Potential Abstract: This research article explores the intersection of behavioral margins, virtual currency, and postcolonial perspectives in the context of education. With the increasing integration of technology in educational settings, virtual currencies have emerged as a novel tool for incentivizing student behavior and engagement. However, the implications of using virtual currencies in educational settings and their effects on students from marginalized backgrounds have received limited attention. Through a postcolonial lens, this study aims to reveal the potential consequences and power dynamics associated with the adoption of virtual currencies as behavioral incentives in education.
Drawing on postcolonial theories, this research investigates how virtual currencies in educational contexts reproduce or challenge existing power structures, hierarchies, and inequities. By examining the experiences of students from marginalized backgrounds, this study seeks to uncover the potential for virtual currencies to perpetuate or disrupt patterns of exclusion and oppression. Additionally, this research aims to shed light on the ways in which virtual currencies may impact students’ sense of identity, agency, and belonging.
Using a mixed-methods approach, this study will involve surveys, interviews, and classroom observations to collect data from students, teachers, and administrators. The research will focus on a diverse sample of schools and classrooms to capture a range of perspectives and experiences. The data will be analyzed using thematic analysis and triangulation of findings to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effects of virtual currencies on behavioral margins in education.
The findings of this research will contribute to the existing literature on virtual currencies in education and extend the understanding of behavioral interventions in marginalized contexts. By critically examining the implementation of virtual currencies through a postcolonial lens, this study seeks to inform educational policymakers, administrators, and practitioners about the potential implications of using virtual currencies as a means of behavioral control. Furthermore, this research aims to empower students from marginalized backgrounds by uncovering potential avenues for resistance and transformation within virtual currency systems.
Potential References:
- Postcolonial computing: A tactical survey
- Cyberculture and the Subaltern: Weavings of the Virtual and Real
- Digital diasporas: Postcoloniality, media and affect
- The digital void of voluntourism: Here, there and new currencies of care
- Postcolonial politics, the internet and everyday life: Pacific traversals online
