Constance Steinkuehler
Encyclopedia
Constance Steinkuehler currently holds a position as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Office of Science and Technology Policy
in the Executive Office of the President. For this position she advises on national policy decisions relating to the impact of video games and also how play relates to learning.
For the duration of her position with OSTP, Steinkuehler is on leave from her position as an Assistant Professor in the Digital Media program in the Curriculum & Instruction department at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
Dr. Steinkuehler is a founding fellow of the Games+Learning+Society Initiative and chairs the annual Games, Learning & Society Conference
held each summer in Madison, Wisconsin
. In 2009, she served on the National Academy of Sciences
committee on games. She was also in a pilot TV show called Brain Trust. The show was piloted in 2008 and featured a team of thought leaders working collaboratively to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.
in Columbia, Missouri
with three bachelors degrees in Mathematics, English, and Religious Studies in 1993, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a MS degree in Educational Psychology in 2000, and with a Ph.D. in Literacy Studies in 2005, also from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her doctoral thesis was titled Cognition & Learning in Massively Multiplayer Online Games: A Critical Approach. Her advisor was linguist and literacy scholar James Paul Gee
. .
Steinkuehler ran a casual learning lab for at-risk adolescent boys from 2007-2009. The guys in the study, largely from rural areas, were considered to be disengaged from or failing in school, particularly in subjects related to literacy. The experiments in the lab focused on comparing game and school contexts in order to figure out how to leverage the boys’ interest in games toward productive literacy practices.
. Called Adolescent Online Games and Reading, the grant will enable Steinkuehler and her research team to investigate the nature, function, and quality of texts that are a regular part of online videogame play, how reading performance of adolescents on such game-related texts compares to performance on school-related texts, as well as the factors that contribute to such differences (e.g., prior knowledge, strategy, persistence, choice), and how game-related reading activities are situated within (or against) children’s everyday literacy networks across contexts, including both school and home. She has also received funding from the Spencer Foundation and worked with James Paul Gee
on an additional project funded by the MacArthur Foundation, called "A Productive Approach To Learning & Media Literacy Through Videogames & Simulations." .
. Squire is a Senior Investigator and Creative Director at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery
and is also a Professor in the Educational Communications and Technology division of the department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. Squire is also the Director of the Games, Learning & Society group.
Some selected works can be found below:
Office of Science and Technology Policy
The Office of Science and Technology Policy is an office in the Executive Office of the President , established by Congress on May 11, 1976, with a broad mandate to advise the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs.The director of this office is...
in the Executive Office of the President. For this position she advises on national policy decisions relating to the impact of video games and also how play relates to learning.
For the duration of her position with OSTP, Steinkuehler is on leave from her position as an Assistant Professor in the Digital Media program in the Curriculum & Instruction department at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
Dr. Steinkuehler is a founding fellow of the Games+Learning+Society Initiative and chairs the annual Games, Learning & Society Conference
Games, Learning & Society Conference
The Games, Learning & Society academic conference, or GLS conference, is an annual gathering of academic researchers, video game developers, and government and industry leaders in Madison, Wisconsin, to discuss the social significance of gaming culture. Specifically, they examine how games can be...
held each summer in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. In 2009, she served on the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences commonly refers to the academy in the United States of America.National Academy of Sciences may also refer to :* National Academy of Sciences of Argentina* Armenian National Academy of Sciences...
committee on games. She was also in a pilot TV show called Brain Trust. The show was piloted in 2008 and featured a team of thought leaders working collaboratively to solve seemingly unsolvable problems.
Education
Dr. Steinkuehler graduated from the University of MissouriUniversity of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
with three bachelors degrees in Mathematics, English, and Religious Studies in 1993, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a MS degree in Educational Psychology in 2000, and with a Ph.D. in Literacy Studies in 2005, also from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her doctoral thesis was titled Cognition & Learning in Massively Multiplayer Online Games: A Critical Approach. Her advisor was linguist and literacy scholar James Paul Gee
James Paul Gee
James Gee is a researcher who has worked in psycholinguistics, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, bilingual education, and literacy. Gee is currently the Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies at Arizona State University...
