Gender Differences in the Perception and Use of an Informal Science Learning Web Site

Final Report to NSF March, 2003

Pamela R. Aschbacher, Principal Investigator Caltechs Pre-College Science Initiative (CAPSI)

CAPSI Mail code 1-98 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91125 626-395-3222

This study was conducted by the Research Group at Caltechs Pre-College Science Initiative, including researchers Brian Foley, Melanie Jones, and Cameron Baker McPhee, and consultant Sue Marshall of U.C. Irvine. This study was funded by NSF (HRD-0086338). The opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed herein belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of NSF.

Gender Differences in the Perception and Use of an Informal Science Learning Web Site

Introduction In our rapidly changing and increasingly technological world, all citizens need to understand science and technology and to be able to think scientifically. But research suggests that girls interest and involvement in science and technology fails to last into adulthood. Although boys and girls in the U.S. are equally interested in science in early elementary grades (Kahle & Meece, 1994), by sixth grade, girls have grown significantly less interested in science than boys (Simpson & Oliver, 1990; Baker & Leary, 1995: Catsambis, 1995; and Jones, Howe, & Rua, 2000). The middle school years appear to be a critical time for retaining girls interest in technology and science (Baker & Leary, 1995), just as it is in math and for school in general (Linn & Hyde, 1989; Brown & Gilligan, 1992). Computer use among girls drops off dramatically after age 13, perhaps due to a dearth of games and activities that involve something more than speed, fighting and competition. By high school, girls confidence in studying science has dropped considerably while boys confidence has dropped only slightly (AAUW, 1995). By college, fewer women enter degree programs in science and technology, and by adulthood there are far fewer women in science and technology-related positions (NSF, 2000; Furger, 1998; Kahle & Meece, 1994). To address this condition, an array of research, demonstration projects, and information dissemination projects has been initiated. Their purposes have been to increase awareness of interests, needs, and capabilities of girls and women; to promote instructional materials and methods to increase interest, retention and achievement of girls and women; and to increase the availability of student enrichment resources (NSF, 2001). In particular, research on increasing girls confidence and interest in science and technology has taken several paths. While many efforts have aimed at increasing girls interest in science by changing the classroom environment (e.g. Kahle, 1987) or the nature of classroom learning activities, another avenue has been to provide opportunities for girls to explore science and technology outside the classroom. Proponents hope that opportunities to interact with scientific ideas in a friendly social environment may lead more girls to become more interested in science and technology courses and careers. The Internet appears to have great potential for providing new opportunities for science learning outside of the classroom (Pea et al., 1999). For example, on-line science museums (e.g. the San Francisco Exploratorium: www.exploratorium.edu) can provide students with opportunities to explore scientific ideas at their own pace and in topics they select. Educational experiences on the web can be designed to provide more feedback and guidance than is often possible in a museum or certain other informal settings. Web-based educational experiences can allow students to be interactive and express their ideas and understandings (Salomon, 1990; diSessa, 1986), in addition to providing links to a vast array of information for students with particular interests. Research suggests that web-based activities that support social interaction, community service and design have strong appeal among girls (Rubin et al., 1997; Honey et al., 1991). One of the drawbacks of the traditional web site is that it is typically an individual experience. Students explore their ideas on their own with little chance to interact with others while they learn. This can be isolating and discouraging, especially to girls, who

often report a preference for working in groups (Baker & Leary, 1995; Turkle & Papert, 1990). Recently, some sites have attempted to become more interactive through the use of chat rooms and other activities (Lempke, 1999). For example, Schlager, Fusco & Schank, (1998) have developed TAPPED-IN, a web site for teachers where they can talk to each other one-to-one and in groups to collaborate on projects. A great deal of research and effort has been directed towards creating computer software that appeals to girls (AAUW, 2000). The small number of girls who take programming classes and the small number of women in high technology positions underscore this need for girl-friendly software. (Kahle & Meece, 1994). The recent AAUW report (2000) points out that the majority of computer games are based on violence and conflict, which many girls find unappealing. Since it is often noted that gaming is one of the ways boys seem to comfortably enter the technology pipeline, providing more games of the type that girls enjoy is seen as a way to encourage girls to study and consider careers in technology. Girls are more interested in games that require strategy, interaction and constructionist design. When asked to design their ideal computer games, many girls focused on the themes of identity play and simulation (Kafai, 1995). Our study examined a unique interactive web site (www.Whyville.net) that was designed to engage students in socially interactive, entertaining and educational activities that include inquiry science. After some time, the site developers noted that most users were girls, contrary to what might be expected from a science-oriented program. Our study was designed to examine why this was happening. Our research questions were as follows: 1. To document who uses this web site, including what type of girls and boys are drawn to it; 2. To explore what they do on the site and what seems to attract them; 3. To analyze key opportunities to learn about science on the site; 4. To examine what young girls and boys might be learning about science and technology on the site; and 5. To discuss implications for future efforts to increase girls knowledge and interest in science and technology. Brief Overview of WWW.Whyville.net Whyville is a free and informal learning web site created in 1999, to help students explore science and social science concepts in an interactive learning environment. The guiding force behind Whyvilles development has been Jim Bower, a neurobiologist from Caltech, now at the University of Texas, who has had many years experience in handson inquiry science education. Co-founders include Jen Sun, who did graduate work at Caltech in biology and a post-doctoral fellowship in the usage of the internet in the classroom; Mark Dinan, a Caltech graduate in physics with extensive programming experience at Knowledge Adventure and IdeaLab!; and Ann Pickard, a graduate of the Pasadena Art Center College of Design. They formed a company named Numedeon to provide an Internet-based alternative to didactic classroom-style education. They try to engage students in meaningful yet entertaining learning experiences through humor, curiosity, relevance, and scientific inquiry. According to Bower, Knowledge attained through an active process of sorting through data and connecting that to what you already know is knowledge that sticks.

When visitors log on to Whyville, they see colorful Dr. Seuss-inspired graphics depicting a 3-D town square surrounded by fanciful cartoon buildings. They click to enter one of the buildings, and inside are links and instructions to explore a host of activities. Users may visit various areas, including the town swimming pool, the Sports-platz, the playground, the mall, other users houses, and a dozen games that involve science and math.

Figure 1. Whyville Square In many locations on the site, cartoon images (avatars) float on the screen representing the other users who are logged on at the time. At the Pick Your Nose site, users can select a nose, hair, eyes, mouth, clothing and accessories from a menu of parts to create a cartoon face to represent themselves on the site. As they chat with others, their avatars spout cartoon balloons in real time, showing their dialog, much like instant messaging. The visual representation helps users stay aware of who is online at the moment and quickly recognize their friends or people they have encountered before. A graphic design interface also lets users create their own face parts and accessories from scratch. Users can interact in a variety of ways including one-on-one chatting (whispering), group chat, Y-mail (the sites own e-mail network), and bulletin board postings with ongoing threads addressing a variety of topics. In this way, Whyvilles environment is interactive spatially as well as verbally.

When users, known as Whyvillians, enter the site, they can engage in a wide range of activities including science and math games, chatting with one another, and building their own virtual homes in Whyville. Participation in science activities earns players a salary (clams), which they accrue in a bank account each time they visit the site. As they improve their performance on the science games, their salary increases. Users can also earn clams through creative activities such as writing articles for the site newsletter (The Whyville Times). Some entrepreneurial users have earned large virtual bank accounts from creating and selling face parts and accessories (e.g. glasses, jewelry, and hats) beyond the standard parts offered free by the site. Unofficial businesses, such as users offering makeovers, also add to the sites economy. Users can spend their clams, for example, on new face parts or buy a plot of land, build a house, and furnish it so they can have friends over for chat fests. Most science activities on the site are interactive simulations that are done individually by the users. In the Spin Lab activity, for example, users are challenged to position the arms and legs of an ice skater in such a way as to make the skater spin as fast as possible. At the time of the study there were eleven science games available to users.

Figure 2. Spin Lab From time to time, the sites designers create new science games, activities or events for Whyville. For example, at one point mysterious spots suddenly began to infect the Whyville faces of a handful of the most frequent users. Whypox grew from benign looking freckles to red welts over time. When infected users tried to chat, an electronic

ah-choo wiped out their words. The site designers posted a memo on the sites bulletin board suggesting that users check out whats new at the Whyville version of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the sites virtual CDC web page, users found a simulation of how diseases spread, a real-time graph of how many Whyvillians had been infected, and links to an actual newspaper article about a wave of real, unexplained rashes affecting students in East Coast schools at the time. The plague was designed to trigger user interest in learning more about epidemiology and the spread of diseases, and this edu-tainment approach to learning proved to be a terrific motivator. The web site has grown and evolved over time through the efforts of the users as well as the sites creators and managers. Users behavior, interactions, and values affect the norms for the site and make it a reflection of real society, from the serious to the frivolous. For example, users have created beauty pageants, parties, and weddings while they also discuss serious issues on bulletin boards and in articles in the Whyville Times. They have also helped design the sites justice system, in which those who swear or annoy others are warned and can be made invisible. Some users even set up a charity, Grandmas, to distribute free unwanted face parts to users with few clams. Since its inception in early 1999, the web site has grown considerably. It has accrued more than 350,000 registered participants, with about 5,000 users logging in daily. Because of its large size, Whyville is an exception among the growing number of educational multi-player environments such as Moose Crossing (Bruckman, 2000) or Atlantis (Barab, 2002). The managers of the site estimate that about 70% of site visitors come back at least 5 times, and perhaps 30% come 10 times or more per month for several months. On average, registered users visit the site three times a week and spend about 45 minutes per day. The site has no advertising or commercial product placement and can be accessed for free. However, within its first couple of years it grew so popular that it became difficult for students to access the site during peak hours. In November 2001, the site developers introduced Why-Passes, which give pass-owners priority access to the site at any time of day for a cost of $4.95/month. Currently, about 80% of users who try to log on for free are successful. Research Activities This study employed a variety of methods, using both quantitative and qualitative data, to study the Whyville web site and its users. We interviewed the sites developers; analyzed the educational aspects of the sites science activities; analyzed a sample of chat on the site; explored the site as a typical user would; and participated on the site as researchers. Known as Whyologists on the site, we chatted informally with users, conducted an online survey, and facilitated an online focus group. We also recruited a comparison group of public school students, introduced them to the web site, and conducted a survey and focus groups with them about their experiences after a couple months of access. Details about our methods are presented below. Interview of Site Developers From the time of the original proposal throughout the course of the study we had many conversations with the sites developers at Numedeon Inc. We also formally interviewed two of the four original design team members. We addressed their goals and motivation in developing the site, the history and evolution of certain site features and events, the challenges they faced over time, and their knowledge of user characteristics and behavior.

