Researching Virtual Play Experiences: Visual Methods in Education Research

This book explores the lived experience of primary school children engaged in virtual world play during a year-long after-school club, using a playful, participatory, and emergent methodological approach called 'rhizomic ethnography'. It demonstrates how the children's creation of a digital community through Minecraft was shaped by the game and their wider social and cultural experiences, showcasing the 'emergent dimension of play'.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 382 pages
Publication date: 13 October 2022
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This captivating book delves into the rich and immersive realm of virtual world play experienced by a group of primary school children during a year-long after-school club. Drawing upon post-structuralist theory and New Literacy Studies, it presents a playful, participatory, and emergent methodological approach known as 'rhizomic ethnography.' This innovative 'hybrid text' seamlessly blends words and images, showcasing the fieldsite and methodology while illuminating how children's creation of a digital community through Minecraft was intricately shaped by the game itself and their broader social and cultural contexts. Through an in-depth exploration of various dimensions of the club, including visual and soundscape data, the author unveils the 'emergent dimension of play,' shedding light on the profound ways in which children's imaginative and collaborative endeavors unfolded within this digital realm. This captivating work will captivate researchers and scholars interested in children's play, as well as those who seek to explore innovative visual methods and design multimodal research outputs.

Weight: 526g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030786960
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021