Mixed methods for mixed reality: understanding users’ avatar activities in virtual worlds

Abstract

This paper examines the use of mixed methods for analyzing users' avatarrelated activities in a virtual world. Server logs recorded keystroke-level activity for 595 participants over a six-month period in Whyville.net, an informal science website. Participants also completed surveys and participated in interviews regarding their experiences. Additionally, the study included online ethnographic observations of Whyville and offline observations of a subset of 88 users in classroom and after-school settings during their participation. A mixed-methods analysis identified a major user emphasis on avatar appearance and customization that was invariant across user typologies. Implications for the use of mixed methods in online environments are discussed with regard to three challenges resolved during the study: (1) appropriate reduction of the vast quantity of data, (2) integrated analysis of online and offline events, and (3) interactions between qualitative and quantitative data.

“All Lives Matter”: The Cost of Colorblind Racial Attitudes in Diverse Social Networks

“…Nevertheless, a growing body of research in the virtual world such as the current analysis are increasingly supporting the validity of the virtual world method by demonstrating that behaviors in virtual worlds frequently correspond to real-world behaviors (Bayraktar and Amca 2012;Blascovich et al 2002;Bailenson et al 2008;Feldon and Kafai 2008;Lee and Park 2011;Lo 2008;Tawa et al 2015;. Findings from our preliminary analyses also contribute to the validity of virtual worlds as analogues of real life; for example, we found that on average, both non-US-born participants and women tended to have closer interpersonal distances to peers than USborn participants and men, and these patterns of cultural and gender differences in interactions resemble findings from well-established previous research in the real world (Evans and Howard 1973).…”

“…Various studies about human behaviors have been conducted in virtual worlds supporting the validity of virtual worlds for intergroup behavioral research (Bayraktar and Amca 2012;Blascovich et al 2002;Bailenson et al 2008;Feldon and Kafai 2008;Lee and Park 2011;Lo 2008;Rizzo and Schultheis 2002;Tawa et al 2012aTawa et al , 2015Tippett et al 2009;Ward and Sonneborn 2009;). For example, Lee and Park (2011) examined whether social contingency theory was applicable within Second Life (SL).…”

Knowledge Bricks—Educational immersive reality environment

“…For this reason, this type of an interface should also enable the appropriate reduction of the vast quantity of data that are gathered during the interaction, the integrated analysis of online and offline events, and interactions between qualitative and quantitative data (Feldon & Kafai, 2008).…”

Virtual Worlds and Their Uses in Chemical Education

“…Given the apprehension of working with chemicals (58), this benefit might be generalized to laboratory settings as well. Students in distance learning courses favor Second Life because they feel more "connected" with their peers and the instructors due to its realistic environment, compared to communicating in online chat rooms or similar methods (18,59,60). A gathering of students' avatars promotes a feeling of "social presence."…”