Using interview data from six Black content creators for "The Sims 4" (2014), the authors consider the politics of representation and self-expression in computer games. Black content, the authors find, consists not merely of depictions of skin tones, but also of the diverse global cultures of Black lived lives and Black…

This study explored how to effectively apply gamification design principles to improve the quantity and quality of online discussions. Based on a game design framework: Playing Experience of Needs Satisfaction (PENS), two specific gamification design principles: (1) aligning gamification awards with specific performance expectations; and (2)…

Most research on mathematical play and learning is focused on early childhood. This study examines how mathematical play and learning manifest in older children in a mathematical videogame designed by the first author, "Rolly's Adventure." We examined how players experienced mathematical play as they played "Rolly's Adventure,"…

Gamification, the use of game design elements within nongame contexts, can be found across a wide range of digital products and is used to increase user engagement and simplify complex tasks for the user. While the use of gamification can be problematic with some content and contexts, these same strategies do have potential for engaging students…

Courses: Introductory Research Methods, Digital Cultures. Objectives: This activity introduces students to participant observation as a method for data collection. Through this activity, students will gain experience taking observational field notes. The debriefing discussion will allow students to practice using their observational notes as…

This theoretical paper examines views about the role of language and mathematical discourse in learning mathematics. Current research is still addressing what constitutes a mathematical discourse. As new conceptions of the purpose of language use in mathematics are explored, and associated ontological and epistemic positions are revealed, one…

This chapter discusses the informal practice of learnful L2 gaming, that is, playing a vernacular (commercial, non-educational) game for the intentional, sometimes incidental purpose of L2 use and practice. The introduction discusses the reasons for this widespread practice and the background section surveys associated theory and research,…

The growth of electronic sports (esports) is undeniable. One dimension of esports' growth can be seen in its adoption as an extracurricular club activity across an increasing number of high schools in the United States. Researchers and educators in literacy have increasingly recognized and emphasized the study of students' everyday lives and…

The surge of learners being immersed in computer game contexts for learning has instigated dialogue about the contextually appropriate collection of reliable and valid data to inform education-based decisions. The purpose of this article is to develop educational practitioners' understanding of preliminary research work, and to inform educational…

The Flavor Perception Game was designed with the goals of developing an interactive and hands-on activity, providing a platform to review chemical senses of the five tastes, promoting student investment in the course material, and providing a basis for discussion on chemical senses of the five tastes. Knowledge of taste sensation is useful for…

This article approaches games from the perspectives of design and analysis in order to describe how games might employ pedagogical strategies that capitalize on their strengths as interactive media while avoiding the pitfalls of traditional learning games. Specifically, it draws attention to how games employ world building through lore--such as…

Games in service of learning are uniquely positioned to offer immersive, interactive educational experiences. Well-designed games build challenge through a series of well-ordered problems or activities, in which perseverance is key for working through ingame failure and increasing game difficulty. Indeed, persistence through challenges during…

Using gamification to support learning in K-12 education has received much attention from scholars in recent years. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding of how gamification should be used to effectively enhance the learning experiences of K-12 students. The purpose of this review was to synthesize research findings on the…

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of digital gamification-based instruction on the attitudes towards mathematics and anxiety of seventh-grade gifted students in the "Equation and Equation" unit. In this study, pretest-posttest unbalanced group experimental design was used. The study was conducted in the 2022-2023…

Purpose: This study aimed to explore students' learning outcomes as a result of participating in a simulated aphasia escape room related to (a) the development of aphasia assessment and treatment self-efficacy, (b) students' perceptions of the experience, and (c) overall student performance on escape room tasks. Method: Thirty-six first-year…