Researcher Exploration of the Site Our researchers participated as site users for many hours over the course of several months to examine the site from the perspective of young people who visit it. We focused primarily on activities related to science and technology learning and on differences in the behavior of boys and girls on the site. We played all the science games, visited various chat locations to observe and chat with other users, visited users houses, and exchanged y-mail with users. We also read examples of user articles from the site newspaper. Given the ease with which people can misrepresent themselves on the Internet, we felt it was important to be honest with the other users about who we were. We identified ourselves as researchers studying the web site, and with the aid of Numedeon, our avatars wore special hats that identified us as Whyologists. The young people on the site were interested in our study and seemed quite willing to interact and share their views and experiences with us. They even provided us help in deciphering their chat slang and abbreviations so that we could code it accurately. Several times during the study we discussed our findings with colleagues at UCLAs Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, and EDCs Center for Children and Technology, particularly to compare the features of Whyville with those of other web sites and software for girls. Analysis of Science Games on the Site To understand the opportunities that the site affords users to learn about science, we gathered data in three ways. We played all the science games on the site and discussed their development and features with the designers. We also analyzed the games and supplementary materials for science and math content, the level of understanding and inquiry that is called for, and the individual versus collaborative nature of the activities, with reference to the National Science Standards. We also noted the incentives for playing games and engaging with supplementary instructional materials as well as the relationship between the games and the rest of the site. Online Survey of Whyville Users We conducted an online survey of Whyville users over the period of August to December, 2001. The 3-part 86 item survey was designed to obtain information about the backgrounds and attitudes of the users as well as their opinions about and experiences with the site. We incorporated three items on science knowledge from the TIMSS and some attitude and experience items from a survey developed and used by CAPSI for an earlier study, and we developed new items to tap students experiences and attitudes especially for this study. We discussed over 100 draft items with Dorothy Bennett, Margaret Honey, and colleagues, and then selected and refined the best of the items. Survey item formats included multiple choice, Likert scale and free response. Survey items addressed issues about science, technology, and Whyville itself, a sample of which are illustrated in Figure 3. The science questions asked users about their past experiences in science and their attitudes towards science and school in general. A few science content questions were included to provide a very rough estimate of users science literacy. Similarly, the technology questions assessed the users experiences with and attitudes about computers and the internet. Questions about home computer equipment provided an indication of the economic status of users. Questions about Whyville asked users about science activities, chatting, face design and other site experiences.

Figure 3. Sample questions used in the survey of Whyville users Science Questions: A. How much do you like science in general (not just in school)? a. A lot b. A little bit c. Not very much d. Not at all B. What is a lightyear? Technology Questions C. Which of these things do you know how to do on a computer: (check anything you can do all by yourself) a. Turn the computer on b. Get online and log on to Whyville c. Find a file on the computer that someone else saved d. Install free software (for example Real Player) e. Make a web page f. Write a computer program g. Fix problems on the computer h. Build a computer from parts D. How much do you learn about computers from the following sources: (a lot, a little, hardly anything) a. School computer classes/lessons b. Talking to friends and family c. Trying things myself d. Reading books or magazines e. Whyville f. Other web sites Whyville Questions E. Do you and your friends make plans to log in at about the same time? a. Yes, all the time b. Yes, some of the time c. No, I log in whenever I have the time F. What is your favorite thing about Whyville? To recruit young people on the site to take this relatively long survey, we arranged with Numedeon to post the survey on the site and offer a substantial incentive, 250 clams, to users who completed it. (To put this in context, the average salary users make per day based on their game skill is about 20 clams; the typical face part designed by users costs about 20 clams; and the range of compensation for an article users might write for the sites newsletter is about 50-150 clams, depending on length and quality)

Three of our researchers created identities for themselves on the site as Whyologists who wanted to study the Whyville community. A special room in Whyville called the Whyology Center was created by Numedeon to provide an access point for users to take the survey. Researchers explained to users that the survey was part of a study of the site by a group who was independent of the site managers. We also explained that information provided by the users would be kept anonymous but might be utilized by Numedeon to improve the site. Since we expected most users to be minors, we required that they print out a permission form provided on the site and have their parents read, sign and fax it back to us. The form required that parents include a phone number and stated that we would call to verify a portion of the forms. We called parents for about 10% of the forms we received in most cases because we suspected that the signatures on the form were not authentic (e.g. a signature looked more like a childs writing than a parents). We also asked for the users age and gender so that we could compare this to the data that the site managers had for those users. To maintain confidentiality, the form specifically did not ask for the real name of the user and only used their Whyville log-in name. The survey was introduced to the Whyville community via an article in the site newsletter, the Whyville Times, in which the Whyologists explained the purpose of the survey, the procedures for parental consent, and the rewards for survey completion. Users received 50 clams for the permission form, 50 for each of the three parts of the survey and 50 additional clams for completing the entire survey. They also received a virtual hat for their avatar that looked like the hat worn by the Whyologists. We hoped that the hat would start conversations among users on the site, thus promoting the survey by word of mouth. However, very few of the users chose to wear the special hat, so its effectiveness was limited. After the article in the Times, users were able to begin submitting permission forms. Twelve days later we made the survey available to users who had turned in valid permission forms. The survey was divided into three parts so users would not have to complete it all in one sitting. When users completed a part of the survey, a researcher would check to see that it was complete and give the appropriate clams or send a message to the student that their submission was inadequate. We continued to accept permission forms and surveys for about four months (134 days). During this time, two follow-up articles where published in the Times, and the survey was highlighted in the sites weekly management email to users. A total of 349 users turned in permission forms. Of these, 219 young people completed the survey (160 girls and 59 boys).1 The response rate is about 5% of the frequent users, based on estimates from Numedeon. Over 15,000 different users logged on to the site while the survey was available2. Of these, Numedeon estimates that about 30% visited the site at least 10 times, so our response rate was about 5% of these frequent users (those who might know and care enough about the site and earning clams to bother to complete the survey).3 While we had hoped for a significantly higher response rate, it is perhaps not surprising that a relatively small percentage of young people obtained parental permission and completed all three parts of the survey. We believe the need for parental permission to complete the survey was an important reason for the low response. We observed many posts on the sites bulletin board commenting that users
1 2

Five adults also completed the survey but their responses are not included in this report. This represents 15000 different user names. Many young people have more than one identity on the site (about 60% of girls and 40% of boy users surveyed said they do), so it is not known exactly how many separate individuals were actually on the site, but 10,000 seems a reasonable estimate. 3 At the time of the online survey, Numedeon had not instituted Why-Passes.

did not want to ask their parents for permission, could not obtain permission, or boycotted the survey because they did not think they should have to get parental permission. Some users complained about the need to provide a parent phone number. It is also possible that some users did not want to reveal to parents that they were using the Internet. All in all, it seems likely that the requirement for parent permission led to a limited sample size and may have skewed our sample of the Whyville population toward users whose parents are aware of and supportive of their participation in such web sites. We analyzed the data for gender differences and group differences between the regular users and the recruited users. We used t-tests of group means for numerical responses and Chi-squared tests for comparing groups on categorical data. Survey of Recruited Users To put the regular Whyville users in context, we introduced some public school students (recruited users) to Whyville and collected both survey and focus group data from them after they had had a couple of months to explore the web site. The recruited students also provided us information about how new users react to their first experiences with Whyville. Recruited users came from 5 classrooms (2 classes each of 6th and 8th graders and one class of 10th graders) in three local public schools (N = 140). Students were from diverse economic and ethnic backgrounds, including African American, Asian, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Caucasian. Students in the public school classes who returned parental consent forms (82% of the students) completed a written form of the survey that the Whyville users took online. A few questions were omitted as not relevant or were revised slightly for the classroom respondents. Students completed the questions on background and experience with science and technology before they began to explore Whyville. Then they were introduced to the Whyville web site and asked to explore it over the next couple of months. We arranged with Numedeon to provide free Why-passes for them to facilitate their access to the site. Two months later we returned to the classrooms and administered the rest of the survey. Focus Group of Regular Users In order to give users a chance to elaborate on their survey responses, we conducted an online focus group with some of the regular users who had completed the online survey. We invited all those who had completed the survey to join us in the Whyology Center for a discussion at a given time. Nine users came to the discussion and spoke for two hours about their experiences on the site and some of their motivations for participating. The transcript for the far ranging discussion filled 27 pages. The users comments added to our understanding of the survey data and the Whyville experience in general. Focus Group of Recruited Users After surveying the recruited students, we conducted 3 focus groups with 6th and 8th graders during their lunch break and discussed their thoughts about the site. Since we asked for volunteers, the majority of the focus group participants had been active on the web site. Their opinions and experiences provided insight into the features of the site that attract new users and encourage sustained participation. Analysis of Site Chat We analyzed a sample of anonymous chat transcripts from the site on two different days one in the summer and one in the fall, one a weekend day and one a week day, of

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2001. The sample was drawn from all the chat locations on the site taken at several different times of the day. We coded 6000 individual comments to identify the type of discussions the users were having.

Research Findings

Our findings are presented below, for each major research question we posed: 1. Who visits Whyville? What kind of girls visit the site? What kind of boys? How do regular users compare to a more general public school population (recruited users)? 2. What do young people like to do on Whyville, especially girls? Are there important gender differences in users interests and activities? What has attracted girls to the site? 3. What opportunities to learn science do users have? What aspects of the science games seem to appeal to girls? 4. What are users learning about science? How does the experience affect users understanding and attitudes about science and technology? 1. Who Visits Whyville? Regular Whyville users (WU) who answered our survey ranged from 8 to 19 years old, and are in 3rd to 12th grade. Most are between 10-15 years old, and 73% are girls. Among these Whyville users, girls and boys share many traits, including their approximate age (about 12 years old), background (affluent), and school experience (successful). They are quite similar in their easy access to, facility with, and avid interest in computers. Both girls and boys are somewhat interested in science and do well in it, but are not strongly interested in a career in the sciences. Girl users differ from boys in their interests in some school subjects, career fields, favorite web sites, and confidence in their computer ability. Profiles of the typical girl and boy WU are presented below, and highlights are summarized in Table 1. Note that the left half of the table refers to WU, and the table as a whole permits comparisons of WU with recruited users from public schools (RU).

