Abstract

In a 21st century context of rapid technological advancement, virtual learning environments (VLEs) such as games have been increasingly designed, implemented, and researched for their capacity to offer immersive and interdisciplinary experiences that support student motivation and learning. As such, VLEs have acquired greater mainstream acceptance as tools for learning that is embodied, enactive (i.e. learning by doing), extended into the learners’ environment, and embedded in authentic and potentially valuable contexts. However, this domain is still in its infancy and requires research for developing theories of the learning and identity mechanisms occurring in VLEs, evidence-based measurement of these processes, and design principles for virtual learning environments and experiences that promote learners’ knowledge, identity processes, and career paths. As such, this special issue of The Journal of Experimental Education seeks to provide education scholars with insight into current theoretical and methodological approaches to conceptualize, facilitate, and empirically examine learning and identity in VLEs. It brings together empirical examples of conceptually, methodologically, and analytically well-grounded research to illustrate the learning and identity processes, characteristics, and outcomes that VLEs can facilitate. A guest commentary and an invited theoretical article provide rich takeaways for advancing research and practice in this burgeoning field.

摘要

在21世纪技术飞速发展的背景下，越来越多的设计，实施和研究了诸如游戏之类的虚拟学习环境（VLE），以提供沉浸式和跨学科的体验来支持学生的动机和学习。因此，VLE作为一种体现，活跃（即边做边学），扩展到学习者环境中以及嵌入真实且潜在有价值的环境中的学习工具，已获得了更大的主流接受。但是，该领域仍处于起步阶段，需要进行研究以开发VLE中发生的学习和身份机制的理论，对这些过程的基于证据的度量以及虚拟学习环境和可促进学习者知识，身份过程的体验的设计原则，和职业道路。因此，《实验教育杂志》的这一期特刊旨在为教育学者提供有关当前理论和方法的见解，以概念化，促进和实证检验VLE中的学习和身份。它汇集了概念，方法和分析基础扎实的研究的经验例证，以说明VLE可以促进的学习和认同过程，特征和结果。客座评论和一篇受邀的理论文章为推动这一新兴领域的研究和实践提供了丰富的参考。并根据经验检查VLE中的学习和身份。它汇集了概念，方法和分析基础扎实的研究的经验例证，以说明VLE可以促进的学习和认同过程，特征和结果。客座评论和一篇受邀的理论文章为推动这一新兴领域的研究和实践提供了丰富的参考。并根据经验检查VLE中的学习和身份。它汇集了概念，方法和分析基础扎实的研究的经验例证，以说明VLE可以促进的学习和认同过程，特征和结果。客座评论和一篇受邀的理论文章为推动这一新兴领域的研究和实践提供了丰富的参考。