Annual Review - Year 3 (part-time PhD) - Mick Chesterman

The primary aims of this review document is give to a short update on research activity and to frame emerging results from the study in line with existing material in this field.

Review of Context of Research

While there has been a large body of research on the value and practice of game making for educational purposes, it is a dynamic landscape which has many areas which merit additional research [-@kafai_constructionist_2015]. New software tools which make games offering new pedagogical possibilities emerge regularly. Game playing practices and the opportunities provided by participation in wider communities also continue to evolve. For example, casual and retro games played by both adults and children are increasingly available via smart phones and home consoles. The nostalgia around such games and the associated aesthetics of cuteness creates a potential for connection between younger and older players [@boyle_retro-futurism_2017]. My study, in part, asks how the motivational and navigational affordances of enthusiast game making communities can be brought into more structured educational environments.

Summary of Wider Activity since RD2

My RD2 was in December 2019. I was suspended from studies in Summer 2020 and restarted earlier this summer in June 2022. This section is a brief summary of some of the activities that I have managed to undertake in this timeframe.

Early Dissemination of Results via Presentations

While lock down presented some challenges. There were opportunities to disseminate early results.

• Online Mozilla Conference 2021: Mozilla were pioneers of in informal digital learning and associated tools [@sefton-green_mapping_2013]. I presented an overview of the key salient features of the 3M model during an online conference to replace the in-person event. The interactive presentation was well received.

• Online Presentation at Manchester Games Network: In this 90 minute presentation and interactive session I was supported by Sam and Paul to share early results. This was a challenging but helpful exercise. I was struck by the grounded nature of this research.

• Informal Participation on Playful Learning conference 2022: The use of games consoles loaded with games created by participants is an engaging way to talk about my research.

This early dissemination of results prompted an deeper analysis of my existing data in terms of the overarching themes. I wanted to present the themes in an accessible way which suited the dissemination of findings to audiences of academics and educators in both formal and informal domains. The a pedagogical model which I called the 3M Game Making Model emerged from this process. As this has become a key output of my research I will outline the model briefly before continuing this report.

BOX BEGINS

Summary of 3M Game Making Model

The key features of the 3M Game Making Model are outlined below. The implementation of game design patterns as missions by learners as a core unit of activity. Maps are used by both learners and facilitators as reflective and navigational tools. Finally methods are used by primarily by facilitators in planning session activities.

{ width=80% }

Missions	Maps	Methods
Simple code changes yield quick feedback	A map of learning dimensions flexibly linked to main missions/patterns can be used by both learners and facilitators	Play Testing in each session aids short term motivation. Showcase events help longer-term motivation and aid project prioritisation
Free choice of Patterns increases learner engagement and ownership	Tracing the learner pathway on an attractive physical map in the learning space can help integrate navigation and reflection into the creative process	Drama and fictional scenarios can help explore issues and reduce learner anxiety though coding in a role
Restrict Game Type and number of Patterns to reduce Facilitator stress		Adding electronics to control the game via arcade buttons and cabinets increases engagement and perceptions of project authenticity
Limit complexity of patterns. Some are simple but cause a large change in the game
Side missions which explore and celebrate different ‘maker ty - RQ1 - What game making pedagogies exist?

• RQ2 - How can educators support the development of a community of game makers?
• RQ3 - How do game patterns support the development of coding practices with novices?
• RQ3 - What effect does a pedagogical model focused on the development of a community of game makers have on parent and child learner experiences of digital game making?pes’ (from Bartle’s player types) | | |

Table 1.2. Key Features of 3M Game Making Model

BOX ENDS

Book Chapters

I have completed three book chapters this year of which pre-publisher versions are available online¹.

Two chapters were for an audience of teachers as part of a proposed collection “Inclusive practice and theory in computing education, Alternative perspectives on curriculum and classrooms”. One chapter analysed abstract and concrete approaches to computing education. The other covered design and project approaches in this subject. The process of writing the chapters was productive in shaking up my thinking on Computational Thinking and other conceptions of abstract concepts compared to more grounded concrete practices in the fields of computing education. A book chapter for an internation collection on teaching coding focused directly on game making. In it I outlined the 3M model and the accompanying resources for learners that I have created during the course of my research.

Creation of Resources for Learners & Educators

At RD2 stage I explained that a new software tool had been launched called MakeCode Arcade (MCA) with allowed the use of common game design framework patterns within a block-coding tool. I adapted the resources created for the Glitch ssytem that I had already been using to work with MCA.

Phaser and Glitch.com: The following resources exist for text-based coding using the Phaser javascript framework.

• A splash page for Phaser / Glitch.com resources. This contains links to print outs, tutorials and activities ¹.
• An interactive starting template and grid of game design patterns that learners can add to the incomplete template².

