The Players They are A-Changin': The Rise of Older MMO Gamers

To learn more about demographic characteristics, play behaviors, and motivations of massively multiplayer online gamers over the age of 50, researchers administered a questionnaire to 32,261 Wizard101 subscribers. Cross-referencing responses with behavioral data recorded by game servers, researchers found that older players were significantly more likely to be women. Older players played longer and underestimated their playtime, they were less likely to play on console and hand-held systems, and they were less likely to cite social, achievement, and player versus player combat motivations. However, older online gamers were more likely to cite self-growth and learning motivations for game play than those under 50.     

The soaps: What's on and who cares?

This two‐pronged study analyzed soap opera content, centering on demographics, problems, conversations and sex behaviors, and surveyed soap viewers to determine viewing motives, involvement, and possible effects of soap viewing.     

‘Someone had to have faith in them as professionals’: an evaluation of an action research project to develop educational leadership across the early years

This article reports on an evaluation of three action research projects developed by a group of teachers working across the early years in three independent schools. The article examines the role of action research in developing educational leadership capabilities. Drawing on the educational leadership literature, concepts and ideas of action and activism, influence and change, and capacity to develop a vision are used to describe and analyse the data from qualitative pre-project and post-project individual interviews. The article argues that the empirical findings suggest action research was a powerful tool in developing educational leadership capabilities. This article concludes by suggesting that further research is needed to better understand how action research can be utilised to develop sustainable forms of educational leadership in the early years.     

Integration of Play, Learning, and Experience: What Museums Afford Young Visitors

This paper examines important factors in maximizing children’s experiential learning in the context of inquiry-based children’s museums. Learning is understood as situated in physical, social, and interactive context that is best achieved when children have opportunities to engage in play-based inquiry. Recommendations for maximizing children’s learning in museums, supporting children’s interactions with peers and adults, and offering affordances for children’s play are discussed.