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Table 1. Summary of regular and recruited users background and attitudes

Whyville Users (WU) (n=219) Background Average age (mean & sd) Average grade % public school % attend mostly white school % computers at home % internet access at home Do very well in school Like school a lot Hobbies most common Career Intereststop 3 & bottom-most choice: 4 (mean & sd on 1-5 scale ) Science Attitudes Some science interest in general 5 (rated 3 or 4 on 1-4 scale ) Some interest in school science 6 (rated 4 or 5 on 1-5 scale) How hard is science? 7 (mean & sd on 1-5 scale) Girls (n=160) 12.9 years (2.0) 7.8 (1.8) 78% 58% 100% 98% 50% 41% Sports 53% Tech 18% Reading- 13% Web design -3.2 (1.5) Art/music-3.2 (1.5) Lawyer -3.0 (1.5) Engineer -2.0 (1.5) 70% (27% say a lot) 49% (26% say a lot) 3.7 (.92) Boys (n=59) 12.3 (2.0) 7.7 (2.0) 83% 68% 98% 93% 44% 25% 54% 20% 2% Programmer -3.5 (1.5)) Web Design -2.9 (1.5) Engineer -2.8 (1.5) Teacher 2.3 (1.3) 85% (36% say a lot) 59% (30% say a lot) 3.9 (.95) Recruited Users (RU) (n=140) Girls (n=63) 13.7 (1.4) 7.7. (1.4) 100% 65% 78% 68% 3% 29% 32% 3% 30% Web design 3.6 (1.5) Art/music 3.5 (1.3) Doctor 3.4 (1.5) Engineer 2.0 (1.1) 56% (19% say a lot) 27% (10% say a lot) 3.0 (.79) Boys (n=77) 13.4 (1.3) 7.4 (1.3) 100% 58% 71% 66% 12% 25% 40% 21% 12% Programmer 3.4 (1.5) Web design 3.2 (1.4) Engineer 3.0 (1.5) Teacher 2.1 (1.3) 53% (25% say a lot) 24% (14% say a lot) 3.0 (.80)

4 5

Scale: 1=not interested at all; 5=very interested Scale: 1=not at all; 4=a lot 6 Scale: 1=dont like at all; 5=like it a lot 7 Scale: 1=very hard; 5=very easy

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Whyville Users (WU) (n=219) Science Knowledge (TIMSS) Sun & Moon: Are they the same size? (% correct) Photosynthesis definition Lightyear definition Technology >15 hrs/wk on internet 3 Favorite web sites Like computers a lot Computers are very easy Used computers > 4 yrs Computer skills Girls (n=160) 81% 69% 29% 29% Games 63% Chat 59% Friends 57% 82% 70% 85% Install software Make web page Program Troubleshoot Build from parts 28% 81% 56% 31% 37% Games 88% Chat 59% TV/movie 58% 86% 70% 71% 81% 58% 25% 56% 14% 42% Boys (n=59) 91% 59% 24%

Recruited Users (RU) (n=140) Girls (n=63) 90% 81% 53% 9% Games 84% TV/movie 53% Sports, music each48% 73% 49% 82% 90% 42% 27% 61% 20% 39% Boys (n=77)

Know more about computers than rest of family

79% 49% 15% 59% 5%

6% Music 65% Chat, games,TVeach 59% 59% 41% 72% 60% 30% 16% 27% 6% 29%

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What kind of girl regularly visits Whyville? According to our survey of regular Whyvillians, the average WU is a girl, 12.9 years old, in 7th grade , who attends a public school with a mostly white student population. Her favorite extracurricular activity is sports, with some interest in technology-related activities, such as graphics or games, and reading. She likes school and says she does very well in it. She likes all the school subjects queried, but likes computers best, followed by English, science, PE, math and history in descending order. Asked specifically about science (in general, not just in school), she says she likes it a little and finds it easy. She believes studying hard is the most important thing one can do to become good at science. She feels the school science she has had so far has been generally positive and says that her family and teachers have encouraged her to learn science. She has had a number of science-related experiences such as trips to the zoo, science museum, planetarium, and aquarium. She identified school as the place where she learns the most about science, but also feels she learns a little about science from other sources such as Whyville, TV, and trying things for herself. She says she learns hardly anything about science from web sites other than Whyville. She got 2 out of 3 TIMSS 8th grade science items correct on the survey. She knows what photosynthesis is and why the sun is actually larger than the moon even though they appear the same size in the sky, but she gives an incorrect definition of the term lightyear. Her family has a computer and internet connection at home, along with a printer, scanner, and fax machine (suggesting her family is reasonably affluent). She has used a computer for over four years and spends between 5 to 15 hours a week on the internet. At least once a month she visits sites involving games, chat, and her friends own sites, but she seldom visits other educational web sites besides Whyville. She likes computers a lot and feels they are very easy to use. She learned to use computers by trying things herself and asking friends. She feels the best ways to learn to use computers are at school and from friends or family. She can do many of the functions we asked about: find electronic files made by others, log on to the internet, download and install free software from the web, trouble shoot, and make her own web page. However, she cannot write a computer program or build a computer from parts by herself. She feels she knows more about computers than some in her family but less than others, and thus is somewhat less confident in her knowledge than the typical boy user. Of the career possibilities we inquired about, she is most interested in a career in web design, art, music, law or teaching. She is least interested in becoming an engineer or astronomer. She is slightly uninterested in the remaining four career choices we asked about, three of which are science or technology-oriented fields (doctor, biologist, computer programmer, and business executive). What kind of boy regularly visits Whyville and how is he different from the girl? The typical WU boy is like the average WU girl in many respects. He is also in 7th grade but is slightly younger (12.3 years old), and also attends a mostly white public school. Like the girl, his favorite extracurricular activity is sports, with some interest in technology-related activities but, unlike the girl, he has virtually no interest in reading.

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Like the WU girl, he likes school, although a little less than the typical girl user, and he says he does fairly well in school. He likes all the school subjects queried, with computers best, followed by PE, science, and math. He likes English and history less than the girl user. The typical WU boy is much like the WU girl in terms of science attitudes and experiences. He also likes science (in general) a little, finds it easy, and believes that studying hard is the most important thing one can do to become good at science. He also feels the school science he has had so far has been generally positive. He has had the same science-related experiences as the girl, such as trips to the zoo, science museum, and so forth. And he got the same 2 out of 3 TIMSS 8th grade science items correct as the girl did. However, unlike the girl, the typical WU boy says he does not feel that people encourage or discourage him from learning science. He identified school as the place where he learns the most about science, as did the girl. However, the boy is slightly more likely than the girl to learn a little about science from a variety of other sources including friends and family, TV and movies, Whyville and other web sites, and trying things himself. Like the girl, the boys family has a computer and internet connection at home, along with other technology. Like her, he also has used a computer for over four years and spends 5-15 hours a week on the Internet. At least once a month he visits sites involving games and chat, as does the girl. However, the boy is much more likely to visit game sites than the girl. He is also more likely than she to visit sports sites and TV or movie related sites, whereas she is far more likely than the boy to visit friends sites and fashion or shopping sites. The boys attitudes and experiences with computers are also very much like the girls. He says he likes computers a lot, and also feels they are very easy to use. He learned to use computers by trying things himself and asking friends. However, he is slightly more likely than the girl to have learned a little about computers by reading about them. Similarly, both the girl and boy feel that trying things for oneself and asking friends are the best ways to learn about computers. But the boy is slightly more likely to view reading about computers as a good learning strategy, whereas the girl is slightly more likely than the boy to see taking a class as a useful method. The boy reports that he can do the same functions with the computer as the girl. However, of these functions, he is slightly more likely than the girl to feel able to make a web site, and she is slightly more likely to feel able to fix problems on the computer. While the average WU boy, like the average girl, cannot program or build a computer from parts, there are more boys who have these skills than girls. When asked how his knowledge of computers compares to that of his family members, he is more confident in his knowledge than the girl. He is more likely to believe that he knows more about computers than anyone else in the family, whereas she is more likely to believe that she knows more than some people but less than others. The boy, like the girl, is quite interested in a career as a web designer, but his other career interests are rather different from the girls. He is very interested in a career in computer programming, followed by engineering. He is somewhat uninterested in the remaining career choices we asked about, with teacher and biologist at the bottom of his list.

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How do regular Whyville users compare to a more general public school population (our recruited users)? In general, the longtime users of Whyville are slightly more affluent, like school, science, and computers better, and spend more time on the internet than the public school students of the same grade we recruited to try Whyville for the first time. The groups were roughly equivalent in the length of time they said they had used computers, their interest in sports and careers, and their knowledge of TIMSS science items. Background. The Whyville users (WU) who responded to our survey are about a year younger than the students we recruited from local public schools to try Whyville (RU) (see Table 1), but both groups were in 7th grade on average. While the majority of WU go to public school, about 20% of them go to private or religious schools. Most of the WUs (60%) attend schools they say are mostly white, but 40% report their school student bodies are mixed. The RUs public schools are mostly Hispanic with a mix of other ethnicities. WUs probably come from more affluent families as they have more technological equipment at home than most RUs. For example, virtually all the WU have computers, internet access, and printers at home, whereas just 2/3rd to 3/4ths of RUs do. Over half the WUs have fax machines and scanners, whereas less than half the RUs do. WUs reportedly do much better in school than RUs. About half the WUs say they do very well in school, far more than the RUs (only 3-12% of them do very well). Both groups of users tend to like school a little rather than a lot, and the WU girls particularly seem to like it more than the boys. Students in both groups like math about the same amount; about 30-40% like it a lot. Both groups also like to do sports outside of school, although the WUs like it more than the RUs do. RU girls like reading far more than both WU and RU boys. On the other hand, the RU girls like technology-related activities far less than everyone else does. There were few differences between the two user groups interests in careers. Web design was at or near the top of the list for all students, whereas biology and astronomy were not very interesting to any of them. The significant differences in career interests were between boys and girls, not between WU and RU. For example, at the top of boys lists in both groups were the same three technology-related careers in the same order: computer programmer, web design, and engineering, while teaching was at the bottom. For girls in both groups, web design, art/music, and law or medicine were at or near the top of the list, while engineering was at the bottom. Science. WUs tended to be more interested in and confident about science in general than the RUs. About 81% of WU but only 54% of RU said they like science. Asked whether they found science hard, 62% of WU said science was easy or very easy, compared to only 20% of RU. When asked to rate how much they like school science, again more WU than RU said they like it (26-30% say a lot vs. 10-14%). Thus it appears that students who are attracted to Whyville like science somewhat more than those in the more general population. Despite the fact that WUs say they like science better and do better in science in school, they did about the same or worse than RUs on the three TIMSS science knowledge

