Dyslexia and Minecraft Education. A qualitative study exploring Minecraft Education as a tool for working with English literature for students with dyslexia

Abstract

The following thesis aims to explore the experiences pupils with dyslexia have when using Minecraft Education to work with English literature. The study used a qualitative approach where 10 pupils with dyslexia had to complete different tasks in Minecraft education after reading a chapter from the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The participants’ experiences were captured using screen recording and interviews following the pupil’s completion of the tasks related to the reading. Thematic analysis of the collected data revealed three themes with codes: multimodal visualization, creativity, and game literacy.

The findings from the themes showed that pupils benefited from the visual aspects of Minecraft Education, as it is often not present in combination with English literature. Further, the creative aspect combined with feelings of mastery made the experience more motivational for the pupils. The pupils also placed a high value on cooperation and wanted it incorporated into the tasks. However, while this could benefit some pupils, it could also impose difficulties for teachers as they have to prevent unvented gaming behavior.