Unpacking FIFA play as text and action in literacy practices in and out of school
Keywords
Literacy
sociocultural theory
FIFA
computer games
knowledge
Publication details
| DOI: | 10.1080/17439884.2018.1563105 |
| Issued: | 2019 |
| Language: | English |
| Volume: | 44 |
| Issue: | 2 |
| Start Page: | 180 |
| End Page: | 192 |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Gilje Ø.; Silseth K. |
| Type: | Journal article |
| Journal: | Learning, Media and Technology |
| Publisher: | Informa UK Limited |
| Topics: | Learning; Internet usage, practices and engagement; Literacy and skills; Content-related issues |
| Sample: | The data are derived from a 3-year ethnographic study involving students (aged 13–16) from two lower secondary schools: Vestlia and Sørlia (pseudonyms). From the observations (field notes and video data), questionnaires and group interviews, we identified that some students enjoyed gaming more than others. Specifically, in the current context, the FIFA-gang had been playing FIFA over an extended period of time before we began this 3-year ethnography. |
| Implications For Parents About: | Parental practices / parental mediation; Parental digital literacy |
| Implications For Educators About: | School innovation; Digital citizenship; School networking; Professional development |
| Implications For Policy Makers About: | High-quality content online for children and young people; Creating a safe environment for children online |
Abstract
In this article, we use a model for games and literacy to explore how one FIFA gamer worked across contexts. Previously, this model has been used to address the role of computer and video games in the teaching of literacy in the subject of English. In the current article, we combine this model with a learning lives perspective, which builds on the idea of following the learner across a wide range of contexts. The findings illustrate how one learner is able to research a specific topic, build a convincing argument for it and transfer knowledge from one source to another in a critical way. The knowledge of a game and its culture and the world around the game is prevalent in a gamer’s literacy practices out of school, and this is shown when our participant draws upon this knowledge in literacy practices for specific tasks in school.
Outcome
The findings illustrate how one learner is able to research a specific topic, build a convincing argument for it and transfer knowledge from one source to another in a critical way. The knowledge of a game and its culture and the world around the game is prevalent in a gamer’s literacy practices out of school, and this is shown when our participant draws upon this knowledge in literacy practices for specific tasks in school.