The document summarizes a research study that examined how participation in a game design program called Globaloria could help mitigate the effects of the digital divide among diverse students. The intervention involved middle and high school students learning game design skills through guided discovery. Results suggested the program increased students' school computer use, especially in schools where parents had lower education levels. It also increased students' advanced computer activities, reducing differences based on self-reported grades. The discussion notes how such programs could help lower-income students achieve greater equity and give students new contexts to flourish in school.

1. How Sustained
Engagement
in Game Design and
Social Media Use
Among Diverse Students
Can Mitigate Effects of
the Digital Divide
2013 AERA Conference
Rebecca Reynolds, Assistant Professor
Rutgers University
Ming Ming Chiu, Professor
SUNY-Buffalo

2. Digital Participation in a Democracy
• Important social, political, cultural, economic activity is occurring in online
environments and participation in digital culture is becoming necessary to
democracy (Mossberger, Tolbert, and McNeal; Jenkins, 2009, Hobbs, 2010;
Horrigan, 2011).
• Inequalities in technology access may result in knowledge gaps, educational
opportunity barriers and disparities in groups’ socio-economic potential, all
of which run counter to fulfillment of democratic goals and ideals
(Bonfadelli, 2002).

3. Research Questions
How can we cultivate such digital literacy in young
people to bring about a more equitable society?
Broadly:
• To what extent does middle school and high school students’ participation
and engagement in a guided discovery-based program of game design
learning mitigate the effects of some of the known socio-economic
predictors of the digital divide?
• To what extent are known predictors of digital literacy in cross-sectional
research maintained, reduced, or washed out entirely as predictors after
students engage in program?

4. Intervention
Globaloria:
• Introduces students to online tools, resources, information, communities both
inside and outside of the e-learning environment
• Designed to cultivate students’ digital fluency, perhaps meeting Papacharissi &
Easton’s interesting definition
• Affords opportunity, tools, and environment to explore, discover, play with
ideas, possibilities
• Also allows students to practice what it means to influence the design of
games, rules, systems, mechanisms
• Conscious conceptualization of field, and influence over its rules, as
powerful actors

5. INTERVENTION: Guided discovery-based game design program
and curriculum offered by the WorldWide Workshop. MS, HS
teachers and students gain experience and expertise in a range of
agentive digital practices.

6. Globaloria is currently active
in 4 U.S. states: CA,TX, NY,WV, >2000 students

7. Domains of Learning and Expertise
• Game Example
• Constructionist digital literacy (skills needed in knowledge economy =>
6-CLAs)
• Computational thinking through game design in Flash and programming in
Actionscript
• Core curricular subject matter:
o When game subjects are linked to core curriculum and students deepen
knowledge about topic through online research and design
• STEM career interests: Technology & Engineering; Computer Science
• Motivation, Affect, Attitudes, Life Choices, New Possibilities and Horizons

8. Globaloria Game Design Program Learning Objectives:
Cultivate the Six Contemporary Learning Abilities (6CLAs)
Developing games in a social e-learning system cultivates participatory
practices that simulate productive engagement in today’s digital cultures
and knowledge-based economy

9. Analysis

10. Results, Home Computer Use
• Before the game design activity, students whose
parents had one level of schooling above the mean
showed 6% greater home computer use than students
whose parents had the mean level of schooling.
• After the game activity however, there was no
significant difference with respect to parent education

11. Results, School Computer Use
• Students averaged 26% greater school computer use
after the game design activity than before it.
• Further, findings indicate that school-level parent
education influences outcomes.
• Imagine two schools, one whose students’ parents have
more schooling and one whose students’ parents have less
schooling. After Globaloria, school computer use increases
substantially in both schools, but more so in schools in
which students’ parents have less schooling.
• These variables accounted for 18% of the variance in
students’ school computer use.

12. Results, Basic Computer Activities
• Students whose self-reported grades were one letter
grade above the mean averaged 2% fewer computer
activities after the game design activity than before it.
• Self-reported grades accounted for 1% of the variance
in students’ basic computer activities.

13. Results, Advanced Computer Activities
• Students averaged 14% more advanced computer
activities after the game design activity than before it.
• Before the game design activity, student who reported
grades one letter grade above the mean averaged 17%
more advanced computer activities than students who
reported grades at the mean.
• After the game design activity however, the advanced
computer activities did not differ significantly among
students with different self-reported grades

14. Discussion
• Students from schools with lower levels of parent
education (SES proxy) may stand to gain; programs like this
may aid in allowing lower income students to catch up /
achieve greater equity among more affluent peers
• May also give students who underperform in traditional school
contexts a new activity in which they can flourish in the school
environment (geeking out club)
• Longer-term research may indicate that Globaloria affords
students with life experiences that influence their habitus,
cultural capital, understanding and practice in fields
• Vision of life and livelihood possibilities

15. Rebecca.reynolds@gmail.com
Rutgers University website
http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/directory/rbreynol/index.html
Thanks to IMLS!
Thanks to my partners!
Globaloria.org
Worldwideworkshop.org
Thank you!