ATITIUDES TOW ARDS COMPUTER GAMES FOR LEARNING AND Pl.A YER ARCHETYPES: AN EXPLORATION OF MEASURES ON PREINTERVENTION PLAYER CHARACTERISTICS FOR SERIOUS GAME-BASED INTERVENTIONS

Serious game-based interventions offer promising health outcome results with the aid of pre-intervention player tailoring and the development of measurements that evaluate pre-intervention player characteristics and subgroups. Video gaming measures can potentially provide helpful tailoring information that discerns individual video gaming preferences which could influence their overall user experience. It is critical that measures that target adolescent video gaming be psychometrically validated. There is a gap in the literature with psychometrically validated measures evaluating adolescent attitudes towards computer games for learning and gaming archetypes. Therefore the aims of this dissertation were to 1) evaluate the psychometric properties (i.e., reliability and validity) of the Attitudes Towards Computer Games for Learning (ATCGFL) adapted from Askar et al.’s Attitudes towards computer-assisted learning (CAL) scale that assessed attitudes towards computer games for learning among a sample of adolescents, and 2) explore and identify the latent class structure (LCA) of the BrainHex measure among the same sample of adolescents. Secondary data analysis of a data set extricated from the “It’s Your Game-Family” study was conducted. Participants were youth aged 11-14 years in Houston, TX, who answered self-guided questionnaires in their home. Exploratory data analysis of the ATCGFL scale was performed. Reliability testing through analyzing internal consistency and test-retest reliability were also performed with the ATCGFL scale. Then, exploratory data analysis of the BrainHex measure was performed through latent class analysis. Results from the exploratory analysis of the ATCGFL scale suggest the adapted attitudes scale supports a 3-factor solution (Satisfaction, Motivation, and Cognition). The 3-factor solution indicates the scale has a mixed quality level of internal consistency because Factor 1 and Factor 2 we have an acceptable level of internal consistency, but Factor 3 has a questionable level of internal consistency. The test-retest reliability of the ATCGFL scale was low, but significant. Last, the latent class analysis of the BrainHex measure results revealed a 3-class model (low probability of gaming element likability gamers, moderate probability of gaming element likability gamers, and high probability of gaming element likability gamers). Overall, these findings suggest the Attitudes Towards Computer Games for Learning scale and BrainHex measure both possess promising utility as measures in tandem with serious game-based interventions, and that further research to conduct confirmatory analysis with both measures is merited

Gender differences in the ICT profile of University students : a quantitative analysis

This study responds to a call for research on how gender differences emerge in young generations of computer users. A large-scale survey involving 1138 university students in Flanders (Belgium) was conducted to examine the relationship between gender, computer access, attitudes, and uses in both learning and everyday activities of university students. The results show that women have a less positive attitude towards computers in general. However, their attitude towards computers for educational purposes does not differ from men’s. In the same way, being female is negatively related to computer use for leisure activities, but no relationship was found between gender and study-related computer use. Based on the results, it could be argued that computer attitudes are context-dependent constructs and that when dealing with gender differences, it is essential to take into account the context-specific nature of computer attitudes and uses

Understanding learner attitudes towards the use of tablets in a blended learning classroom

In 2004, the South African Department of Education (DoE) published the White Paper on E-Education. The aim of the E-Education White Paper was to ensure that South African learners could use education communication technologies (ECT) skilfully by 2013. However, these goals have not been met and a significant digital divide exists between learners with and without access to ET. The lack of consideration of intra- and inter-personal factors such as attitudes in the rollout of ET has often been cited as one of the reasons for the present lack of ET integration and uptake in schools. Hence, this study contributes to this gap in research by exploring attitudes towards the use of iPads in a sample of South African learners in a blended learning environment. A demographic questionnaire and the ET Attitudes Scale were administered to a convenience sample of 285 learners from a private school in the Johannesburg area. Descriptive statistics, ANOVAs and thematic analysis were used to analyse the results. From the findings, it was evident that overall learners were more positive than negative about the integration of iPads in school. However, this pattern differed across the grades with lower grades demonstrating better attitudes towards the use of iPads in terms of enjoyability, ease of use and usefulness. These results suggest that ET attitudes do have a role to play in order to ensure the successful implementation and adoption of ET by learners and should be considered in policy and practice

Effects of epidemiology learning software on nursing and midwifery students

Background: Being informed of new methods of teaching and comparing their outcome help teachers use more effective and efficient methods in developing and implementing new training courses. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of epidemiology learning software on learning epidemiology courses. Methods: This quasi-experimental study included 101 nursing and midwifery students taking epidemiology course in two separate classes. One of the classes was selected as intervention group (taught via software) and another one as the control group. At the end of the semester, scores of the courses were analyzed using covariance analysis. Results: After adjusting the effect of grade point average, covariance analysis indicated a significant difference in epidemiology scores between the two groups (p<0.001). The students taught through the software obtained significantly higher scores compared to the students in traditional group. Conclusion: By means of this training software, teachers can use several strategies for presenting lessons and increasing training efficacy, leading to active learning in students