3M & MakeCode Arcade: The application of the 3M model applied using the MakeCode Arcade software is available online as part of a collaborative online documentation repository. The resource includes a template of a broken game to fix, printable cards offering quick changes to core design patterns, printable documents which describe game design patterns and steps of how to implement them, a map of learning dimensions that learners are likely to encounter when making games, and an adaptable five-week course of activities².

Progress towards Thesis Completion

I

Iterative Revision of Research Design

The foundation of this research is a design-based research approach which is underlined by Activity Theory as a conceptual framework. While the analysis of results at RD2 stage was going to be based on Engeström’s detailed framework of third generation Activity Theory, my attempts to write up emerging results within this extensive and prescriptive framework were cumbersome.

Instead, I have been returned to design-based research as a core methodology with Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a conceptual framework. Specifically, I am using Rogoff’s [-@rogoffObservingSocioculturalActivity1993] three planes / foci of personal, social and community as an analytical tool. The model is promising as it problematises the dichotomy of learner led, teacher led approaches @mascolo_beyond_2009 in a way which suits the space between formal and informal learning that this community based model of game making occupies.

I am exploring mapping the three elements of the 3M model to the three foci; cultural, social and personal planes of Rogoff’s model. I will be requesting help on this aspect of the process from my supervisors.

Emerging Focus on Design Patterns

Data Gathering - Additional Material and Summary

In early 2020 I rad two additional courses on game making. The first involved a similar level of video data capture and participants to earlier courses with 360, the second was more restricted due to the rooms that were available. Limited screen capture data was recorded.

{ width=96% }

A TABLE OF STAGES OF DATA GATHERING FOLLOWS - AS IMAGE / Linked in Appendix https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tBoXJWw-aZUcc8EsAvT195CtHLSM468YOCD0sGzOuoA/edit#

Data Analysis

Initial results relied on data analysis of my journal entries, informal interactions and formal interviews with participants, selection of key vignettes from video recordings and identification of the key features of the supporting resources and learning strategies that I created in response to emerging tensions.

The process of of a more systematic triangulation of that data with video data analysis is underway. Before starting this detailed analysis of the data I was unsure if sufficient relevant data had gathered or if more needed to be undertaken. However the material gathered proved to be very rich in terms of both social interactions between team making participants and community interactions happening on a wider scale. Thus rather than gathering more data, I am looking at restricting detailed analysis of data to that gathered in 2019 as it quickly became apparent that the initial sessions of data gathering in the first half of 2019 were by far the richest terms of this social and community activity.

These was social and community aspects stand out to me as potentially the most fruitful due to lack of similar, social approaches in the context of game making at this age range.

In the RD2 a vignette was selected as an exemplar of material gathered. The data from 360 camera allowed clarification and gesture analysis to be added to a transcription and description of what was happening on the laptop screens of the pair of participants in questions.

This study presented significant challenges in regards to analysis of data, some foreseen and some unexpected.

• The challenge of the length of time required to analyse data.
• The process of collating and contrasting data from significantly after the date is challenging.
• The breadth of possible streams of study made deeper coding and analysis difficult

Thus while additional data gathering was useful in terms of notes gathered and development of material, it will not be analysed in the depth of the first iteration and may be the basis of future analysis in follow up papers.

Nvivo coding

when coding I started with some preset codes from the literature for examples Barron’s codes on parent roles when helping digital projects. However, as coding progressed, I modified and extended these codes to better match the data I was working with. The coding structure is included as an appendix.

Next Goals

I include a brief description of my next stages in this thesis.

• Write up one chapter of results: I am focusing on Design Patterns as the basis for one chapter of results.

• Ongoing coding and analysis of video data: I will continue to analyse video data in depth and search for key moments of interaction.

• Exploration of emerging concepts in existing research: As concepts and practices emerge as being particularly significant, I will focus on those elements in existing research and practice and compare and contrast my findings.

• Explore how to present 3M framework within results chapters: While the 3M framework is suitable for dissemination in practice, there is still work to be done to frame it in relation to existing knowledge in the field.

• **Revision of Research questions: **As I began coding, the need to focus research questions became apparent. While the exact wording of the questions is as yes unfixed, the following questions are my current candidates.

  • RQ1 - What game making pedagogies exist?
  • RQ2 - How can educators support the development of a community of game makers?
  • RQ3 - How do game patterns support the development of coding practices with novices?
  • RQ3 - What effect does a pedagogical model focused on the development of a community of game makers have on parent and child learner experiences of digital game making?

Appendices

• Summary of the data gathering as table.
• Evolution of research questions - as screen shot from Trello
• Current coding structure.
• Abstract and link to full book chapter - and draft chapters