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items on our survey. On two of the items, the RU boys outperformed the other three subgroups (RU girls, WU girls, and WU boys). Both WUs and RUs said they learn science primarily in school and only a little from other sources such as trying it themselves, watching TV, and reading. In both groups, girls felt slightly more encouraged by family and teachers to learn science than boys did. When asked what one can do to become good at science, both groups most often said study hard but more WUs than RUs felt this way (about 45% compared to about 25%). Technology. Both groups were quite enthusiastic about technology, but the WU group was even more so, with 83% of WU and 70% of RU reporting they like computers a lot. Interestingly, boys and girls in both groups said computer science is their favorite school subject, although the WUs ratings were higher than the RUs (mean ratings of 4.3 compared to 3.9 on a 1-5 scale, 5 high). The WU girls liked computers about as much as the WU and RU boys (all three in the range of 73-87%) whereas the RU girls liked computers somewhat less (59%). More strikingly, RU girls almost never pursue technology-related activities outside school (3% for RU girls vs. 18-21% for all others). This result suggests, not surprisingly, that the girls who regularly go to Whyville have much stronger interests in technology than girls in the more general population, in fact about equal to that of boys on Whyville and the population at large. Their interest in technology may thus reflect self-selection and/or some positive effect of their experiences on the web site. Not surprisingly, WUs say they spend much more time on the internet each week than RUs do, probably reflecting both access and interest (30-37% of WUs spend over 15 hrs a week compared to only 6-9% of RUs). The two groups shared somewhat similar patterns in the types of web sites they visit besides Whyville, with favorites for both boys and girls including games, chat, TV/movies, and music. Girls also tend to like friends web sites, and boys tend to like sports sites. Despite the high amount of internet use among WUs, most do not regularly visit other educational or science oriented web sites; e.g. only 13% of WU girls reported visiting another science sites compared to 22% of RU girls. Thus Whyville seems to be the primary web-based source of informal science learning for many of these girls. Both groups have used computers for 4-10 years and feel they are very easy to use, although recruited users were slightly less confident. Both groups say they learned more of what they know about computers from teaching themselves and learning from friends than from school or reading about computers. However, when asked what they think is the best way to learn about computers, they responded differently. WUs tend to favor trying things out for themselves, whereas the RU boys said trying things for yourself and learning from others were equally good, and the RU girls favored learning from others. The two groups differ slightly in their self-reported computer skills. The RUs boys tend to say they are the same or just slightly better than WU boys say they are at all the queried skills, except building a web page. Boys were consistently better than girls in both groups, except that WU girls were as slightly better than WU boys at trouble shooting. The WU girls are much more likely than RU girls to be able to install free software, fix problems on the computer, and make a web page. In both groups, boys are more likely than girls to say that they know more than their families members about computers, however we do not know whether this indicates real capacity or simply greater confidence.

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The recruited users varied greatly in their reaction to Whyville. Some RU logged on only once or twice during the trial period, while others became very engrossed in the site. Many logged on several times, tried the games, explored the site and chatted a bit, but in general the RU did not get so involved in the chatting, social life, adornment of avatars, and playing of games as the WU. The 6th grade recruited users seemed to enjoy the site a bit more than the 8th graders. Some quotes from our focus groups illustrate the RUs reactions:8 I dont go that often anymore because I cant get back on. But when I used to go it was probably every day like right after I got home from school. I had a very big social life. So at first I would go on and see my thousands of little messages and then I reply. And then I go and look for people I knew. (girl, 8th grade) My [younger] brother, he liked it. He sorta played on mine for a little bit and he decided to get his own. Now hes like always on it, whenever he gets time. (boy, 8th grade) I had a hard time trying to figure out how to do it at first. Then I asked my friend and he taught me how to do it because its kind of confusing at first and my computer, its kind of a slow computer because theres so much going on -- it like takes a long time. I like being social. (boy, 6th grade) [the people in our class who dont like it] say its boring and theres nothing to do after you play all the games and stuffand they say theyre so ugly and no one ever wants to talk to them. So they never go on. (girl, 6th grade)

2. What Do Young People Do and Like on Whyville, Especially Girls? Whyville has several features that appeal to young people, particularly girls, according to our surveys and focus groups: chatting and social interaction, modifiable avatars and other design opportunities, a simulated community with creative and entrepreneurial opportunities, and science games. These same aspects of the site were mentioned over and over regardless of how we framed the questions about what appealed to them (e.g. what interested them about Whyville; their favorite aspects of the site; what their own web site would be like). When asked what they typically do when logging on to Whyville, an 8th grade girls response sums up many girls interests in communicating and being with others, enhancing her self-image, participating in simulated aspects of real life, and playing science games: I go on Whyville like 3 times a week and I check my mail and I go to that little mall place and buy parts for my face. And then I like sell parts and stuff in that little auction to get more clams. Then I try to find the little alien and the ship [play a science game] but they all land in weird places and I can never finish that. And oh, then I go to that little slide place with the pool and I talk to different people. (girl, 8th grade)

Note that all quotes in this report are recorded as spoken or written, including mistakes in spelling and grammar, without each being marked [sic].

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Chat and other social interaction Whyvillians love to chat! Both boys and girls who are regular users strongly enjoyed the chatting and social aspects of the site according to focus group and survey data (see Table 2). When asked in the focus groups where they preferred to go on the site and why, both boys and girls often said they like to go to places where they can chat with others (see Figure 4). Other types of social interaction are also popular, including sending and reading Y-mail and just hanging out with others. Several users said they posted messages to the bulletin boards, but not very often. Very little discussion seems to take place on the boards

Figure 4. Whyvillians chatting at the pool party

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Table 2. Regular and recruited users survey responses: What they like and learn on Whyville. Whyville Regular Users (WU) What attracts users Favorite thing about Whyville Chatting, meeting people Science or other learning Design (face, house) Simulates real world Participation in Whyville Donated to Grandmas (charity) Created & sold face parts Posted on discussion boards Own a house Wrote articles for Whyville Times Multiple identities on site Do certain activities most or every login Chat Y-mail Science games Design face parts Petitions, polls Importance of friends on site Plan to log in when friends do all or some of time Usually hang out w/ friends Important or ok to have boy/girlfriend, spouse on site Girls (n=160) 39% 8% 23% 8% 89% 43 33 23 16 60 41% 17% 7% 3% 81 41 34 17 10 41 Boys (n=59) 11% 21% 14% 3% 24 14 6 5 0 na Recruited Users (RU) Girls (n=63) 10% 23% 5% 1% 23 17 8 9 5 na Boys (n=77)

72% 63 24 16 20 59% 14 58

75 67 37 12 15 61 12 78

16 11 22 8 6 13 2 24

21 10 31 5 8 18 7 25

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Whyville Regular Users (WU) What users learn on site Expert at science games: Ice Skater Spin Object Spin Great Balloon Race Smart Cars Solstice Safari Zero Gravity Rocket Design House of Illusions Dance Creation Alien Hunt SunSpot Current salary (from science games) How learned to do science games Read instructions Practice tried over & over Chat w/ others on how to do it Where learned a lot of science: School Whyville TV Try by self Read Friends, family Has Whyville changed how you think about computers or science? Positive change No change Girls (n=160) 66% 28 6 11 7 3 16 46 21 41 35 42 clams 71% 13 10 70% 49 24 25 24 14 68 49 20 17 3 7 27 70 37 44 34 46 clams 64 17 9 58 33 44 34 31 24 Boys (n=59) 16 8 2 3 2 2 3 3 2 3 5 19 clams 38 10 10 51 na 22 30 25 13

Recruited Users (RU Girls (n=63) 22 12 10 10 4 7 12 17 12 9 12 67 clams 26 21 9 64 na 30 23 31 10 Boys (n=77)

50% 36

53 31

29 32

22 42

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Contrary to the typical stereotype, girls were reportedly no more involved in chatting than the boys who regularly use the site. About 63% of WU boys said they chat every time they logon, whereas only 47% of girls said so. However, boys who are regular users are self-selected and seem to be more interested in chatting than typical boys are. Chatting and meeting people were cited as their favorite aspect of Whyville by about 40% of both WU girls and boys, but by only 10% of RU girls and boys. Interestingly, focus groups of both WU and RU seemed to hold stereotypical views that girls like to talk more than boys, yet the survey data suggest little gender difference. The real difference is between regular users and the more general population, represented by recruited users. The big difference between regular and recruited users in how often they chat and how much they enjoy it may be due to several factors. As mentioned, regular users are a selfselected group who were attracted to the site as it is, with a strong emphasis on chat. Also, recruited users were not on the site long enough to develop a social network to chat with comparable to that of the regular users. About 25% of WU girls and boys have a particular group of people they typically hang out with on the site compared to only 515% of RU. Also, the majority of WU (85%) came to the site because friends or a relative suggested it, and most of them (76%) have friends on the site who know their login name. Many of the WU (60%) report planning to log in at the same time as their friends at least some of the time. Regular users who participated in our online focus group underscored the importance of their online friendships. The one improvement they would make to the site is a search function to quickly see if their friends are on the site and where they are located. Most of the chat on Whyville is not intellectually deep, but it seems to serve an important social/emotional purpose. When we examined the content of a sample of chat from the regular users, the majority of it (nearly 60%) consisted of exclamations, stock phrases or slang with little substantive content (e.g. doh! LOL). (See Table 3.) About 10% of the chat were statements of greeting (How are you?), and another 10% were about social relationships (Do you have a girl friend?). Less than one percent of the chat related to science or science activities on the site. Thus chatting seems to provide an opportunity to practice interacting with their peers in a safer context than school, as evidenced by some quotes from the online focus group: Its not that I dont know HOW to be cool. Just people at my school, they dont count me as cool, because I dont do things their ways. [my screen avatar] isnt that much different [from the real me], just better looking and more open Im quite quiet in real life. cause if anyone of you were to see me at my house, then at school, youd think I was a whole different person. Because on here, if I make a mistake, it doesnt matter, I wont get teased for it the next day. (girl) Im not cool at school and I find that every girl on Whyville practically wants to talk to me or date me. Its like you can have a double life. It gets you away from life. I am shy and this site helped me build up the confidence to ask a real girl out. Well, Id say yes, this is a good place for an unpopular person, because they can be anyone they want to be. (boy)

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Table 3: Types of comments in Whyville chat transcripts. Type of Comment Greetings (e.g. How are you?) Social Relationships (Do you have a girl friend?) Discussion of faces and face parts Discussion of the site activities other than science (newspaper, dances, clams) Requests for charity Discussion of science or the science activities on the site Other (e.g. doh! LOL)

Frequency of Observation 10% 11% 6% 3% 3% <1% 58%

Some Whyvillians use chat on the site as an extension of their real lives. They use it as an alternative to phones, pagers, and instant messaging to keep in touch with friends. But Whyville has its own sense of community and has its own social groups. There are social complexities in the Whyville community, as noted by an 8th grade RU girl in one of our focus groups: R: What do you think of the people on Whyville? G1: At first when you cant talk to people [a convention of the site for the first few visits] it seems like everyones just hanging around, and then when you actually see what people are saying and learn how to whisper, its like this whole social puzzle. Its like a school there. Only about 25% of the users described themselves as being a part of a group. A few of the groups that users described were theme-oriented like bikers/dirtbikers or friends from school. But they more commonly described their groups as a bunch of people that look kind of like me or a group of kind people that I like to talk with. Some of the users have boyfriend or girlfriend relationships on the site, and a few even have spouses, although some think these relationships are stupid or creepy. In general, the WU were open to such relationships (59% of the WU boys and 47% of the WU girls picked good for some peoplenot for everyone). The RU boys and girls (16% and 21%) were far less likely to pick that moderate response. Very few WU boys thought it was stupid (5%) whereas nearly a third of RU boys thought it was (31%). About one in five girls, both RU and WU (19%), felt it was stupid. One of the interesting social distinctions that has evolved on the site is between experienced and novice users, known as Oldbies and Newbies. The Oldbies often complain in the newspaper and bulletin boards that the Newbies are a nuisance because they frequently beg for help to understand things on the site and for gifts of clams. Oldbies in the online focus group said they really resented the Newbies begging. The Newbies complain that they are ignored by the more established users. Some Oldbies invented a kind of charity on the site. They donate unwanted face parts and accessories to Grandmas a location where Newbies can get the used parts free. Inappropriate behavior, such as abusive or overtly sexual comments, is a serious concern for minors on the internet. Numedeon has instituted several features on Whyville to minimize inappropriate behavior, including a warning system. Any user can warn another, causing a yellow X to be put over their face for a time. While most of the users in our survey had experiences with inappropriate behavior, relatively few (14%)

