Lighting the 'virtual' fire of learning: The Mythical World of Hīnātore

Abstract

<p>The Mythical World of Hīnātore is a game set in the virtual world of Kitely. It is designed to address gaps in literacy, with a focus on written literacy. The game levels are based on Māori legends. The player’s goal is to free the demi-God Māui from his prison in the Underworld. Learning outcomes are scaffolded to become progressively harder with each level of play. Research participants were all students in foundation (bridging/enabling) education, starting their journey towards nursing, teaching, and social work.</p><p>The study has an underpinning pragmatic ontological and epistemological base. A mixed-methods design was selected to answer the research questions. Pragmatism enabled the use of two complementary research components: a survey and assessment component that permits an overall, general view of a larger group of participants; and a narrative inquiry component, that provides clear, close-up details of a small group of participants.</p><p>There is evidence that students were engaged in the legends and the environment. Data supports students’ perceptions of their own improvement in written literacy. The data also indicates that the positive effect on learning continues beyond the game experience. The triangulation of data has resulted in suggestions for the gamification of educational content and the impact of a resource such as the Mythical World of Hīnātore on the mind-sets of participants.</p>