Readiness to use e-learning for agricultural higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Results from a survey of faculty members

E-learning is likely to be an increasingly important element in teaching agriculture and related subjects at universities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors involved in determining the readiness and intention to adopt e-learning by faculty members at member institutions of the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE). The study was based on the decomposed theory of planned behavior (DTPB) to predict intentions on the use of e-learning. DTPB draws on constructs influencing the attitude to use technology from two frequently investigated models in this area, that is, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the technology acceptance model (TAM). Valid responses were collected from 70 faculty members with a survey questionnaire. Validated scales from previous research were used to measure the variables of interest. The results revealed that the majority of the respondents have only limited access to ICT infrastructure and support services. However, they perceived e-learning to be very useful in general and to have the potential to enhance their teaching-related activities

The role that access and attitudes toward tablets have on learners’ achievement in a Johannesburg school

One of the central themes across education policies in South Africa is ensuring equal access to education in a context of diminishing resources. The roll-out of technology in schools plays a pivotal role in achieving equity. With the emphasis on technology integration, it is imperative to fully understand the factors that influence this process. Thus, this study investigated the role of access to tablets, and learners’ attitudes towards tablets, on learner achievement. A convenience sample of 276 learners from an independent high school in Johannesburg, where tablets were used in the learning environment, completed a cross-sectional survey consisting of a demographics section, a section on access to technology, and a scale on attitudes towards the use of tablets. The results indicate that learner achievement is largely influenced by learner attitudes towards tablets, and in particular, enjoyability of use. Findings provide evidence that tablet provision, while necessary, is not sufficient for the successful integration of tablets and subsequent redress of equality in education in South Africa.Keywords: access; attitudes; educational technology; enjoyability; Information and Communication Technology (ICT); learner achievement; tablet

Nursing Students’ Attitudes toward Virtual Learning and its Relationship with Learning Style

Background & Objective: Today, the concept of virtual education has gained much attention as distance learning and has provided learning opportunities outside the borders of a country or state for everyone. The consideration of the success of virtual training is impossible without the consideration of individuals’ viewpoints toward it. Despite this fact, less attention has been paid to students’ attitudes in the published studies. This study investigates the students’ attitudes toward virtual education and its relationship with learning styles. Methods: In this correlation-descriptive study, 114 bachelor’s and master’s students of Razi School of Nursing and Midwifery of Kerman, Iran, in 2013 were selected based on census sampling method. Data were collected using demographic questionnaire, the researcher-made questionnaire of attitude toward virtual learning, and the Gaziano Learning Styles Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard error), independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and linear regression in SPSS software. All P-values of ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The mean score of nursing students’ attitude toward virtual learning was 3.30 ± 0.34. The highest frequency among learning styles used by students was related to visual (50%), auditory (27.2%), and kinetic styles (22.8%). In the regression analysis, visual style (P = 0.009, β = 0.27), and auditory style (P = 0.008, β = 0.17) had a significant relationship with attitudes of nursing students toward virtual education. Conclusion: Students had positive attitudes toward virtual learning. Moreover, attitudes toward virtual education differed among people with different learning styles. Therefore, the consideration of individual needs and different learning styles of learners is essential in virtual education. Key Words: Nursing students, Learning style, Virtual learning, Attitude

Career Ambition and Employee Performance Behaviour: The Presence of Ideological Development

This study develops and tests a theoretical model that investigates how career ambition can have an impact on different types of academics' performance behaviour, and how ideological development at work can affect this model in a special context of a communist country. In a study of 991 employees in a large university in Vietnam, the model is largely supported. The findings suggest that in-role behaviour has a significant mediating role in the effect of career ambition on extra-role behaviour and that this mediating effect is stronger among the group of employees who have participated in advanced ideological development in the context of Vietnamese higher education. This study advances the understanding of an underdeveloped relationship between career ambition and employee performance behaviour, and expands the knowledge of the impact of ideological development at work

Understanding adolescents' unethical online behaviors: A structural equation approach

A project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Library and Information Management at The University of Hong KongThis study employed a revised model of theory of planned behavior (TPB), which synthesized perspective from social cognitive theory, to understand the unethical/risky online behaviors of adolescents. Two forms of unethical online behaviors, namely plagiarism and unauthorized acts were examined. A stratified random sample of 757 Secondary two students in Hong Kong was obtained. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The proposed model was in general consistent with TPB, and it explained 54.8% and 48.0% of the variances in plagiarism and unauthorized acts respectively. It was found that peers' unethical behaviors were the most influential in shaping students' intention to act unethically. General measurements of ICT attitude and ICT literacy were also found to be applicable in the TPB framework, and a strong positive association was observed between these two constructs. Interestingly, neither plagiarism intention nor plagiarism behavior was related to ICT literacy, whereas unauthorized acts' intention influenced both forms of unethical behaviors. Implications of the findings for educators are discussed.published_or_final_versio