HOW MIGHT DIGITAL LEISURE GAMES FOSTER CRITICAL THINKING AND GRIT? BY: VANESSA REMENTILLA A major research project presented to OCAD University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design in Strategic Foresight & Innovation Toronto, Ontario, Canada December, 2016 Vanessa Rementilla 2016 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International 2.5 Canada license. 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I further authorize OCAD University to reproduce this MRP by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. iv Abstract The ubiquity of mobile devices and the rapid growth of mobile gaming have put digital games into the tiny hands of children, some under 2 years of age. What, if anything, are these games teaching our kids? Could they be learning essential skills that will be useful in the future—or are they just for fun? This research investigates if and how digital leisure games promote critical thinking and grit in children ages 9–12. It will explore game design, motivations of players, stages in child’s development and other factors that may influence learning outcomes. It aims to create a framework for identifying essential future skills and traits and provide future directions for parents and, potentially, educators and game developers. v DEDICATION To Francis, Mateo and Zach vi Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION: GOOD CANDY? ..............................................................................1 2. METHODS AND TECHNIQUES ......................................................................................4 2.1 Literature Review ........................................................................................... 5 2.2 Auto-ethnography ................................................................................................8 2.3 Online Survey Questionnaires ....................................................................................10 2.3.1 Parent Questionnaire .......................................................................................10 2.3.2 Learning Framework Survey ................................................................................ 11 3. CONTEXT AND RATIONALE .......................................................................................12 3.1 Mobile is the New Playground .................................................................................... 13 3.2 Gaming Goes to School ......................................................................................... 15 3.3 Searching for the Skills of Tomorrow ............................................................................21 4. GAME OVER: NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS, ISSUES AND CHALLENGES ......................................... 24 4.1 The Violence Connection ........................................................................................ 25 4.2 Screentime: Searching for That Magic Number ................................................................. 26 4.3 Sedentary Lifestyle ............................................................................................. 28 4.4 Addiction ....................................................................................................... 29 4.5 Online Safety ....................................................................................................31 5. GAME ON: BENEFITS, AFFORDANCES AND ADVOCACY ......................................................... 32 5.1 Freedom to Fail .................................................................................................. 33 5.2 Literacy Launchpad ............................................................................................. 34 5.3 Social Learning System ......................................................................................... 35 5.4 Systems Thinking ................................................................................................37 6. ONLINE SURVEY RESULTS ....................................................................................... 39 6.1 Parent Questionnaire ............................................................................................ 40 6.1.1 Age and Gender of Children ................................................................................ 40 6.1.2 Digital Games Played by 9- to 12-year–old Children .........................................................41 6.1.3 Game Acquisition .......................................................................................... 43 6.1.4 Parent Screentime Conditions and Rules .................................................................. 44 6.1.5 Perceived Skills Learned from Playing Digital Leisure Games............................................... 46 6.2 Learning Framework Survey ......................................................................................47 6.2.1 Digital Leisure Games Chosen by Parents ..................................................................47 6.2.2 Parent Perceptions on Ability of Digital Leisure Games to Foster Crtical Thinking and Grit ................ 48 6.2.3 Important Factors ......................................................................................... 48 6.2.4 Feedback on the Learning Framework ..................................................................... 49 6.3 Limitations ...................................................................................................... 50 6.3.1 Limited Data and Clarification ............................................................................. 50 6.3.2 Online Recruitment and Self-Reported Data ................................................................ 51 vii 7. THE LEARNING FRAMEWORK .................................................................................... 52 7.1 The Process ..................................................................................................... 53 8. THE CRITICAL THINKING LEARNING FRAMEWORK ............................................................. 59 8.1 Build Knowledge .................................................................................................61 8.2 Build Comprehension, Analysis and Synthesis .................................................................. 62 8.3 Evaluate ......................................................................................................... 70 9. THE GRIT LEARNING FRAMEWORK .............................................................................. 73 9.1 Build Interest into Passion ........................................................................................76 9.2 Identify with a Purpose to Persevere .............................................................................79 9.3 Gain Support and Feedback ..................................................................................... 85 9.4 Mind the Gaps .................................................................................................. 88 10. INFLUENTIAL FACTORS IN LEARNING ........................................................................... 89 10.1 Inferential Factors .............................................................................................. 92 10.1.1 Child Development ........................................................................................ 92 10.1.2 Motivations ............................................................................................... 93 10.1.3 Arbitrary Factors ......................................................................................... 94 10.1.4 Types of Digital Games ..................................................................................