterprise responsible for my initial descent into the wondrous world of commercial, off-the-shelf software. These transformative digital narratives have influenced me so greatly, I opted to name my chapter subsections after momentous video games titles and quotes (see Appendix A). Next, I wish to acknowledge the venerated members of my dissertation committee for offering their invaluable wisdom as I cultivated this idea from incubation to maturity. Dr. Sanghoon Park, your insight into the promising but perplexing universe of instructional technology proved precious. Dr. Michael Sherry, your ability to accentuate the most critical components of conversation crafted a more astute analysis of my qualitative data. Dr. Arthur Shapiro, your fiery fervor for constructivism has left an indelible mark on me as an educator and researcher – from one abstract sequential personality to another, thank you. Dr. Michael J. Berson, your vital expertise facilitated my navigation through the oftentimes perilous waters of the PhD process. I hold you in very high esteem and yearn to model my academic career after your perpetual accomplishments. While I cannot credit them all by name, I also wish to salute the tireless efforts of the educators I have been privy to from pre-school to doctoral coursework, as well as my caring classmates and colleagues who have enhanced my personal and professional evolution. Last, I wish to extend special recognition and gratitude to the student participants of my study; without their tireless enthusiasm and critical discussion, this research could never have come to fruition. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES iv LIST OF TABLES v ABSTRACT vi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1 Prologue 1 Evaluating Edutainment 2 Roots of Gaming 3 Early Computing 4 The Birth of the Video Game “Fad” 5 New Directions 7 The Console Wars 8 Innovative Technologies 9 Contemporary Game Studies 10 The Rise of a Social Movement 12 Praise for the Instructional Benefits of Simulations 15 Criticism of Game-Based Learning in Social Studies 16 Purpose of the Study & Research Questions 17 Learning Preferences & Game Genres 19 Rationale 20 Theoretical Framework 22 Definition of Terms 24 Harnessing the Technology of Tomorrow, Today 31 Reflective Summary 32 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 34 Fusing Past with Future 34 The Absence of Rich Qualitative Data 35 The Instructional Paradigm Shift of Constructivist Social Studies 36 Man: A Course of Study 37 Core Constructivist Principles 38 Critiques of Constructivism 39 TPACK and the Impact of Technology on Constructivism 40 21 st Century Citizenship 42 New Economies for Learning 43 Historical Perspective of the Study 45 Student Motivation for Game-Based Instruction 46 The Instructor’s Impact on a Simulation’s Success 47 Inquiry Through Immersion 48 Transmedia Triumphs 49 i 416 2/3 Days of Gaming 50 The Composition of Curriculum Theory 51 Engaging Teaching Strategies 52 Game Selection 53 The Interdisciplinary Nexus of Game-Based Learning 54 Live Assessment Tools 55 The Social Nature of Gaming 57 Improving the “Uptake” of Controversial Discourse 58 Discussion Drawbacks 59 Educator Successes 60 Face-To-Face vs. Threaded Dialogue 61 Digital Presentation Tools 63 Concluding Synopsis 64 CHAPTER III: METHODS 66 A Personal Narrative 66 Outlining Objectives 68 Research Design 70 Preliminary Semi-Structured Interview Questions 71 Midpoint & Concluding Semi-Structured Interview Questions 71 Site and Participant Selection 74 Ethical Dimensions of Proposed Research 75 Pilot Study Blueprint 76 Data Collection 79 Analyzing the Discourse 81 Preliminary Limitations and Difficulties 83 Researcher Positionality 84 Final Contemplations 85 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS 86 Reviewing the Purpose of the Study 86 Preliminary Survey/Semi-Structured Interview 88 Fallout IV – Pilot Study 92 Assassin’s Creed Origins – Week One 94 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – Week Two 96 Assassin’s Creed 3 – Week Three 98 Assassin’s Creed Syndicate – Week Four 101 Red Dead Redemption 2 – Week Five 103 Battlefield 1 – Week Six 105 Battlefield V – Week Seven 109 Grand Theft Auto V – Week Eight 111 Midpoint/Concluding Semi-Structured Interview & Slack Backchannel 115 Data Analysis Procedure 119 Evaluating the Findings 122 ii CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 126 Teaching with and for Discussion 126 The Immediacy of Media Literacy 128 Limitations 130 Denouement 132 Repercussions of Research 135 Suggestions for Additional Studies 136 REFERENCES 139 APPENDICES 165 Appendix A Origin of Video Game-Inspired Subsection Titles 166 Appendix B Model of Standard Game Definitions 169 Appendix C Conceptual Map of the Main Genres of Video Games 170 Appendix D Effects of Specific Game Elements 171 Appendix E
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