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saw it as a serious problem on the site. Interestingly, we did not see significant gender differences in responses concerning inappropriate behavior on Whyville. Avatars and self-image Whyvillians obviously enjoy the avatar aspect of the site and say that its a lot more fun than a regular chat room with just text showing on the screen. Users can change the screen look of their cartoon avatar at will, and this function seems to appeal to the girl users in particular. Selecting and changing face parts and accessories for their avatars are popular activities for both sexes, but WU girls are nearly twice as likely as boys to do so every time they login (44% compared to 27%). Many users have learned to use the design function on the site to create their own unique parts and accessories, and some have even begun small businesses in creating and selling them for clams (see Figure 5). Whyvillians appreciate the opportunity to experiment with the appearance of their identities. Over two-thirds of users (with little difference between recruited and regular users and no difference between girls and boys) reported they had Whyville faces that did not look like their real ones. The majority strive for an appearance they consider attractive, while a few adopt an unconventional appearance, such as an animal head (boys more often than girls chose these 17% vs. 4%). Some people change their appearance to express their feelings; others follow fashion fads. Figure 6 presents a sample of quotes from our focus groups with regular and recruited users, which reveal these gender differences:

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Figure 5. Sample of user-designed accessories from Akbars Face Mall Figure 6. Gender differences in selection of screen identities Girls G1: First I tried to find things that sort of matched what people would describe me in real life, and then I started following the fads in Whyville. Like for awhile everyone was wearing huge earrings, and so I bought some big earrings and then I didnt want those any more. And I keep on deciding if something looks pretty, then I get it. G2: I bought what I thought was just, like, attractive. R: In what ways? Like, who defines that attractiveness for you? G2: The boy that I met [on the site]. Well, he thought I looked nice. G3: I wear whatever I feel like that day. Like if Im sad and stuff, I make myself look like a gothic person. If Im happy, I put myself in white. R: Do your faces look like you? G4: No, its like all the nice stuff. I got long blonde curly hair. G5: I try to wear different clothes or something that you dont see very often. G6: Its the person Ive always wanted to look like: blond hair blue eyes u know. G7: Well, I have dirty blonde hair, brown, eyes, zits, braces, and a weirdly perprotioned body, like most teenagers! (LOL) G8: I dont think Im that pretty as I am on whyville.

Boys B1: Mine [face] looks like a bird. R: Why? B1: Because I love animals B2: I just put cheap stuff on my face. I just go for the bargain basement and Grandmas (location for free parts donated by others) B3: [It depends on ] how much money you have. B4: I couldnt find anything I really liked. B5: I have some weird ass evil hair. Its like black with red highlights and a nose ring. B6: I try to make myself look goofy. B7: 1st of all I dont have blue hair. The Whyville face is what I want to look like but my mom wont let me. Given their age (most users are 10-15), the emphasis on self-image is not surprising. The importance of self-image, even when anonymous, is revealed in their responses to many different questions we asked. When we asked one 8th grade focus group of recruited users, What kind of people go to Whyville? a boy mentioned intelligence first, but the girls in the group returned to the theme that appearance is very important. B1: Girls. Kind of smart. G1: I think theyre totally different. R: In what way? G1: They always claim that, oh yeah, Im like hot if they meet a guy. G2: Its probably not true. G1: I think people go to Whyville to get acceptance. G2: I agree. I think they overexaggerate who they are to make people like them more. R: Why do you think they do that?

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G2: Appearances matter. People just dont approach you because they know your personality. They approach you because youre attractive, because of your looks. So they dont go, I think they have a nice personality and go talk to you, they go Oh, theyre cute, nice smile. Both boys and girls noted that Whyville gives them the opportunity to alter their appearance so as to increase acceptance by others. But they also suggested that even in Whyville, they run the risk of being rejected for their looks. Since about three-fourths of the regular users have friends on the site who know their login name, it is not as anonymous or safe as one might at first think. B1: You can be the ugliest person in the world on the outside, but when you go to Whyville, you can make yourself look like youre a different person. [other users murmur in agreement.] B2: They all base you on how you look. G1: But its cool because you can be someone different online. R: Does it bother you that its all based on how you look? B2: They dont give you a chance sometimes. G2: I walked into the disco once and someone said, Youre such a freak. R: What do you think of the way people look on the site? B3: Cool. Some people do, except if they look kind of weird. G3: Theres a million blondes on the site! G4: Everybody wants to be blond. R: Do you find it hard to, like, make yourself look like B4: I find it hard for me to actually be one of the crowd. I still havent gotten to the part where I actually have a real face, not like a circle drawn with sunglasses. Multiple identities. Many of the users, especially the girls (60% of girls vs. 41% of boys), have more than one identity on the site (i.e. they registered a second time with a different login name). On our survey, about one-fourth of regular users said they have 3 or more identities (28% of the girls, 19% of the boys). They gave various reasons for the multiple identities including sharing them with school friends, getting on the busy site (Newbies have some priority over other users without passes), using them to earn more clams, and just trying out different identities from day to day. Multiple identities could also offer greater anonymity since friends might not know all of ones logins. One regular user we interviewed said she had been on the site about two years and had developed about 10 identities including some that were male. She spoke about her motivation: R: Why so many? G: I share them with my school friends, and I like to have a few backup people. Thats what [my current identity] was. Now shes #1 In [class one day] we all went on Whyville and we talked to each other so the prof couldnt hear us. R: Are any of them boys or all girls? G: I have a few boys [names several] R: So why all the boys? G: At first I wondered how hard it was to be a boy on here. I mean, the girls chase them around asking for dates and stuff. It must be annoying, and I was right, and plus, it is easier to make friends on a boy face. A girl with 5 identities spoke about enjoying dressing her avatars as if they were dolls:

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I have one boy. I dont know why. I just wanted to dress him up cuz like a lot of the stuff was for the girls and I found some cute boy stuff so I wanted a boy. He came out looking like a gangster. (girl, unknown age) Design opportunities About a quarter of the girls said the design aspects of Whyville were of greatest interest to them (significantly more than the 7% of boys who felt this way). These findings support prior research by Honey et al. (1991) that design opportunities appeal to girls. Since the design aspect is one of the key features that sets Whyville apart from other web sites, it is not surprising that the site captures the interest of many girls. The most common things to design on the site are faceparts and accessories for the avatars and houses and their furnishings. There was little difference in how often boys and girls said they actually designed something. An equal proportion (31%) of both WU boys and girls said they earn clams from selling face parts, but more girls said they spent time designing face parts every time or most times they log in (16% of girls compared to 12% of boys). In our online focus groups, several girls said it made them feel good to see other users' avatars wearing their creations. Girls tended to mention designing realistic and attractive clothes (e.g. a little flower clip) whereas boys tended to design somewhat wilder things (e.g. animal faces or hair with brown streaks and stuff). Whyvillians can purchase plots of land on the site at a fixed price on a first come-first served basis and then build houses with bricks and other components (see Figure 7). They can also decorate the rooms with furniture, plants and art, which are more expensive than house designs. Currently, about 8000 house plots have been distributed, although many more users wish to buy a plot than there is space available. Houses ranged in size from small (one block with a window) to large "apartments" of 8-10 units. Those users with few clams appear to have the least elaborated houses, while those who are wealthier are able to buy parts for the home or even create a virtual castle. Not a single house was identical to another. Even the small, less-elaborated homes were differentiated by color or placement on the one-inch plot of virtual grass. Similarly, the rooms were filled with objects from as few as one plant to several items such as a bed, table, chairs, rugs and sofas. Users said they like to visit other peoples houses to get ideas for their own designs.

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Figure 7. Examples of Whyville Houses Science games Regular users said chat was their favorite activity on Whyville, and more so than science games, while recruited users tended to enjoy the science games more (see Table 2). This finding probably reflects the economical and social structure of the site. Clams are necessary for participation in various site activities, and newcomers obtain clams primarily through playing the science games to raise their salaries, which allows them to purchase face parts, buy houses, and do other things on the site. Regular users have already played the games a lot, and after awhile the science games are less interesting to them, because they have either mastered them or given up in frustration. Meanwhile those who continue to come to Whyville have developed a social network there and become more involved in the community. Most regular users do not spend a lot of time playing the science games on the site. Only about 10% of WU said they do so every time they log in, and only about a fifth of them tended to play a science game on a typical day. Girls were less likely than boys to do science activities frequently (i.e. most or every time on the site -- 37% of boys vs. 24% of girls). Among WU, girls were also less likely than boys to name science activities as their favorite aspect of Whyville (only 8% of girls said so vs. 17% of boys.) However, average salary, an indirect measure of science game mastery, was rather similar for boys and girls (46 clams for boys vs. 42 clams for girls.) Both girls and boys said they enjoyed the science and seemed to appreciate the virtual hands-on nature of the science games on Whyville as illustrated in this excerpt from a focus group with 6th graders: R: B: G1: R: G1: R: B2: B1: R: B1: Do you like science? Well, it depends on what you do in science. I like science on Whyville. Why? Because its different subjects. Its like earth science is about volcanoes and the ocean, and on Whyville you learn about how gravity can effect blah blah blah, you can make things spin faster. What do you think? You play games. Youre learning through games and it keep your attention more, instead of turn to page 320You know, just read from a book. What I like is you can actually experiment on your theory or whatever about so and so, but at school you just read about and you never get a chance to really see, oh is this really true or is this a bluff? What do you mean, you can experiment with your theory? Well, see you can, uhm, right now you can say, oh a person can spin faster if theyre in a line. But do you really know that? Are you positive about that? You see in Whyville you can go to the Spin Lab and you can actually try it, you know. Put them in a straight position. Oh wow, they spin really fast. Now lets put them in an open position. Oh, okay, hes right. So you actually know what hes talking about. I think its interesting how you can have a hands-on science on a computer. Its hard to explain, but all you are is clicking a mouse, but it still allows you to experiment with spinning as [B1] just said. You can theorize and test it. Is there anybody who doesnt like science but still likes the site? I dont like science, but I like science on Whyville.

