Inside curriculum-embedded virtual worlds: Collaborative dialogue in Quest Atlantis

The use of multi-user virtual environments in K-12 education is sparse due in part to the lack of research demonstrating student learning within these environments. The purpose of this study was to explore a key component of learning, collaborative talk, within the Quest Atlantis virtual gaming environment and to look for the relationship between collaboration and progress markers within the game. Three questions guided this study: (a) What is the nature of collaboration? (b) Is there a difference in the nature of collaboration in a structured environment (required collaboration for student success) and an unstructured environment (no collaborative effort required)? and (c) What is the correlation between collaboration (as measured by the online coding scheme) and the progress markers (lumins) in the game environment?;To accomplish the goals of this study, game talk of ten students from around the globe was examined within two different sectors of the virtual environment. The gaming environment examined was Quest Atlantis (QA), a three-dimensional (3-D) MUVE geared toward science concepts with students' ages 9--12. Observations of the QA virtual environment, conversations, and other data sources were used to characterize collaboration in a 3-D MUVE. Transcripts were coded to provide a qualitative description of the dialogue used in chat interactions. Particular attention was paid to collaboration through text-based mediums in the two virtual environments---the heavily task-oriented Taiga and the relatively open-ended QVille.;The findings of this qualitative study indicate that non-curricular unstructured virtual environments foster participant collaboration as well as exploration. Such environments may assist students in applying, practicing, and ultimately developing greater collaboration among peers and understanding of curriculum. An increase in student understanding of learning and collaboration could lead to the recommendation that these environments be included as part of the learning process and teaching tools within most school curriculum.