8 Conclusion

8.1 Introduction

Restates aim: how socio-cultural approaches can enrich pedagogy for CGD&P.
Acknowledge the entanglement of research outputs + personal reflections; conclusion deliberately embeds outputs in narrative form.
Thesis began with broad ideas (social coding), but PhD process deepened understanding of these questions — hopeful outcome showing the value of the research journey.

Design narrative (Ch. 5) mapped contradictions (tools, navigation, cultural tensions).
REEPPP framework as design response.
Harbour metaphor: facilitator as gatekeeper between safe community and online cultures; also as curated learning zone → prototype for RARB.
Early output: 3M process (published in K–12 book), holistic before narrowing to Phases 1–3/Phaser JS.

GDPs as germ cell; Rogoff’s three planes provided organising lens.
Framework + table (Ch. 6) summarising varied uses.
GDPs = clearest contribution (conceptual + practical).
Prioritisation of GDPs → painful narrowing, disorientating at times; confidence impacted, later restored.
Links to abstraction/concreteness, epistemological pluralism, semantic profiles.

RARB model: relational agency through repertoire blending.
Ethos of facilitation: creating and holding spaces for repertoire exchange.
Resonance with Rogoff & Gutiérrez: prioritising relational agency.
From “choice” → to deeper conceptualisation of agency; critique of neoliberal framing.
Reflections on maker types (Chs. 5 & 7).
Neurodiversity strand: REEPPP + RARB may support neurodiverse learners; to be expanded in future work.

Conceptual: GDPs as germ cell; RARB model; harbour metaphor extended.
Methodological: design narrative; CHAT–DBR synthesis; contradiction analysis; 360° video; vignettes.
Practical: REEPPP framework; novice GDP collection; templates; social missions; JAMM Labs orientation.
Dissemination: early peer-reviewed output (3M process).

Research began with barely formed idea → tacit improvisation matured into explicit pedagogy.
Home education context: central to process, with parents/children shaping design.
Tools built partly on prior practice (templates, documentation), partly new (GDP collection).
JAMM Labs as continuation: creating spaces to blend repertoires, but cautious about tech as “MacGuffin.”
Community art parallels: alternative “hooks” for participation.
Self-expression vs commercialisation: risk of replicating industry logics (game industry, YouTube).
Reflection on utopian tech waves → shift to trailing-edge/retro tech as space for empowerment.

For practice: support for PBL teachers in formal settings; addressing barriers (time, assessment, confidence).
For research:
- Deeper engagement with neurodiversity and UDL.
- Comparative studies on abstract-first vs GDP-driven tacit exposure.
- Cross-fertilisation with drama/Mantle of the Expert.
- Shadow communities/parallel participation as research sites.
For society:
- Critical role of facilitators as gatekeepers (harbour metaphor).
- Implications of participation vs non-/partial participation.
- Links to youth mental health, commodification of culture, radicalisation.

The “messiness” of outputs/reflections mirrors the authentic, entangled process of the research.
Personal narrative at both start and end of the conclusion.
Emotional reflections (to be integrated here).
Inclusion as unifying theme:
- In Ch. 5 contradictions, Ch. 6 GDPs bridging abstract/concrete, Ch. 7 agency analyses, and across outputs (REEPPP, RARB).
- Inclusion not just aspiration, but thread woven through research journey and contributions.