G2: R: G3:

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But some recruited users said they were confused by the games or frustrated that they could not quickly master them. G1: I used to play the games but then I stopped because it got confusing. And now I just chit chat. R: Can you talk about your favorite game and why? G2: I like the skater game because Ive mastered it, and its really easy so it makes me feel really good about myself, and the other games I really stink at. G3: I like the spin game because its the easiest. B1: I really like the balloon game. R: Thats a really hard game. B1: I know. Im still on level 3. I ran out of fuel. R: [to a girl] Whats your favorite? G4: I dont have a favorite. I suck at all of them. B2: The balloon game. Its challenging. .. R: Have you mastered a game? Do you still play it? B3: Because Im trying to beat it over and over again. Its easy now you know how to do it. Kinda like beating your own record. B4: It challenges you. R: [to girl] You keep playing the skater game. G5: Thats because when I try to play the other games it gets me really depressed and frustrated so when I go back to the other game its sort of an encouragement, like I can do this. Some of the recruited and regular users we interviewed said they thought that boys might prefer video style games with more adventure and speed, and less thinking, as this quote suggests: Well, I tried to get my brother on and he thought it was like a kiddie thing and there was like no action into it. And hes like, its for smart people because you have to play games that take actual thinking to do. So I think theres like not a lot of boys. (girl, 8th grade) Simulated community Beyond chatting, designing, and playing games, users can participate more deeply in the simulated Whyville community through activities such as the bulletin boards, the Whyville Times, house building and sharing, and signing petitions or participating in polls. One user compared Whyville to the popular simulation software game The SIMS. The vast majority of regular users earn their clams through a salary obtained from playing science games, but about a third earn additional currency from designing and selling face parts. About a fourth obtain clams as gifts or charity from others (clamgrams). The users we recruited tended to rely almost exclusively on salary to obtain clams, perhaps since most were not on the site long enough to develop their design skills or a social network to obtain gifts from more affluent friends. The various community-related activities range in degree of engagement and skill required to participate. The simplest community activity is to donate unwanted face parts to Grandmas. Most of the users in this study had done this recently. Building a house or writing for the newspaper are more demanding activities. Houses and rooms designed in Whyville are central to participants' representations in this virtual community. Some users appear to have furnishings that are more prestigious

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to own than others. Items are sometimes stacked on a shelf, on the floor or hanging on the walls of a persons room. Whether it is a tennis racket, a Christmas tree or ice skates, possession and display of such items is clearly a way of demonstrating that the user has wealth, status, and long participation in Whyville. There was a substantial difference between longtime players from the online survey and the short-term players from the focus group who had been part of Whyville for only two months. About half (52%) of the regular users spent time every login at the pool or at houses compared to only 12% of recruited users in the focus group. As a newcomer to the site, recruited users did not know many others and thus did not have access to houses. Houses and rooms are not only important because they are a representation of long-term engagement within this community but also because they offer private places in which users can 'whisper' chat privately with each other. Only a few of the regular users have written for the paper to date (16% of girls and 10% of boys), but almost half of the users said they intended to write something (47% of both boys and girls). Some are prodigious writers. One who participated in the online chat said she has written 37 articles for the newsletter. This suggests a significant involvement in the community, because the Times could be considered the voice of the community. Only 14% of the recruited users said they planned to write for the Times. Relatively new users say they are less aware of the options and less comfortable trying them at first. This may account for their lower level of involvement in and commitment to the community than those who have participated longer and/or were drawn to the site for this type of interest. 3. What Opportunities to Learn Science Do Whyvillians Have? Overview of science and math content Games provide the primary context for learning about science and math in Whyville. Ten games that were on the site at the time of this study address important areas of science learning that are called for by the National Science Education Standards (1996). (Since data was collected for this study, two additional science-based games have been added.) The games expose users to three key subject matter areas from the standards: physical science, life science, and Earth and space science. To varying degrees, the games also engage users in different aspects of understanding and doing scientific inquiry. Additionally, many of the games expose users to the use of mathematical tools for working with scientific problems by providing graphic and/or quantitative representations of game-relevant data. Typically, the interactive games engage an individual user in observing and/or manipulating a simulation to achieve a particular objective or to answer a question that has been posed. Figure 8 shows an example from the Great Balloon Race. (Of the science games discussed in this study, only the Solstice Safari game provides a collaborative game-playing environment.) In most cases, a game provides the user with feedback about his/her success at reaching the desired objective. Repeated game participation at successive levels of difficulty results in earning more clams (the Whyville currency). Table 4 provides a brief summary of each games objectives and the underlying science and math content.

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Figure 8. The great balloon race science game.

Table 4: Science and math content in Whyville games

Topic: Physical Science - Motion and Forces Game(s): Spin Lab Ice Skater Spin and Object Spin Game Objectives: Underlying Science/Math Principles: Manipulate the position of an ice skaters arms Angular and linear momentum of moving and legs to make the skater spin as fast as objects possible, or manipulate the position and center Conservation of momentum of rotation for a variety of objects to make each The relationship between angular spin as fast as possible. momentum, rotational velocity, and moment of inertia Game: Zero Gravity Game Objectives: In an environment that simulates zero gravity (no friction), propel ones avatar to hit an object on a wall by launching (throwing) a projectile in the opposite direction. Use angles (degrees) to identify the direction in which the projectile should be launched. The user must use his/her clams to purchase projectiles to use in this game.

Underlying Science/Math Principles: Newtons third law: every action has an equal and opposite reaction Measurement of angles in degrees

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Game: Rocket Design Game Objectives: The user manipulates several variables on a rocket (fuel volume, mass of cargo load, nozzle size, and type of rocket) to meet different objectives of distance and speed.

Underlying Science/Math Principles: Change in an objects position, direction, and speed when acted upon by a force Describing motion in terms of altitude, velocity and acceleration, each of which can be represented on a graph

Topic: Physical Science - Motion and Forces & Properties of Matter Game: Great Balloon Race Game Objectives: Underlying Science/Math Principles: The user navigates a hot air balloon to reach a The relationship between temperature and particular target within a time limit, and with a density of a gas safe landing speed. The factors that the user Effect of directional forces (e.g. wind) on an controls are a burner to heat air in the balloon object and a valve to release hot air from the balloon. Representing an objects position and The factors that the user cannot control are position change on a coordinate graph different wind directions and speeds at different altitudes. Topic: Physical Science Transfer of Energy Game: Smart Cars Game Objectives: Place lights on a racetrack in order to design a path for a light-sensitive car to navigate from a starting point to a finish line. Manipulate factors to control the relation between intensity of light source and car speed, as well as direction of movement toward or away from the light source. Users can also challenge others to a smart car race.

Underlying Science/Math Principles: Energy as a property of many substances, associated with both light and mechanical motion Transfer of energy Use of a graph to represent the relationship between energy source intensity and responsiveness of object using the energy Use of positive and negative values to represent forward and backward directions of motion

Topic: Earth and Space Science Earth in the Solar System Game(s): Sun Spot Alien Rescue and Solstice Safari Game Objectives: Underlying Science/Math Principles: Alien Rescue - Identify a particular city (and its The regular and predictable motion of latitude and longitude) when given some objects in the solar system combination of clues about an aliens Relations between the position of Earth (its whereabouts including date, time of sunrise tilt) and its rotation around the sun and and sunset or number of daylight hours, and explanations for phenomena of days, geographic information. Use simulation tool years, seasons, global temperature, and (the sun tracker tool) to test the solution by changes in number of daylight hours visually representing the path of the sun during Identifying a location on Earth by latitude daylight, relative to the horizon, for the chosen and longitude location and date. Solstice Safari Users collaborate to collect sunrise and sunset times at given locations and then post and graph data on the Whyville web site.

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Topic: Life Science Structure and Function Game: House of Illusion Game Objectives: Observe a collection of optical illusions that fall into three different categories of visual perception: impossible figures, ambiguous figures, and those for which context information in the drawing distracts perception. Each illusion poses a question for the observer; however, the game does not provide a means for responding with an answer. Topic: Mathematics Graphing Skills Game: Dance Creation Game Objectives: User creates a dance by specifying the movements as a set of graph coordinates for each step. The user must use his/her clams to purchase any dance lessons.

Underlying Science/Math Principles: Relationships between different organs that function together, e.g. the brain processing visual information from the eyes to create visual perception Understanding the properties of different geometric shapes that can be applied to analyzing an optical illusion

Underlying Science/Math Principles: Represent movement and direction using a series of points (x and y coordinates) on a graph

Note. The science topic headings in this table are taken directly from the subject matter categories in the National Science Education Standards.

Opportunities for deeper scientific understanding Each game has a set of underlying scientific principles from physical science, life science, or Earth and space science; however, a users experience with a game may or may not lead to any awareness or understanding of those principles. Simply completing a simulation task in a game often demands only a superficial level of interaction. It is possible for a user to complete the steps of a game and advance without engaging in complex thinking such as the following: a) providing a rationale for particular strategies or solutions; b) proposing or revising an explanation based on evidence from the game or other experiences; c) using scientific principles to explain phenomena or solutions; or d) being exposed to scientists use of scientific principles to explain phenomena. However, the Whyville games do provide rich opportunities for developing deeper levels of scientific understanding and explanations when the user makes use of game-relevant supplemental resources designed to support and expand learning opportunities. These same supplemental resources also provide the primary means of engaging Whyville users in authentic scientific inquiry processes (as recommended by the National Science Education Standards). It is important to note, however, that game players can choose to read and engage in the suggested activities of the supplemental resources for a given game, but this is not necessary for successful game completion, and the user earns no additional clams for doing so. Whyvilles supplemental resources, which have been provided for some but not all of the Whyville games, take several different forms: Whyville Times columns by Dr. Leila. Dr. Leilas columns in the Whyville Times (reprinted from a set of articles in the Los Angeles Times) provide the most extensive set of supplementary resources for encouraging deeper engagement and understanding of the underlying science in the games. At this time, Whyville provides a series of Dr. Leila columns for the two Spin Lab games (Ice Skater Spin and Object Spin), and for the Sun Spot games (Alien Rescue and Solstice Safari). In each series of columns, Dr. Leila

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starts with a focus question generated by a student, such as, How do ice skaters get spinning so fast? Then, she uses it as a context to guide the user through a series of investigations. In the process, users have opportunities to observe and collect data, generate explanations, revise explanations based on new data, consider alternative explanations from other students and scientists, and learn about the underlying scientific principles associated with the driving question. Lab manual. In some cases a game has a lab manual that prompts the user with additional questions and/or activity suggestions to encourage exploration of patterns and relationships based on game observations and other data. Geek Speak Notes. The Geek Speak Lounge in the Whyville location of a given game might also provide some documentation about scientists explanations for particular game-related science phenomena. We compared the opportunities for science understanding provided by game play and by supplemental resources, using the following scheme: Game play (GP): User demonstrates how The game itself demands that the user manipulate variables or features of a system to reach a desired objective. In this way, the user is demonstrating a strategy for how to produce a particular outcome related to a scientific phenomenon in a game. Supplemental resources (SR): User explains why Suggested activities in the supplemental resources (typically Dr. Leilas column) lead a user to collect and use evidence to construct an explanation about why particular strategies result in particular outcomes related to scientific phenomena. Supplemental resources (SR): Documentation explains why The supplemental resources include explanations about why particular strategies result in particular outcomes, with reference to scientific principles. The comparison in Table 5 reveals that the four games for which there is an accompanying newspaper series by Dr. Leila provide the most potential for users in two areas. In them, users have the opportunity to build a deeper understanding of scientific phenomena and to construct explanations based on evidence (provided a user elects to participate in the suggested activities). Explanation construction is one of several important scientific inquiry practices that students should understand and develop during their middle and high school years. In the next section of this analysis of science content, we take a closer look at the kind of inquiry practices that are fostered by the learning activities and prompts in Dr. Leilas columns.

