Connected Ethnographies
Multi-method studies combined qualitative observations of online interactions and avatar constructions with data mining and cluster analyses of large logfile data sets over extended periods of time.
Contributors
Deborah Fields, Kristin Searle
Related Research
Kafai, Y. B. & Fields, D. A. (2012). Connecting play: understanding multimodal participation in virtual worlds. In Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Multimodal Interaction ICMI (pp. 265–272). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA. Link to PDF
Fields, D. A. & Kafai, Y. B. (2010). Knowing and Throwing Mudballs, Hearts, Pies, and Flowers: A Connective Ethnography of Gaming Practices. Games and Culture, 5(1), 88-115. Link to PDF
Kafai, Y. B., Fields, D. A., & Searle, K. (2010). Multi-Modal Investigations of Relationship Play in Virtual Worlds. International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 2(1), 40-48. Link to free access
Fields, D. & Kafai, Y. B. (2009). “U wanna go to the moon?” A connective ethnography of peer knowledge sharing and diffusion in a tween virtual world. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 4(1), 47–68. Link to PDF
Fields, D. & Kafai, Y. (2008). Knowing and Throwing Mudballs, Hearts, Pies, and Flowers. A Connective Ethnography of Gaming Practices. In Kanselaar, G., Jonker, V., Kirschner, P. A., & Prins, F. J. (Eds.), Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference for the Learning Sciences, Volume 1 (pp. 232-239). Utrecht, The Netherlands: International Society of the Learning Sciences. Link to PDF
Feldon, D. & Kafai, Y. (2007). Mixed methods for mixed reality: Understanding users' avatar activities in virtual worlds. Educational Technology Research & Development, 56(5&6), 575-593.
Fields, D. A. & Kafai, Y. B. (2007). Tracing Insider Knowledge Across Time and Spaces: A Connective Ethnography in a Teen Online Game World. In C. Chinn, G. Erkins, and S. Puntambekar, (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th Conference of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (pp. 193-195). New Brunswick, NJ: International Society of the Learning Sciences. BEST STUDENT PAPER. Link to PDF