From Mario to FIFA: what qualitative case study research suggests about games-based learning in a US classroom

This article explores the impact of using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) videogames in a high school curriculum when developed through a connected learning frame by examining the influence that COTS videogames have on transforming students’ literacy learning in-school. However, it must be noted that transforming literacy in school is about more than bridging in- and out-of-school literacies; it concerns developing a deeper understanding of the meaning of literacy in today’s multimediated world, and the ways that these experiences are connected not only to media, but to traditional texts, peers, and guiding teachers, so that we can better grasp how to harness new learning styles and new ways of making meaning in contemporary classroom spaces. To understand how to capture in and out-of-school practices, we conducted a qualitative case study of two high school students enrolled in a reading intervention class that incorporated a COTS videogames curriculum. Data were analyzed via a constant comparison analysis. Findings indicated that the games-based curriculum created through a connected learning frame enabled students to engage in a constellation of connections among digital media, traditional texts, peers, and guiding teachers.     

Book reviews

Streznewski, M. K. (1999). Gifted grownups: The mixed blessings of extraordinary potential . New York: John Wiley & Sons (292 pp., $24.95 hb, ISBN‐0–471–29580–9).

Johnson, N.G., Roberts, M.C., & Worell, J., Eds.(1999). Beyond appearance: A new look at adolescent girls . Washington, DC: American Psychological Association (464 pp., ISBN‐1–55798–582–0).

Smutny, J.F. (1998). The young gifted child: Potential and promise, an anthology . Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, Inc. (582 pp. $35.00, paperback, ISBN 1–57273–108–7).

Elias, M. J., Zins, J. E., Weissberg, R. P., Frey, K. S., Green‐berg, M. T., Haynes, N. M., Kessler, R., Schwab‐Stone, M. E., & Shriver, T. P. (1997). Promoting social and emotional learning . Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (164 pp., $22.95 pb, ISBN‐0–87120–288–3).

Friedman, R. C., & Rogers, K. B. (Eds.). (1998). Talent in context: Historical and social perspectives on giftedness . Washington, DC: American Psychological Association (218 pp., $29.95 Hardback, ISBN 1–55798–493).     

Book reviews

Levine, J. (1999). The Enneagram intelligences: Understanding personality for effective teaching and learning. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey (320 pp., $24.95, cloth, ISBN‐O‐89789‐ 562–2; $59.95 hardcover, ISBN‐0–89789–561–4).

Jacobsen, M. (1999) Liberating everyday genius: Revolutionary guide for identifying and mastering your exceptional gifts . NY: Ballantine Books. (399 pp., $25.00 hb, ISBN‐0–345–42771–8).

Cline, S., & Schwartz, D. (1999). Diverse populations of gifted children: Meeting their needs in the regular classroom and beyond. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill (207 pp., $ paper, ISBN 0–13–399908–4).

Johnson, N.G., Roberts, M.C., & Worell, J., Eds. (1999). Beyond appearance: A new look at adolescent girls. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association (408 pp., $39.95 hb, ISBN‐1–55798–582–0).     

“It’s More Than a Class”: Leisure Education’s Influence on College Student Engagement

As universities and colleges continue to seek out ways to improve student engagement on their campuses, attention has been given to the role that on-campus leisure opportunities can play in developing this engagement. Yet, little research has analyzed the influence of leisure education on student engagement in the higher education setting. The purpose of this study was to explore how for-credit Leisure Skills classes at a mid-sized southeastern university may build engagement. The results indicate that leisure education provides a uniquely positioned environment for building students’ sense of engagement with their institution through an enhanced sense of community, enhanced sense of self, and active learning.     

Removing the Barriers for Students with Disabilities: Accessible Online and Web‐Enhanced Courses

The concern of this article is the difficulties faced by disabled students as technology grows and expands in academia. Although distance learning, web‐based courses, and hybrid courses, among other venues, have improved the chances for many people suffering disabilities for obtaining degrees and thereby increasing their life chances, we have met new challenges as well. This work will consider the growth of these technologies and some of the difficulties they present to particular groups of students. Also, the article will explore methods of overcoming many of these problems. Finally, a general method of working with these students and their special needs is drawn from existing literature.     

The Nature of Laboratory Learning Experiences in Secondary Science Online

Teaching science to secondary students in an online environment is a growing international trend. Despite this trend, reports of empirical studies of this phenomenon are noticeably missing. With a survey concerning the nature of laboratory activities, this study describes the perspective of 35-secondary teachers from 15-different U.S. states who are teaching science online. The type and frequency of reported laboratory activities are consistent with the tradition of face-to-face instruction, using hands-on and simulated experiments. While provided examples were student-centered and required the collection of data, they failed to illustrate key components of the nature of science. The features of student-teacher interactions, student engagement, and nonverbal communications were found to be lacking and likely constitute barriers to the enactment of inquiry. These results serve as a call for research and development focused on using existing communication tools to better align with the activity of science such that the nature of science is more clearly addressed, the work of students becomes more collaborative and authentic, and the formative elements of a scientific inquiry are more accessible to all participants.     

Latino expectations of communicative competence: A focus group interview study

Drawing on Martin, Hammer, and Bradford's (1994) work on intercultural communicative competence, this investigation explored Latino expectations of communicative competence using focus group interviews. Like the Martin et al. (1994) study, communicative competence was examined in four contexts — intracultural‐social, intracultural‐task, intercultural‐social, and intercultural‐task. Results indicated overall support for seven of Martin et al.’s (1994) eight behavioral categories. Data from focus group interviews in this study suggested an additional competence category specific to task contexts as well as some emic behaviors not identified in the Martin et al. (1994) investigation.