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Table 5: Supplemental resources and opportunities for science understanding Availability of supplemental resources that promote deeper science understanding Geek Dr. Lab Speak Leilas Manual Notes Series Opportunities for constructing science understanding SR: User SR: Doc. GP: User explains explains demos why why how

Games Skater Spin Object Spin Alien Rescue Solstice Safari Zero Gravity Rocket Design Great Balloon Race Smart Cars Dance Creation House of Illusion

Note. The games have been listed in order from more to less complete opportunities for building science understanding, based on entries in the last three columns.

Opportunities for engaging in the scientific inquiry process The National Science Education Standards have placed a strong emphasis on engaging learners in activities that promote scientific inquiry, which is characterized by the following types of practices: Posing, investigating, and analyzing researchable science questions Planning and conducting investigations over extended periods of time Using evidence and strategies for developing explanations Reflecting on evidence and the investigation process to refine explanations Applying the results of experiments to scientific arguments and explanations Communicating science explanations and publicly communicating student ideas and work to peers In the context of science games in Whyville, users are exposed to each of these important inquiry practices when they read and participate in activities suggested by the Dr. Leila series in the Whyville Times. The following descriptions of Dr. Leilas two series provide some examples of each of the inquiry practices listed above. The first series (six different articles originally posted over a six-week period) poses the driving question, How do ice skaters get spinning so fast? Suggested investigations include the Whyville ice skater game and object spin game, as well as other off-line investigations to collect relevant evidence for answering the driving question. Dr. Leila suggests different experiments and contexts for making observations (e.g. observing ice skaters, or observing what happens when you spin on a chair or when air is released from a balloon), and also invites the user to think of other experiments that he/she might do. As different sources of evidence are explored, Dr. Leila introduces scientific

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concepts of angular and linear momentum, conservation of momentum, inertia, and rotational velocity that users can apply to their explanations for observed phenomena. Dr. Leila shares evidence and explanations that have been y-mailed to her by members of the Whyville community, as well as from different scientists, as a way to reflect on alternative arguments and continually build on ideas that will help to answer the driving question. New questions emerge as the series continues with new investigations. It is important to note that Dr. Leila asks students to come up with their own explanations for the phenomena they observe, rather than giving them an explanation up front. Because the newspaper columns are presented in a series, users can benefit from scaffolding that helps them to build their understanding over time, using information gained from each new activity, investigation, or discussion of results. The second Dr. Leila series (eight different articles originally posted over an eight-week period) poses the driving question, Why are the days getting longer? Students are encouraged to use the sun tracker simulation tool (the main tool used in the Alien Hunt game and Solstice Safari), and to construct their own tools for gathering evidence to answer this question. Over the course of the series, Dr. Leila guides users to apply their sun-tracking data to their developing understanding of the relationships between: a) the movement of Earth around the sun and the tilt of the Earth, and b) scientific phenomena such as days, seasons, patterns of change in the length of daylight hours, and comparisons of the length of daylight hours between different locations on the globe. There is a great deal of similarity between the pedagogic strategies employed to foster inquiry in this column series and the first spinning column series. However, one desirable new feature was added to this second series that was not part of the first: users are encouraged to post the data they collect to the jigsaw puzzle map at Whyvilles Sun Spot, thus making data public and usable by other users in the web community. On their own, the Whyville games are limited in their ability to provide opportunities for users to understand and engage in scientific inquiry processes. Without supplemental resources, the games do not typically provide the same kind of scaffolding offered by the Dr. Leila series to guide users through the inquiry process. As a result, it is more difficult for users to construct and reflect on scientific understanding from observational and other data sources. While the games offer some useful and engaging tools for simulating and visualizing scientific phenomena in real-world contexts, the games often lack supports that would foster the building of inquiry skills. Some examples include: a) methods for systematically collecting, organizing and reflecting on data; b) ways to share and discuss data, explanations, and questions with peers and with scientists; c) explicit references to the scientific principles that guide the phenomena in question; d) models for constructing evidence-based explanations; and e) offering a more comprehensive set of related activities centered around one or more driving questions, and aimed at building understanding over time and multiple investigations. (It should be noted that the lab manual for the Sun Spot area attempts to accomplish example (e) by suggesting that users visit several different games and other related activities in order to explore what the sun has to do with telling time, from day to day, from season to season, even from place to place.) 4. What Are Whyvillians Learning About Science and Technology? Since users must play science games to earn clams, virtually everyone does play them at least a little. Almost a third of the regular users (24% of girls and 37% of boys) said they participate in science activities most of the time or every time that they log in. According to our focus groups, there is significant variation in how much science is done and how it is viewed. Some, particularly those who choose to stay on the site for many

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months, say they love the games and spend lots of time trying to improve their scores. Most users play and enjoy the games somewhat but do not become experts in them all. They seem to be as (or more) interested in social, creative and/or entrepreneurial aspects of the site. Some are confused by the science games and do not attempt very much. A tiny minority are not even aware of the science theme of the site or are totally uninterested in it. All but one of the 11 science games on the site (Solstice Safari) have been tried by a majority of the users who completed our survey. A majority of boys are expert at two games (Skater and Illusions), and a majority of girls are expert at only one (Skater). Another game (Illusions) has many experts, but far more boys (70%) than girls (46%). There were slightly more girl experts at Solstice Safari than boys (7% vs. 3%), but the numbers trying that game so far are quite low. For most of the games, there is relatively little difference between the proportion of boys and girls who consider themselves experts. As with interest, there was a wide range in what users felt they had gained from their interaction with the science games in Whyville. Users ranged from those who did not feel expert on any activity (18%) to a pair of users who where expert on every activity (1%). On average, users felt they were expert on 2.9 out of 11 science activities. This figure represents a significant amount of science learning from an informal learning environment. In most informal learning situations, users rarely sustain their interest in an activity nearly as long as on Whyville (Crane, Nicholson & Chen, 1994). The Spin lab (Ice Skater and Object Spin, 38%) and WASA (Zero Gravity and Rocket Design, 23%) were named as the activities from which users learned the most. Most users learned to be experts on science games through written instructions provided (69%). Relatively few relied on trial and error (14%) or got help from other users (12%). Some of the users survey comments describe what they learned from playing the science games: I havn't learned much but experimenting with the spin lab taught me about spinning things, like in what positions would things spin faster (girl, 14) The nozzel size at the WASA rocket center really does make a difference since the smaller it is, the more power the rocket gets since it is under more preassure (girl, 13) If things are gathered to the center it will go faster(skater game) (girl, 11) How skaters spin thay spin by getting as thin as thay can so thars not much frichon (girl, 10) I learnd about angles and when we started that last month [in school] I already knew lots. (girl, 11) That sometimes it requires many attempts before you master a concept (girl, 15) Girls felt expert on 2.6 activities while boys listed 3.6 activities (t (217) = -2.81, significant at p=.005). This difference may reflect the boys greater interest in science and increased time with the activities. The one activity that girls were more engaged with than boys was the Solstice Safari. This activity is the only one in which users collaborate to solve a problem. This finding corresponds to research that suggests girls are more comfortable working collaboratively with others (Kahle & Meece, 1994). However, since this activity requires a group, users have to wait for a safari to be formed

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by the site managers. This happens relatively infrequently, so most users (59%) have not yet tried the safari. A review of some of the survey data prompts some interesting questions about girls participation in Whyville games compared with boys, and their opportunities for learning science. As noted, girls described themselves as an expert for an average of 2.6 out of 11 different games surveyed. The percentage of girls in the study who described themselves as expert for a given game ranged from 3% to 66%. While the corresponding percentage of boys who described themselves as expert was consistently higher for a given game (with the exception of the Solstice Safari game), an interesting similarity between boys and girls emerges. The same games were ranked by both girls and boys in the top five in terms of percentage of users who described themselves as expert,. Those five games were:
Ice Skater Spin House of Illusion Alien Hunt Object Spin Dance Creation (66% girl experts; 68% boy experts) (46% girl experts; 70% boy experts) (41% girl experts; 44% boy experts) (28% girl experts; 49% boy experts) (21% girl experts; 37% boy experts)

Closer inspection of the percentages also reveals that the gap between girls and boys is very small for two of these games: Ice Skater Spin and Alien Hunt. Interestingly, these are the same two games that have accompanying documentation in the form of lab manuals and Dr. Leilas series in the Whyville Times, the combination of which provides more support for science inquiry and opportunities for constructing science understanding (refer to Table 5). Is it possible that the availability of more extensive documentation and supplemental resources contributed significantly to the narrowing of the expertise gap between girls and boys? We do know that girls and boys reported that the written instructions were the most helpful in learning to become an expert. Is it possible to narrow the gap for other games by providing more extensive written instructions, and if so, what type of instructions are best? Evidence of a narrowed gender gap for game expertise raises a host of questions related to girls participation in Whyville science games and the comparison with boys. These questions may warrant further investigation: What factors are leading girls to participate and become expert in some Whyville games more than other games? Is the provision of extensive written instructions (such as the supplemental resources provided for the Ice Skater Spin game and Alien Hunt game) a significant factor in promoting game participation and expertise for both girls and boys, such that the gender gap in percentage of experts is greatly narrowed? What types of help did users access most from available written instructions (including game instructions, lab manuals, Geek Speak notes, and Dr. Leilas series)? Are there gender differences in what boys and girls consider to be expertise, and are their definitions associated with perceived science understanding, actual science understanding (as measured by some external criteria), ability to meet game objectives, and/or frequency of play? For the games for which girls and boys perceive themselves to be expert (in particular the Ice Skater Spin and the Alien Hunt), what exactly have users learned about science phenomena and/or the process of inquiry, and did they learn it from game play or supplementary resources?

