Ownership of Learning Through Minecraft: An Action Research Project

Minecraft is a block-based building game where the possibilities of what can be built virtually is endless. Minecraft is a versatile learning tool and has been used in a variety of content areas and projects (Gallger & Asselstine, 2015). Minecraft has been around since 2009, and gamers of various ages have enjoyed the ability to create, build, and collaborate virtually. Impacts have also been felt in the classroom with the creation of the Education Edition, providing a platform for students to share their learning in an engaging and meaningful manner. Just with the utterance of the word Minecraft, the level of excitement immediately skyrockets in the classroom (Crafti, 2016).

The purpose of this action research study was to see how Minecraft Education Edition (EE) impacts student engagement and the ownership of learning. Twenty-five third grade students with varying levels of experience using Minecraft engaged with the Education Edition over a period of three weeks to show their learning of the formation of the Hawaiian Islands.

Results from the study allowed the researcher to observe and collect data to show the level of engagement and ownership of learning through Quizizz formative assessments, anecdotal notes from observational protocols, and a Google Form questionnaire. Data collected will be used to further discussions on possible next steps to take game-based learning to a larger audience in a private school in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.