Open AccessChildren’s Construction of Identity in Virtual Play Worlds – A Classroom Perspective
Author(s) -
Anne Burke
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
language and literacy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1496-0974
DOI - 10.20360/g2v01m
Subject(s) - identity (music) , variety (cybernetics) , perspective (graphical) , virtual world , sociology , metaverse , meaning (existential) , literacy , psychology , pedagogy , aesthetics , visual arts , virtual reality , computer science , art , human–computer interaction , artificial intelligence , psychotherapist
The formation of identity is inextricably linked to powerful meaning-makers in a child’s young life. In the 21st century, this typically involves engagement in virtual play worlds. This case study reports on the identity construction of young gamers in a classroom as perceived through an I/identity framework (Rowsell & Abrams, 2011), associative I/identity framework (Abrams, 2011) and informed by New Literacies through a socio-cultural lens. Children engage in Discourses (Gee, 2007; 2008; 2009) to experiment with early rehearsals and re-enactments, navigating fluidly among different roles and virtual world experiences. This study shows how children form affinity groups and social connections with other players in their real world play spaces and online, thus creating a meaningful interplay of their real world and virtual I/identities in a variety of ways.