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Some users have been inspired by a game or event on Whyville to develop some expertise on their own. For example, site developers accidentally left out the description of a rock in one of the games by mistake, resulting in a "mystery rock." One of the users submitted an articles to the Times filled with new information about the rock for the sake of other interested users: I was looking for rocks the other day at one of the geo dig sights and after finding a few I went back to idneify them. Much to my suprise while I was looking at the drop down list of names of the different rocks I found that there was an extra rock that was not listed in the list of all the different rocks and thier discripions. Gneiss is the name of the mistrey rock. After talking to some of my friends about this rock that wasent there my cerosity got the better of me and I desided to research it to see if it was even a real rock. So after searching for ages on the net I finily came up with this: Gneiss is a high grade metamorphic rock (witch is basicly saying that it has been subject to more heat and pressure than schist or other metamorphic rocks) it is also corser than schist. The rock has bandings that go around the rock, these bandings are formed by the different menrils that make up the rock such as quartz, mica, feldspar and hornblende. gneiss can be formed by a sedmintry rock such as sandstone or shale or it can be formed from the metamorphism of grantite. Gneiss is mainly used as a paving or building stone. If any one had found this rock at the geo dig sights, I would love to know, intill thin this is javagirl going to look for her. As noted above, users tend not to chat about science or science games. Less than 1% of the comments we sampled and analyzed were related to science activities or science in general. However, many of the articles that users write for the Times have to do with science in some way. For example, articles include tips for Newbies in playing the games, background information about the scientific phenomena in the games, encouragement to others to combine their social interests with the science games such as challenging others to race smart cars. There were also quite a few articles written about the Whypox epidemic (see below). Future research might do a formal analysis of the science learning that is revealed in science-related writing on the site. Users can learn about science not only from the games but also from special events on Whyville initiated from time to time by its creators, such as the Whypox epidemic.9 This mysterious infection caused ugly boils to appear on a user's Whyville face. While chatting, phrases were periodically replaced by "Achoo" due to uncontrollable sneezing. The Why-Pox spread throughout the community, and the citizens were all very concerned. The Whyville CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) was established, with simulations that modeled the spread of infection linked to discussion threads on a bulletin board system. The quality of the discussion was surprisingly high and revealed that users were thinking about how to control variables during an investigation, how to organize data to understand their observations, and how to make claims backed by evidence. Below are some excerpts from Times articles provided by Numedeon: We do that because it makes the expeirament more accurate and it makes the graphes work properly because if you try comparing 5 people who get infected from day 2 to day 6 with 3 people infected from day 4 to day 5, you cannot compare something that has basiclly nothing in common. Also, it helps us understand whats

Whypox actually occurred after our studys formal data collection period, but we include some information about it here as it was such an interesting event on the site and resulted in significant user engagement in scientific inquiry and reflection.

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happening by showing us differences step by step so we can understand all the factors. I did not get the same results each time. It surprised me how different they all were. I did 9 trials and here is what i got: i am showing this by using #infected/#days. 1)4/5 2)3/4 3)7/8 4)7/8 5)5/6 6)6/7 7)13/14 8)2/3 9)13/14 So basically this data that i have collected is sayibng that ya never know how far this disease could go. The infection patterns were definitely different each time you run the simulation. Just because a disease is infectious doesn't mean that everyone is going to get it which partly explains why the patterns are different. Also how infectious the disease it makes a difference for example if you had a mild cold you wouldn't necessarily pass it on to everyone but if you had a severe case of chicken pox it is more likely that more people would get it. Another thing is that people recovered and became immune to the disease pretty quickly. According to our survey, users felt that they learned a great deal from Whyville. When asked how much science they learn from different sources, Whyville was ranked second, behind school, but before television, trying things by themselves, books, and friends and family. Clearly Whyville has made a powerful impression on some of the users. A third of the users said they are more interested in science after their experiences on Whyville (another 38% said that they were already interested in science when they first came to Whyville). Only one in five of the users remained uninterested in science. Thus, Whyville not only engaged users in science activities to the point that some felt they had developed some expertise, but it also encouraged a large percentage of users to be more interested in science, as illustrated by the excerpts below from submissions to the Whyville Times: Well, I am officially hooked! Rocks aren't as boring as I used to think they were! I am actually beginnign to think that rocks can actually be interesting, although I'm not quite there yet. I actually understand it, and I am meeting lots of new people at the dig sites! There are lots of ways to incorporate science in whyville with chat, so you can get the best of both worlds. I used to hate science, but now I'd like to be on a forensics unit because I have learned about science and that I don't have to fall asleep during it. So, now I know what Whyville means when they say that they want to make education fun! It really can be! So that's about all. I just thought that some people need to hear about stuff like that, especially new citizens. Here's what I think. We need to learn on whyville, not only science and not only subjects in school. We need to learn about life, and how we should respect people, and learn about other cultures. Have you ever thought that the war going on right now could be caused by an ignorance of other cultures? As important as science learning is to the mission of the site, engaging young people, especially girls, in technology activities is also worthwhile. Reports show that girls continue to be less likely than boys to pursue courses and careers in technology (AAWU, 2000). By attracting girls to a web site, Whyville has already achieved an important step towards encouraging girls to explore technology. Significant learning happens in simply getting on the internet, finding a site and registering. On Whyville, not

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only do users have to negotiate the internet, but participation (beyond chatting) requires a fair amount of technical understanding. Some of the activities may be familiar to users (y-mail and the drawing tool for creating face parts) while others are likely to be new and require greater fluency (e.g. flying a balloon, creating a track for a smart-car to follow). These types of interaction with technology are likely to lead to more advanced computer fluency and confidence. About a quarter of the girls and over a third of the boys on the site (24% and 36% respectively) said they learned a lot about technology from Whyville. Nearly half (49%) of the users said they were already interested in technology when they first came to Whyville. Almost all of the other users (45% of girls and 41% of boys) said they grew more interested in computers as a result of Whyville; less than 2% of the users said they were still not interested. This finding suggests that Whyville may important potential for engaging many young people, especially girls, in technology activities. Conclusions and Implications for Future Development Whyville.net, a science-oriented web site, has attracted a large audience (350,000 users in four years) of primarily 10-15 year olds, a large majority of which are girls. Several key features seem to account for this outcome. The unique form of chat and social interaction on the site seems to be the primary draw --cartoon avatars that represent the user, whose look can be changed at will so that users can play with their own identities while chatting and interacting with peers in an environment that can be as anonymous as they wish. Many users arrange to login when friends are there too, using the site as a kind of virtual mall for hanging out and shopping. Whyville seems to have something for everyone. Those who are entrepreneurial can create small virtual businesses. Those who are creative can design face parts, houses, accessories and furnishings. Those who like to write can send articles to the site newspaper. Those who are interested in science can play science games and may choose to delve deeper into the issues by examining supporting documents or getting involved in science-related events on the site like the Whypox epidemic. Life on the site remains interesting to users over several months or even years because it continually evolves. The users themselves create new situations (e.g. have weddings and beauty pageants), respond to needs with requests or petitions (ask for ways to warn others to reduce obnoxious behavior), and engage in investigations, writing, and other responses as the site developers introduce new games and events. Our data suggest that while some users are quite interested in science, for many, playing the science games is more of a means to an end than an end in itself. Since many of the favored activities, such as accessorizing ones avatar or building and decorating a house require clams, and they are obtained primarily through the science games, users must at least try the games. But 5 of the 11 games have been mastered by less than a fifth of users. Our findings suggest several avenues toward further enhancing the educational aspects of the site while retaining its appeal to girls: increasing social and other incentives (besides clams) to engage in science games and science-related special events, supporting games and other science activities with additional informational resources, and increasing the science involved in at least some of the design opportunities. Whyville developers might consider using a broader variety of incentives, particularly social incentives, to encourage users to engage in scientific thinking and investigations

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to solve virtual real life problems. Motivation researchers have long noted that use of extrinsic rewards can reduce the intrinsic motivation that once existed for certain behaviors (Lepper & Green, 1975). Site developers might consider ways other than clams to encourage involvement in science games and scientific investigations. The Whypox epidemic on the site was a good example. It mildly threatened something very important to users their appearance and chat so they were motivated to find out what was going on and to do something about it. Some users took good advantage of this opportunity and learned about the nature of epidemics, how diseases are spread, and so forth. They also shared their knowledge with others so this aspect of the site was more collaborative than the games. Developers might also do more to structure or encourage the kind of social learning environments known to attract girls, such as group discussion and teaming. They might also capitalize on desirable goals and roles that historically have appealed to women, such as contributing to the general welfare of the society, not just to individual members. In terms of science learning, different Whyville games and supplemental resources offer varying levels of opportunity for developing understanding about scientific phenomena and about the inquiry process. Judging from the development of new Sun Spot activities and resources, it is promising to see: a) the addition of the second Dr. Leila series to foster inquiry, and b) an attempt to develop a more a comprehensive set of related Sun Spot activities and games that, taken together, help to answer an overriding set of researchable questions. However, if engaging in multiple related activities over a longer period of time and engaging in the activities suggested by supplemental resources (Dr. Leilas series) are going to have an impact on science learning opportunities, users must be motivated and have incentives for putting in the extra effort and time. The Whyville developers might consider the pros and cons for providing incentives (clams or other benefits) for participation in other kinds of suggested activities that promote inquiry, such as posting data, explanations, questions, and other comments in spaces for collaborative discussion. It will be necessary to devise ways of making these socially valued activities and practices that are motivating and fun for girls and that appeal to their interest in collaboration. The design opportunities on the site were very interesting to girls and present another avenue for engaging girls in science, math and engineering. For example, our data suggest that science activities were not a key feature in the current process of house design unless one counted them as the means to purchase construction and decoration materials. To achieve a better integration of science and virtual representation in home designs, the construction of the house could be connected with application of science, math, and engineering knowledge, such as structural design to protect against earthquakes or noise insulation for privacy. Curriculum activities around house insulation developed in the Middle School Mathematics through Applications Project (John, 2001; MMAP, 1997) illustrate the kind of tools useful to support learners in these investigations. It might also be possible to have Whyvillians build science labs and tools themselves rather than have the site designers provide these science activities for earning income. A related research effort by Resnick, for example, has investigated such approaches with the design of tools using Lego/Logo physical construction kits (Resnick, Berg, & Martin, 1999). As with the suggestions for games, some design functions could be enhanced for girls by including supplementary resources and team structures for collaborative problem solving. In considering these suggestions, it is important to recognize that the site is a complex, organic social system, so making apparently simple changes may not yield the intended result or could have unintended outcomes. Users are crucial to the sites nature and evolution. Their collective motivation and reaction to events may not be as easily

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manipulated by developers as might be expected or hoped. For example, the Whyologist hats given out by researchers (as accessories for users avatars) were never considered as fashionable by users so they did not wear them, and the hats did not serve as an incentive for participating in the survey as intended. Changing the opportunities on the site could change the behavior of the users in unpredictable ways as well as change the population that is attracted to it. However, some changes could easily be introduced in small ways or as a pilot, and their effects monitored. It is also important to acknowledge that while not all users are much involved in the science aspects of the site, their being on the site in such numbers probably provides some stability so that the site can continue to exist and offer its science opportunities to those who are interested. Whyville.net is a unique site with many opportunities for further development and fascinating facets to study in future.

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