Teaching to conduct ethnographic research using online 3dimensional virtual worlds: An analysis of its effectiveness and users’ perceptions.

Author(s):

Bertha Adriana D'Alba(presenting / submitting)Barbara Kawulich

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

19. Ethnography

Format:

Poster

Session Information

19 SES 04.5 PS, General Poster Session

General Poster Session

Time:

2017-08-23

12:00-13:30

Room:

W4.corridor (Poster Area)

Chair:

Contribution

The research questions of this study were:

How effective are 3dimensional online virtual worlds to conduct ethnographic research?

What are the students’ perceptions about utilizing virtual worlds to conduct research?

The theoretical framework utilized to develop the research is the theory of situated cognition. This theory focuses on the relationship between the individual, the social group, and the context where learning occurs, and it has evolved to include the design of technology or computer based instruction (Altalib, 2002). This theory also states that knowledge is situated, and it is affected by the activity, context, and culture. From a situated perspective, it becomes impossible to separate the learner, the curriculum, and the context in which learning occurs (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989; Lave & Wenger, 1991).

Rationale

Conducting ethnographic research is a complex investigative process that involves a series of steps to discover what people do, and then to provide an interpretation of those actions, based on the researcher’s personal or professional experiences (LeCompte & Schensul, 1999). It may involve systematic observation, interviewing, or archival research to collect data (Angrosino, 2007; Fetterman, 1998) and encompasses several stages, such as selecting a setting, gaining access, presenting oneself, and gathering and recording information (Sangasubana, 2011; Singleton & Straits, 2005) to ensure that “researchers gather data carefully, thoroughly, and in a way that is understandable to others, and that they use procedures that can be replicated by other researchers...” (LeCompte & Schensul, 1999, p. 2).

Teaching how to conduct ethnographic research can be a daunting task, especially when limited funding has constrained researchers’ abilities to travel with students to investigate and observe people within their communities. An added challenge surfaces when teaching how to conduct ethnographic research occurs in a course delivered 100% online. Students might be situated in different geographic zones and with different work and life schedules, making it difficult to conduct group work or travel to a specific location, as is the case of the participants in this study. Researchers and scholars are seeking new ways to engage and teach their students ethnographic practices, with the same rigorous approach and strategies employed in ethnographic investigations in the field, but without investing extensive amounts of money required to travel, live, and interact with a community.

Method

The study focused on analyzing the perceptions and experiences of 19 graduate students enrolled in the EDSI 9962 Qualitative Research Methods course, pursuing their Education Doctorate degree (Ed. D) in school improvement. The course is delivered 100% online and focuses on the use of qualitative methods of research, including theoretical perspectives and methods of collection and analysis of qualitative data sources in educational studies (Kawulich, 2017, p.2). The course professor is utilizing SecondLife (SL) – a 3dimensional online virtual environment (3dVE), as an alternative to conduct ethnographic research. 3dVEs have drawn a lot of attention during the past two decades, and their application in education, science, work, and entertainment areas has substantially increased (Mazuryk & Gervautz, 1996). Virtual environments can be defined as real-time interactive graphics with 3dimensional models that, when combined with a display technology, can give the user immersion in the model world with direct manipulation and interaction with objects or other agents (Bishop, Bricken, & Brooks, 1992). Throughout the duration of the course -approximately four months, the students were given different materials and activities that focused on a variety of approaches to qualitative research. At the end of the semester, students were expected to have acquired a set of skills to understand how specific theoretical perspectives frame qualitative research, be able to conduct qualitative research studies using a broad range of data collection methods, and be able to analyze qualitative data and present their findings. They were assigned to groups of three people and had to conduct an ethnographic study of a community in SecondLife. They were trained to deal with the same issues they might experience while conducting ethnographic research in a real community, such as gatekeeping, securing a key informant, establishing rapport (Creswell, 2000); learning to deal with uncertainty and rejection (Dogra, 2007), feeling like an alien in an unfamiliar world, learning the cultural mores of the culture, and learning to be flexible, among others. Data were collected from students’ journal entries, reflections on observations and interviews, discussion posts, survey responses, and online communications with the researchers, and were analyzed thematically (Braun & Clarke, 2006; Guest, 2012; Saldana, 2009) by first reading through all data sources, then assigning labels to units of analysis to create a coding scheme that addressed all forms of data. Data were then further analyzed to determine properties and dimensions of codes assigned, and themes were identified for reporting findings.

Expected Outcomes

Although students experienced several technical difficulties, such as learning to navigate, dress, teleport, find a community to study, and interact with others within SecondLife, they reported this to be a beneficial experience that helped them to understand and practice the procedures to conduct qualitative research, while applying different qualitative methods. They noted that SL provided them with a unique opportunity to interact with cultures from all over the world, while learning to address issues such as gaining entry to a community, selecting participants to interview, establishing rapport, learning to deal with uncertainty and rejection, feeling like strangers in an unfamiliar environment, and learning the cultural rules of the different communities. Students emphasized the importance of learning to make connections with the selected communities and learned how to meet their cultural standards and rules. Students also encountered and dealt with unique ethical issues (Grimes, Fleischman, & Jaeger, 2009; McKee & Porter, 2009) that usually arise when conducting research in online virtual environments. The entries in their journals and the research procedures and results they presented at the end of the semester suggest that using 3DVLEs can be a viable and effective alternative for those who want to learn to conduct ethnographic research. As a student noted “After we began collecting data by observing and interviewing, the whole research process began to make sense. I began to realize that this was a great platform (as long as you can find a culture to work with) for qualitative research.”

References

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Author Information

Bertha Adriana D'Alba (presenting / submitting)

University of West Georgia

Educational Technologies and Foundations

Carrollton

Barbara Kawulich