Possibility Spaces for Transformational Learning: Examining the Gaming Biographies of Two Female ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Students

• In Event: Examining the Role of Digital Media in Teaching/Learning About Issues of Identity/Diversity

Abstract

This study shifts inquiry from game-based content learning to broader transformational learning (Mezirow, 1997) stimulated through gaming practices transpiring longitudinally across social and formal/informal learning activities. Findings of this case study involving two young women highlight the kinds of gaming practices that participants actually pursue, the social context of gaming, and perhaps most importantly, the meaning of gaming for participants as crucial variables. Our study suggests that, beyond learning specific content, gaming became a significant “possibility space” for the participants. This was particularly true in relation to envisioning ICT careers, when other people (relatives, adult mentors) not only introduced them to new games, but to new practices around these games, and made explicit connections between gaming practices and future careers.

Authors

• Elizabeth M. King, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

• Barbara Zebe Johnson, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

• Elisabeth R. Hayes, Arizona State University