Abstract

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to help pre-service teachers experience and evaluate the potential of Second Life, a three-dimensional immersive virtual environment, for potential integration into their future teaching. By completing collaborative assignments in Second Life, nineteen pre-service general education teachers explored an educational, marine biology island in Second Life and evaluated its potential for incorporation in general and special education curricula. A pre- and post-survey inquired about the participants’ perception of the usability of virtual worlds for education. Participants collaboratively explored the marine ecosystem of the Abyss Observatory (Nishimura, Lim, & Koyamada, 2012), reflected on its unique affordances, and designed activities for an inclusive classroom, framed by a pedagogical rationale. The difference between the participants’ two attitude scores generated by the pre- and post-survey was calculated and was found to be statistically significant with a moderate effect size. Results suggest that the workshop had a positive impact on the participants’ attitude towards integration of Second Life into teaching. Five themes emerged from the journals with regards to the unique affordances of the deep-sea area. Finally, the “Teacher-prep Virtual World Six Step Model” for effective pre-service teacher preparation for teaching in Second Life was developed.

Citation

Nussli, N., Oh, K. & McCandless, K. (2014). Collaborative science learning in three-dimensional immersive virtual worlds: Pre-service teachers' experiences in Second Life. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 23(3), 253-284. Waynesville, NC USA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved March 29, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/114381/.

© 2014 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)