Virtually invisible: at-risk boys and their concepts of self as beings-in-the-online-world
Date
2018-11-23
Authors
Tinney, Jordan
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
As communications technologies flourish, increasing numbers of students are spending inordinate amounts of time in online communities. Often, students who spend excess time online are boys who are experiencing difficulty in school. For many of these boys, their participation in virtual worlds and their use of computers has shown them to be successful learners. However, for a variety of reasons, these boys continue to be disengaged in school and seriously at-risk for failure.
This study explores the lives of at-risk boys who spend several hours a day in online worlds. The researcher is a long time participant in virtual worlds and through interviews examines the notions of self in online communities and how these at-risk boys navigate between their lives on and offline. The students' participation in online forums may provide helpful insights into who they are and how we can best meet their needs in our schools.
In addition to an examination of the social formation of self in online worlds, this study mounts a critique of the promotion of an Internet “culture” or “community”. In the text-based world of Internet Relay Chat (IRC), many of the foundations of what constitutes a culture may be absent and researchers may be too quick in accepting such forums as true communities.
Description
Keywords
Online chat groups, Self, Computers and children