A Review and Synthesis of Recent Research in Second Life

Purpose: Applications of online Second Life (SL) prevail over the world. The purpose of this paper is to make a review and synthesis of recent research studies on SL. Design/methodology/approach: Documental analysis is employed. Totally, 135 research publications, published in 2006-2008, are reviewe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Interactive Technology and Smart Education 2009-11, Vol.6 (4), p.261
Main Authors: Fang, Yu-Shen, Lee, Lung-Sheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Differences
Behavior
Behavior Patterns
College campuses
Computer Simulation
Computer Software
Computer Uses in Education
Cultural Literacy
Distance learning
Education
Educational Research
Educational Technology
Educational Trends
Electronic commerce
Electronic Equipment
Electronic Learning
Gender Differences
Instructional Effectiveness
Intellectual Property
Learning
Library Materials
Literacy
Literature Reviews
Methods
Participation Rates
Personality Theories
Psychological Patterns
Research Methodology
Research Reports
Role Playing
School Safety
Secondary Education
Special Education
Synchronous Communication
Synthesis
Teaching Methods
Technological Literacy
Universities
Virtual Classrooms
Web Sites
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Summary:Purpose: Applications of online Second Life (SL) prevail over the world. The purpose of this paper is to make a review and synthesis of recent research studies on SL. Design/methodology/approach: Documental analysis is employed. Totally, 135 research publications, published in 2006-2008, are reviewed and synthesized. Findings: Findings are as follows: the research studies on SL have been widened and deepened; SL has been widely applied in education and its research approach relies on descriptive methods; and SL has versatile charm for educators but pros and cons of SL in education simultaneously exist. Research limitations/implications: Some articles might not be reviewed; authors did their best to collect data from relevant electronic databases. Practical implications: This paper indicates the strengths and limitations of SL. Originality/value: This paper identifies trends of recent research studies of as well as issues in using SL. Users and researchers of SL may realize trends of and issues in SL. (Contains 2 tables.)
ISSN:1741-5659
1758-8510
DOI:10.1108/17415650911009236