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Virtual collaborative gaming as social skills training for high‐functioning autistic children
Author(s) -
Ke Fengfeng,
Moon Jewoong
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
british journal of educational technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.79
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-8535
pISSN - 0007-1013
DOI - 10.1111/bjet.12626
Subject(s) - psychology , task (project management) , social skills , social relation , autism , applied psychology , multimedia , computer science , developmental psychology , social psychology , management , economics
Using OpenSimulator, we constructed a 3D virtual playground that affords competition‐themed social gaming, role‐play gaming and design‐themed architectural gaming among high‐functioning autistic (HFA) children. A mixed‐method, multi‐case study was conducted to examine the association between the game task and setting features, learners' participation patterns, and their game‐based social interaction performance. Eight 10–14‐year‐old HFA children participated in the study. Data were collected via screen recording and observation of participants' gaming actions and reactions. We conducted a behavioral analysis with the recorded social interaction performance of participants in the virtual gaming sessions. The study found that virtual reality‐based gameplay promoted the social interaction performance of HFA children. The study findings also suggested that gameplay should be adapted based on the competencies and in‐situ reactions of learners.