Abstract:
Authors: Gerard J Altura (PhD candidate), Associate Professor Jen Scott Curwood (Supervisor)
Title: Cultivating empathy through ludonarratives within the English curriculum
Institution: University of Sydney
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Identified SIG(s): Language and Literacy; Technology and Learning
Videogames are multimodal texts that have unique potential for innovation with critical thinking and creativity within the English curriculum. Videogames act as artefacts that mediate students’ learning and the construction of knowledge within a social context (Gee, 2007). In addition, creative and reflective writing produced by students in relation to videogames also act as mediating artefacts in pedagogical contexts.
Ludonarratives, which are videogames that reflect the integration of game mechanics on narrative structures, can cultivate cognitive empathy - namely perspective-taking, role-playing, and reflection skills – crucial for students’ social and emotional development. Empathy is a key interpersonal socioemotional trait that uniquely can allow for prosocial development and development of literacy in contemporary education (Mar et al., 2009; Miall & Kuiken, 1994; Oatley, 1994). Prior research has found that ludonarratives may be useful ways to provide opportunities to exercise emotion and empathy related processes and actively engage in ethos formation (Kelly, 2022; Schrier, 2015).
In order to support the meaningful integration of ludonarratives within the English curriculum, this project involves the development of a framework based on sociocultural and sociomaterial theories to conceptualise how videogames can support cognitive-affective development. This will provide a way for teachers to understand how students’ interaction with, study of, and response to ludonarratives can serve to develop skills such as empathy.
In this presentation, I will highlight the key dimensions of the framework: text-selection, guided gameplay, ludonarrative theory and knowledge, activities focussing on perspective-shifting, and reflective writing. These pedagogical strategies will be implemented within a program that enables teachers to lead students in ludonarratological study and develop their empathic skills. This framework serves as a foundation for demonstrating the feasibility and efficacy of integrating ludonarratives into the English curriculum. It underscores the significance of empathy pedagogy in schools and gives impetus to include interactive digital texts within the changing landscape of media and literacy today.
Title: Cultivating empathy through ludonarratives within the English curriculum
Institution: University of Sydney
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Identified SIG(s): Language and Literacy; Technology and Learning
Videogames are multimodal texts that have unique potential for innovation with critical thinking and creativity within the English curriculum. Videogames act as artefacts that mediate students’ learning and the construction of knowledge within a social context (Gee, 2007). In addition, creative and reflective writing produced by students in relation to videogames also act as mediating artefacts in pedagogical contexts.
Ludonarratives, which are videogames that reflect the integration of game mechanics on narrative structures, can cultivate cognitive empathy - namely perspective-taking, role-playing, and reflection skills – crucial for students’ social and emotional development. Empathy is a key interpersonal socioemotional trait that uniquely can allow for prosocial development and development of literacy in contemporary education (Mar et al., 2009; Miall & Kuiken, 1994; Oatley, 1994). Prior research has found that ludonarratives may be useful ways to provide opportunities to exercise emotion and empathy related processes and actively engage in ethos formation (Kelly, 2022; Schrier, 2015).
In order to support the meaningful integration of ludonarratives within the English curriculum, this project involves the development of a framework based on sociocultural and sociomaterial theories to conceptualise how videogames can support cognitive-affective development. This will provide a way for teachers to understand how students’ interaction with, study of, and response to ludonarratives can serve to develop skills such as empathy.
In this presentation, I will highlight the key dimensions of the framework: text-selection, guided gameplay, ludonarrative theory and knowledge, activities focussing on perspective-shifting, and reflective writing. These pedagogical strategies will be implemented within a program that enables teachers to lead students in ludonarratological study and develop their empathic skills. This framework serves as a foundation for demonstrating the feasibility and efficacy of integrating ludonarratives into the English curriculum. It underscores the significance of empathy pedagogy in schools and gives impetus to include interactive digital texts within the changing landscape of media and literacy today.