. .
Research
Steinkuehler runs a research lab with doctoral and undergraduate students, investigating forms of cognition and cultural practices as they relate to gameplay and learning. The group focuses largely on online game communities and fandoms. They take a sociocultural approach to their research, using mixed methods, including ethnographic work and experimental research.Steinkuehler ran a casual learning lab for at-risk adolescent boys from 2007-2009. The guys in the study, largely from rural areas, were considered to be disengaged from or failing in school, particularly in subjects related to literacy. The experiments in the lab focused on comparing game and school contexts in order to figure out how to leverage the boys’ interest in games toward productive literacy practices.
Funding
In 2010 Dr. Steinkuehler received a $350,000 research grant from the MacArthur FoundationMacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
. Called Adolescent Online Games and Reading, the grant will enable Steinkuehler and her research team to investigate the nature, function, and quality of texts that are a regular part of online videogame play, how reading performance of adolescents on such game-related texts compares to performance on school-related texts, as well as the factors that contribute to such differences (e.g., prior knowledge, strategy, persistence, choice), and how game-related reading activities are situated within (or against) children’s everyday literacy networks across contexts, including both school and home. She has also received funding from the Spencer Foundation and worked with James Paul Gee
James Paul Gee
James Gee is a researcher who has worked in psycholinguistics, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, bilingual education, and literacy. Gee is currently the Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies at Arizona State University...
on an additional project funded by the MacArthur Foundation, called "A Productive Approach To Learning & Media Literacy Through Videogames & Simulations." .
Family
Steinkuehler is married to Dr. Kurt SquireKurt Squire
Dr. Kurt D. Squire is an associate professor at University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Director of the Games, Learning & Society Initiative, best known for his research into game design for education....
. Squire is a Senior Investigator and Creative Director at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery
Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery
The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery is a public-private biomedical research partnership that is located on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. It consists of two institutions: the privately funded Morgridge Institute for Research, and the publicly funded Wisconsin Institute for...
and is also a Professor in the Educational Communications and Technology division of the department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. Squire is also the Director of the Games, Learning & Society group.
Publications
Steinkuehler has acted as an author or editor on four different books and has contributed chapters to eight other book titles. Additionally, she has published more than 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals in areas ranging from cognition to education to technology.Some selected works can be found below:
- Steinkuehler, C., Martin, C., & Ochsner, A. (Eds.) (in press). Proceedings of the Games, Learning, and Society Conference: Vol. 1. Pittsburgh PA: ETC Press.
- Steinkuehler, C. (2011). The mismeasure of boys: Reading and online videogames. WCER Working Paper.
- Honey, M.A.& Hilton, M. (Eds). Committee on Science Learning: Computer Games, Simulations, and Education (2010). Learning science through computer games and simulations. Washington DC: The National Academies Press
- Martin, C. & Steinkuehler, C. (2010). Collective information literacy in massively multiplayer online games. eLearning and Digital Media, 7(4), 355-365.
- Steinkuehler, C. & King, B. (2009). Digital literacies for the disengaged: Creating after school contexts to support boys’ game-based literacy skills. On the Horizon, 17(1), 47-59.
- Steinkuehler, C. & Duncan, S. (2009). Informal scientific reasoning in online virtual worlds. Journal of Science Education & Technology. DOI: 10.1007/s10956-008-9120-8
- Steinkuehler, C. A. (2008). Cognition and literacy in massively multiplayer online games. In J. Coiro, M. Knobel, C. Lankshear, & D. Leu (Eds.), Handbook of Research on New Literacies, (pp. 611-634). Mahwah NJ: Erlbaum
- Steinkuehler, C. (2007). Massively multiplayer online gaming as a constellation of literacy practices. eLearning, 4(3) 297-318
- Steinkuehler, C. & Williams, D. (2006). "Where everybody knows your (screen) name: Online games as “third places.”". "Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication", 11(4), article 1