Building in the Sand: Levelling Up
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Leveling Up Teaching and Learning Through Video Game Construction by Kandise Michelle Salerno A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Elementary Education University of Alberta © Kandise Michelle Salerno, 2016 Abstract Video game construction plays an important role for students and teachers. The experience of constructing a video game aligns with students’ out-of-school experiences while connecting with the in-school experience of learning content. This qualitative study examined 4 upper elementary teachers, 11 upper elementary students, and 1 principal regarding how they experienced video game construction in the classroom. The following questions guided the study: (1) What pedagogical approaches may upper elementary content-area teachers use to integrate game construction into teaching and learning? (2) How may upper elementary content- area teachers experience student-based game construction with their students? (3) How may students experience video game construction in a content-area classroom? Using constructionism as the theoretical framework, this study sought to understand the kinds of experiences both teachers and students encountered when constructing video games in the classroom, and the externalized expectations that derived from collaborating with and through the technology and with others. The data collection tools I used were direct observations, interviews with the students, teachers, and principal, and artifacts. Audio recordings of the interviews were transcribed, the transcriptions and field notes of the students’ and teachers’ artifacts were connected with the interviews, and themes were identified. For the teachers the themes that were constructed include teacher pedagogy, collaboration, planning, writing and gaming, time, and assessment. For the students the themes that were constructed include problem solving, use of video game construction technology, playing, planning and writing, and student collaboration. The insights gained from this study have the potential to provide valuable insights for teachers, principals, technology coaches, consultants, policy makers, and researchers interested ii in creating meaningful connections between the elementary curriculum and the classroom experience with video game construction technologies, while also meeting the constructionist needs of digital learners. Continued exploration of themes such as assessment and teacher pedagogy will be crucial to advance our understanding of how video game construction can be experienced in the classroom. iii Preface This thesis is an original work by Kandise Michelle Salerno. The research projct, of which this thesis is part of research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board, Project Name “Building in the Sand: Leveling-Up Teaching and Learning Through Game Construction”, Pro00047721, July 15, 2014. iv Dedication To Kris Salerno, these words are your love. They shape the very fabric of our lives. v Acknowledgements Imagine 90 grade seven students constructing dozens of video games together in one small school library. Imagine these 90 students willing to collaborate and share their expertise with each other. Imagine this collective group excited and motivated to dig deeper and learn more about the Canadian Fur Trade. This extraordinary moment happened over five years ago, which consequently served as the genesis of this research pursuit. I am deeply thankful to these teachers and students for bearing the risk of trying something new. I also want to thank the teachers, students, principal and school community that participated in this research study. Their excellence in teaching is inspiring and I am thankful for the risk they took in integrating video game construction for the very first time. I am deeply thankful for their time, planning, thoughtfulness and willingness to experiment with their own teaching and learning. Certainly, as a constructionist, my own experiences are deeply engrained in those who have weaved the very fabric of this study. For there have been many peaks and valleys along the way, but their support made the valleys passable and the peaks lessons to learn through and to live by. First I would like to the members of my committee including Dr. Patricia Boechler, Dr. Mike Carbonaro, and Dr. Margaret Mackey. Their gift of knowledge and insight, and their passion for education provided key moments for reflection and guidance in this research journey. Without their expertise and generous support, this dissertation would not have gone so deep or journeyed so far. I would also like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Jennifer Branch. Her guidance, support and kindness provided the strength and fortitude to traverse through moments of such questioning and challenge. I am so deeply appreciative of the balance Dr. Branch brings to her own research, where her timely and connected knowledge of schools and learning is intertwined with her academic research. This balance was vital to my own work as an educator and as an emerging researcher, and will carry with me for the rest of my career. Above all, I am appreciative of our insights into the meaning and purpose of education, which has transpired into what I can only consider a lifelong friendship. I would also like to thank the love and kindness of my friends and family. The ongoing conversation of this research did not fall of deaf ears. Your words of encouragement are written between the lines of this dissertation, and I am so thankful to be surrounded by such kindness. In addition, I would also like to thank my parents, for it is their own fortitude for learning and curiosity of life that has instilled my own passion for learning. Finally, I would like to thank the love of my life, the man who was behind every word and every thought. Thank you to my husband Kris. There was never a doubt in his mind that I would complete this journey. His love is my words, and it is this love that allowed me to find my voice in education, which will hopefully support and guide many students and teachers in the future. To you Kris. vi Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ........................................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. xiii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. xiv Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................1 Background to the Study ..................................................................................................................2 Study Description and Research Questions .....................................................................................5 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................................6 Overview of the Dissertation ...........................................................................................................6 Chapter 2: Theoretical Framework .............................................................................................8 The Foundations of Constructionism ...............................................................................................9 Allegiance with Constructivism .....................................................................................................10 Technocentrism and Constructionism ............................................................................................11 Papert’s Constructionism: Knowledge Construction .....................................................................12 Papert’s Constructionism: Learning Culture .................................................................................14 Summary ........................................................................................................................................15 Chapter 3: Literature Review .....................................................................................................17 Section A: School Culture and Technology ...................................................................................18 Constructionist technologies. ...................................................................................................18 21st-century school culture. ................................................................................................18 The maker movement. .......................................................................................................20 Agency and structure. ........................................................................................................22 Critique of high agency / low structure paradigm. ............................................................23 Epistemic frames. ...............................................................................................................24 Summary. ...........................................................................................................................26 Technology integration. ...........................................................................................................26