In virtual world classrooms there exist differences in willingness to collaborate with avatars representing various ethnic groups, as well as with non-human avatars.
Despite the growing use of 3D virtual worlds in education, very little research has been done to investigate how self-representation in these environments impacts collaboration in multicultural learning groups. My research in this area has found significant differences between willingness to collaborate with avatars representing various ethnic groups, as well as with non-human avatars exhibiting anthropomorphic and zoopomorphic features.
