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Learning in virtual worlds: Using communities of practice to explain how people learn from play
Author(s) -
Oliver Martin,
Carr Diane
Publication year - 2009
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/j.1467-8535.2009.00948.x
Subject(s) - affect (linguistics) , social worlds , metaverse , psychology , educational technology , sociology , virtual learning environment , pedagogy , knowledge management , computer science , virtual reality , human–computer interaction , social science , communication
Although there is interest in the educational potential of online multiplayer games and virtual worlds, there is still little evidence to explain specifically what and how people learn from these environments. This paper addresses this issue by exploring the experiences of couples that play World of Warcraft together. Learning outcomes were identified (involving the management of ludic, social and material resources) along with learning processes, which followed Wenger's model of participation in Communities of Practice. Comparing this with existing literature suggests that productive comparisons can be drawn with the experiences of distance education students and the social pressures that affect their participation.