Minecraft as a Scaffold for Diversity and Equity in the Lower Secondary Classroom

Kieran R Bailey

doi:10.60867/00000090

The number of autistic young people identified in Australia continues to grow, yet many still experience limited access to equitable learning opportunities. Accordingly, the National Autism Strategy (2025) highlighted persistent challenges in curriculum access and meaningful participation for autistic students. Similarly, the Review of the Disability Standards for Education (2021) found the equitable implementation of learning adjustments for autistic students remains inconsistent across schools. Further, there is a paucity of research about how game-based tools, such as Minecraft, can scaffold engagement for autistic students in Australian secondary schools. Drawing on ecological systems theory, social constructivism, and play-based learning, this study examines how Minecraft: Education Edition supports collaboration, agency, and social learning for lower secondary autistic students and their peers. Through field work in a regional, independent Western Australian school and online, an ethnographic case study was developed with two lower secondary Humanities and Social Sciences classes, and included three focal, autistic students. The qualitative analysis was based on interviews, classroom observations, artefacts and collaboratively designed Minecraft learning experiences. Findings revealed that autistic students displayed conceptual understandings, social comfort, flexible role-taking and sustained collaboration in the Minecraft environment. Parents viewed Minecraft and broader technology use as a powerful, though sometimes ambivalent, mediating tool that supported learning, identity, and carefully protected social connection. These perspectives underscore the significance of clear boundaries, intentional pedagogical design, and strong home-school alignment to scaffold autistic students’ participation and engagement. This study demonstrates that game-based learning, supported by Minecraft, can amplify the diverse voices of autistic students and contribute to inclusive pedagogies, offering insights for educators seeking alternative participation structures.

Minecraft as a Scaffold for Diversity and Equity in the Lower Secondary Classroom

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