Virtual Representations in 3D Learning Environments

摘要

This research explores the affordances of virtual worlds to serve as an online collaborative learning place for students by increasing social presence and engagement (Resta & Shonfeld, in Press). Students from Education departments formed Avatars which represented them in collaborative meetings and activities. The research compares Avatars' appearance between students from different countries and cultures. Analysis of observations, questionnaires and interviews examine the ways participants use Avatars to represent themselves. Seeking educational opportunities in technology based learning environments, 3D environments enable learning, which simulates face to face encounters while retaining the advantages of online learning. The study examines the choice of students' Avatar appearance in relation to their appearance and their prevailing social and cultural norms. Does the user's appearance effects his/her Avatar's appearance? Does the user's culture effects his/her choice of Avatar? Do 3D environments blur multicultural differences? Do similarities between students and their Avatars contribute to their learning experience, and if so, in what way? Results indicated that although virtual 3-Dimension environments provide freedom in appearance, external contexts create powerful boundaries and expectations, leading many participants to seek online social acceptable appearance influenced by their cultural norms, as well as by online group identity. This preferable appearance enhanced their learning experience by strengthening their ability to assimilate in the group and to succeed in collaborative group tasks. This study extends the dual-congruity perspectives of Avatar Choice Model (Suh, Kim & Suh, 2011) to a conceptual framework based on quad-congruity perspectives, adding the importance of online group (Martey & Consalvo, 2011) and focus on the constraining effect of offline culture and norms on virtual representations.