ABSTRACT

This chapter argues that a range of educational topics, particularly those which are emergent, contentious or sensitive, can be explored using virtual environments and networked social media, and that these present both opportunities and challenges. Current computer technology enables virtual worlds to offer increasingly convincing imagined environments for individuals to explore alone or as a member of a community and, because of their great versatility and realistic appearance, they are increasingly used in educational research. The chapter sets out key features of virtual worlds for the educational researcher, their affordances, opportunities, attractions and challenges. It identifies key issues in working with social network software and indicates how virtual worlds and social media can be used in educational research and how to use them. The chapter introduces netography (network and ethnography), what it is, how it operates and how educational researchers can work with it. The chapter discusses how conventional ethical issues and practices in educational research are rendered problematical in online educational research, and how researchers can address them. The chapter sets out clear guidelines for practice when conducting research using virtual worlds, social networks and netography, and how to work with different kinds of data and software.