Dissertation Defense: Kaimana Estrella, EdD Candidate

May 8, 9:00am - 11:00am
Mānoa Campus, Campus Center 309-310 or Zoom: https://go.hawaii.edu/UTk

AN EXPLORATION OF TEACHING HAWAIIAN CONCEPTS OF KAIKUA‘ANA AND KAIKAINA THROUGH MINECRAFT

Video games, such as the popularized game Minecraft, have been used in a variety of educational settings and learning contexts. Though academic findings of video game usage are mixed, increases in learning competencies, skills and engagement are prevalent. While faced with creating an alternative learning plan for teaching kaikua‘ana and kaikaina Hawaiian governance concepts during the COVID-19 pandemic, a college course instructor had chosen to use Minecraft as a platform for student learning.

This blended narrative inquiry case study examined how an instructor’s choices in utilizing Minecraft might have affected the learning of kaikuaʻana and kaikaina concepts in a college Hawaiian governance course. This qualitative study portrays the instructor’s story and journey of using Minecraft. A Model for Utilizing Minecraft to Teach Kaikuaʻana and Kaikaina Principles was developed from analysis of emerging themes. The model includes (a) informed decision making, (b) deliberate instructional choices, (c) meaningful Minecraft experiences, (d) awareness based pivoting, and (e) instructor’s reflection and learnings.

Committee: Gari-Vic Baxa, Larson Ng, Thanh Truc T. Nguyen (Chair)


Event Sponsor
Department of Educational Administration, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Thanh Truc Nguyen, 808-956-6507, nguyen@hawaii.edu

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