Reflections on the Red case study

The direction of this study changed substantially as a result of this case study. Elements that remained the same were the use of the conceptual framework as a basis for the qualitative study, and the use of a questionnaire for the quantitative study (although changes were made to this). Three additional elements were added at this stage.

The additional elements were

 The link displayed between satisfaction with the learning activity and the experience of presence. Using the criterion of satisfied or dissatisfied learners when interpreting the quantitative data enabled two groups to be identified within the cohort, and comparisons to be made between those groups. Apart from the experience of presence, and the absence of gamers from the dissatisfied group, there were no other apparent distinctions between these

137 groups. The questionnaire was therefore used in later cases studies to look for further correspondences between satisfaction with the learning activity and presence. The importance of immersiveness and roleplay tendencies was downplayed in further case studies. Despite the literature indicating these were important factors, there were little observable differences between those who experienced presence and those that did not. Degree of naturalisation also seemed not to be relevant. Instead other factors were introduced in an attempt to identify which other factors may be linked to the experience of presence.

 The reasons behind student resistance. From the analysis of the plenary focus group it appeared that there were a group of students who felt that the design was insufficiently realistic, and these were also those who did not experience presence. Other students, experiencing the same environment, felt that the design was sufficiently realistic. There were also a strong minority of students who objected to the concept of virtual worlds because of their values. This, together with the responses to case studies taking place at the same time that did not go ahead, prompted the inclusion of a strand to look at these attitudes in more depth.

 The differentiation of presence. From observing that the students were able to answer some of the questions, but not all, it appeared that the presence was not an experience that either occurred or did not occur, but was gradated. It was noted that students were capable of feeling sufficient familiarity with the environment to answer questions regarding the ease of use of the interface after a single session, and were also capable of observing the design of the theatres. However, the ability to form an emotional connection with the virtual space sufficient to be able to answer the question on how it may have felt to be a performer in the real spaces the virtual theatres represented was beyond them. They were unprepared even to appreciate that the question could be answered from a virtual experience. The questions on the cultures were even further beyond the experience they had at that stage. The conclusion after this first case study was that presence developed progressively, from one in which the technology occupied the foreground of attention, to one in which the student employed the technology with competency and could then more readily observe the world. These stages had occurred within the case study. Later stages of this progressive immersion, it was proposed, would then be those in which students were immersed to an extent where they had an emotional connection

138 to the space and then, finally, where they had sufficient experience of the virtual world to have an understanding of the cultures and communities that existed there. This progressive presence therefore meant that teachers must select learning activities appropriate to the degree of presence the class is likely to have formed. This model developed throughout the study and is presented in its final form in section 6.4; the early form of this model formulated as a result of this first case study was published in Childs and Kuksa (2009).

Further case studies aimed to identify the difference between the two parts of the cohort (those that experience presence and those who do not) in more depth and identify any factors that may influence these experiences. At this point it was thought that these factors may be cultural or value- driven, i.e. that the students who do not experience presence may not be failing to overcome the barriers to the experience, but may be resisting the experience due to opinions about the role of technology, or the credibility of virtual experience. Other factors were thought to be a preference for social interaction within an offline environment or due to these students preferring specific boundaries and resisting playfulness. Questions were then added to the questionnaire to look for these correspondences and to the interviews that were conducted to understand this resistance in greater depth.

Further work also aimed to see whether the model of progressive presence, and the suitability of particular learning activities, held with different classes.