Use of Second Life in K-12 and higher education: A review of research

Chris Inman

The University of Alabama

TERC Conference

April 4, 2009

What is Second Life?

Launched by Linden Labs in 2003, Second Life is a 3-D virtual world environment

that can be accessed through the Internet.

Second Life Client Interface

Second Life has become a popular destination for educators and non-educators alike.

Educators are choosing this particular virtual environment because they believe that

Second Life allows for manipulation of space and time, presents a high degree of realism

with minimal risk, and provides a great venue for informal learning situations (Pence, 2007-

2008).

Virtual Denny Chimes in Second Life

Research Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and review empirical research studies on the use

of the virtual world of Second Life in education (both K-12 and higher education).

Guiding Questions

1. How is Second Life used by students and teachers?

2. What types of research methods (qualitative and quantitative) have been applied using Second Life in K-12 and higher education settings?

3. Of the research conducted thus far in Second Life, what are the related findings?

Methodology

The search of relevant literature was conducted over a seven-week period, beginning on Saturday, January 24, 2009 and ending on Saturday, March 14, 2009. Conference proceedings from the following conferences were searched: Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education Conference (SITE) presented by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), the AECT International Convention presented by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), and the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) presented by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

Methodology Continued…

The following were also searched: Educational Technology Research and Development, the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, the Journal of Research on Technology in Education, and the Journal of Computing in Teacher Education. Moreover, the EdITLib Education and Information Technology Library housed by AACE was also searched. Third, the following research databases were searched for the term "Second Life": Academic, Academic OneFile, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, Education Full Text, ERIC, and PsycARTICLES. Finally, a broad search of the term "Second Life" was conducted using Google Scholar.

What did I find?

A total of 27 empirical research articles were found between 2003 and 2009.

Findings

Qualitative, 9

Quantitative, 9

Mixed Method, 9

Qualitative

Quantitative

Mixed Method

Research Method Distribution

Sample Size of the Studies

0123456789

10

4 to 10 12 to 26 36 to 50 97 to 835

Sample Size

Art

icle

s

Series1

Data Collection Instruments and Methods Used

Survey/Questionnaire 17 studies Data Transcription 11 Statistical Analysis (SPSS, etc.) 7 Interviews 6 Case Study Approach 3 Ethnography 3

Education Level of Focus

1 12

23

0

5

10

15

20

25

Elementary MiddleSchool

High School HigherEducation

Education Level Focus

Nu

mb

er

of S

tud

ies

Series1

What were teachers/educators doing in Second Life?

Teaching course/facilitating course/ 13 studiesAs part of a course

Conducting an experiment 5

Participating as ethnographer 3

Conducting a survey 2

Building simulations 1

Examining use of space 1

What were students doing in Second Life?

Group work/project 5 studies

Role-playing 4

Attending lectures/seminars 2

Playing/creating games 2

Answering a survey 1

Exploring the design and use of space 1

Virtual Tour 1

Studied Second Life 1

Researchers Identified 4 Primary Problems

Student acceptance of Second Life as an educational tool or environment

Technical problems and lack of staff support Steep learning curve Potential for distraction and exposure to

incorrect or inappropriate content

Researchers Identified 7 Potential Uses for Second Life

Facilitating role-play activities, including exploration of gender roles

Distance education Simulations and games Group work and group projects Student-centered teaching and learning strategies

based on constructivist principles such as problem-based learning

Build/create virtual community To foster and encourage student communication,

collaboration, and social interaction

Four Primary Recommendations by Researchers

Establish a clear connection between course objectives and activities in Second Life

Incorporate technical training and support into any planned Second Life activity

Create scaffolded learning activities for students so they can practice inside Second Life and acclimate to the virtual environment

Design and construct different spaces to encourage different types of student interaction

Conclusions

Neither method of research (qualitative or quantitative) is more predominant in Second Life at the moment

Second Life activity for educators/teachers is almost entirely a higher education activity

Educators are using Second Life more for student-centered forms of education instead of teacher-centered methods

Students are primarily engaged in student-centered, group-based, project-based, forms of learning

Educators/researchers have identified a set of problems, a set of possible uses, and have also given recommendations

Recommendations

Between 2003 and 2009, 27 research studies were located that focused primarily on Second Life in education. If educators are to continue to use Second Life as an educational tool, then more research must be conducted to discern its strengths and weaknesses.

More Recommendations

If educators are to use Second Life they should do these four things:

– Make specific connections between course learning objectives and Second Life activities; if students cannot see the point in using Second Life they will lose interest

– Make sure your computers can handle Second Life’s operating requirements and have trained support staff available to help students

– Design different types of space to encourage intended types of interaction (i.e. classrooms, collaborative zones, social areas, etc.)

– Create activities that build on each other (scaffolded learning) so that students can practice; incorporate activities that groups can complete together so that they do not feel lost or confused

Final Recommendation

Based upon this review, educator use of Second Life is almost entirely concerned with higher education. Additionally, age restrictions on Second Life (ages 18 and up) make it difficult to conduct learning and research in Second Life with K-12 students. Additionally, age requirements and restrictions in Teen Second Life (ages 13 to 17 years) make it difficult for teachers to gain access. Second Life and Teen Second Life, while both operated by Linden Labs, are two mutually exclusive worlds. With all of this information in mind, I believe that it is time to reconsider the use of Second Life in K-12 education. Instead, I recommend that teachers, educators, and researchers develop a new three-dimensional virtual world specifically for students in K-12 education that is both safe and appropriate for teaching and learning.

The End…for Now!