Examining Effects of Badge Repeatability and Level on Users’ Knowledge Sharing in Online Q&A Communities

This study investigates the differential effects of badge repeatability and level on users’ knowledge sharing behaviors in an online Q&A (Question & Answer) community. Drawing on reinforcement theory and attribution theory of motivation, we conjecture that nonrepeatable badges reinforce individuals’ behaviors primarily by promoting internal attributions that strengthen their self-determination motivation, while repeatable badges reinforce people’s behaviors mainly via external attributions that undermine their self-determination motivation. By using fixed-effects models to analyze a panel data, we observe that nonrepeatable badges can better motivate users to share their knowledge than repeatable badges. In addition, the results show that attaining a higher level of nonrepeatable badges is associated with an increased effect for knowledge sharing, and that attaining a higher level of repeated badges leads to a decreased effect. These findings can contribute to extant literature by offering a probable explanation regarding why some gamified awards can motivate people better than others

Open badges for education: what are the implications at the intersection of open systems and badging?

Badges have garnered great interest among scholars of digital media and learning. In addition, widespread initiatives such as Mozilla’s Open Badge Framework expand the potential of badging into the realm of open education. In this paper, we explicate the concept of open badges. We highlight some of the ways that researchers have examined badges as part of educational practice and also highlight the different definitions of open-ness that are employed in popular and scholarly thought. By considering badges from three different perspectives (motivation, pedagogy, and credential) and the concept of openness from three different perspectives (production, access and appropriation) we develop a framework to consider the tensions where these competing conceptions meet. This explication illuminates how the ideas of open and badges intersect, and clarifies situations where these concepts come into direct conflict or mutually enhance each other. Our analysis pinpoints and elucidates particular areas where research is needed to better understand the complex phenomenon of open badges, and also offers design considerations for developers, educators, and organizations that are actively involved in open badges

HARNESSING ONLINE COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL MEDIA: ORDINARY USERS AND INFLUENTIAL USERS

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

An Exploratory Study of Values Alignments in a Teacher Professional Development Digital Badge System

This exploratory study used case study methods to identify whether value alignments between users and system features could be detected in an online digital badge system and learning environment, and if so, whether those value alignments could be said to affect use of the system. Values are “guiding principles of what people consider important in life” (Cheng & Fleischmann, 2010, n.p.) and are believed to have explanatory power in predicting behaviors and attitudes (Schwartz, 2007). A value sensitive design research method had to be devised anew to address the research questions and is arguably the major contribution of this study. First, a self-report scale (Portrait Values Questionnaire-RR) developed by Schwartz et al. (2012) was used to categorize the pragmatic values of teachers and administrators using the online VIF Learning Center badging into four higher order values: self-transcendence, conservation, openness to change, and self-enhancement. Statistically significant differences were found between male and female teachers, but not between teachers and administrators, nor between teachers mandated to use the system and those for whom use was optional. Second, the 19 values of Schwartz’s revised and refined theory of basic human values were used to assign human values to 11 feature-action pairs identified in the VIF Learning Center’s digital platform. Usage of the feature-action pairs was sparse, and data were spread unevenly, suggesting possible data loss or an indication that technical affordances were weak drivers of participation and engagement.Doctor of Philosoph

Home Bias in Knowledge Adoption: Evidence From Location Disclosure in An Online Q&A Community

This study investigates whether and how answerers’ location information can bias the askers’ knowledge adoption decisions in online Q&A communities. Drawing on the theories underlying in-group favoritism, we propose that home bias can exist due to categorization and the expectation of better reciprocity from in-group members. We leverage the location disclosure in an online Q&A community in China as a natural experiment setting to identify home bias in knowledge adoption. We find that askers are more likely to adopt answers provided by answerers in the same location after the location disclosure. Moreover, the moderation/heterogeneity analysis suggests: (1) location information serves as a cue related to credibility, and askers rely less on it when other factors signal the answerers\u27 credibility, and (2) askers are more favorable toward answerers in the same location when adopting an answer is associated with an expectation of better reciprocation

Behavioral Mechanisms Prompted by Badges: The Goal-Gradient Hypothesis

This paper describes our research which empirically investigates the applicability of the goal-gradient hypothesis to the activation of user contributions on a popular German Question & Answer community through badges. The goal-gradient hypothesis states that the motivation to reach a goal increases with proximity to the goal. The issue – of interest to academics and website managers alike – is to understand the role played by badges on the quantity and quality of user contributions. Our dataset enables us to measure activity levels both quantitatively and qualitatively. We find that the quantity of user contributions increases substantially in the days shortly before earning the next badge, and peak on the day of the promotion, whereas the quality of user contributions declines only slightly. Hence, our findings empirically support the goal-gradient hypothesis in the context of online communities, and provide nuanced insights into the effect of badges on online user behavior

Heavy Medal - The Consequences of Introducing Symbolic Awards on Contribution Behavior in Online Communities

Online communities, like Wikipedia and Stack Overflow, have made a vast repository of knowledge available as a public good. However, they suffer from under-contribution in terms of quantity and quality. To tackle this issue, online communities have increasingly been relying on gamification, the use of game elements in non-game settings, to incentivize their members. The consequences of introducing such features on members’ behavior have remained elusive—partly due to the lack of controlled experiments. Herein, we take advantage of a natural experiment in which a technical online community introduced gamified rewards, which are awarded contingent on performance thresholds—termed performance contingent symbolic awards. Employing a difference-in-differences design using a comparable online community as a control group, we find that the introduction of performance contingent symbolic awards has a negative impact on the contribution behavior overall and that experienced members reduce their contribution quantity while inexperienced members reduce their contribution quality

EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT FACTORS IN DESIGNING A GAMIFIED ONLINE COMMUNITY FOR GIRLS

In this thesis, an improved framework is proposed for categorizing existing gamified systems. Related works and real world examples of gamification are discussed and some areas where insufficient research exists. In order to address the identified research problems, an experimental gamified system was designed and implemented for sharing articles related to different aspects of life. The participants of the study were recruited among the users of an existing Iranian lifestyle site for female users. Therefore, the gender of the users was considered in the design. A wide range of gamification elements were implemented in the system to test the effectiveness of specific design features and gamification elements’ parameters in increasing user motivation, for example, the contingency of rewards and the use of sound and animation in badges. A detailed questionnaire was used to answer the research questions. The results suggest specific combinations of gamification elements and their parameters that can be successfully applied by designers of social sites for similar audience

Uso empresarial de la gamificación para el intercambio de conocimiento dentro de la organización: Medios de comunicación del servicio público de Oriente Medio

Knowledge as an organizational resource in media businesses has become increasingly important in a competitive environment. There is a growing interest in developing new techniques to enhance knowledge sharing between people, that is conducive to media entrepreneurs. One of the main barriers to knowledge sharing in communicating entrepreneurs is the lack of motivation which can be improved by using gamification. The aim of this research is to achieve a better understanding of the gamified knowledge sharing process to improve organizational entrepreneurship among TV employees. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 employees and managers of the IRIB organization. Qualitative analysis of the research data was conducted in three steps: transcribing data, coding and organizing categories. Most of IRIB’s employees inspired by intrinsic motivations include status, power, learning, autonomy, and community. Security is the only and most critical extrinsic motivation in IRIB organization. Moreover, we have found four categories of user types, namely achiever, socializer, discoverer, and survivor. Our study identified the main motivators of media staff that create a sense of happiness and motivation to participate in organizational entrepreneurship via knowledge sharing. Finally, we offer new insights about the media employees’ user types in the gamified knowledge sharing system.El conocimiento como recurso organizacional en las empresas de medios de comunicación se ha vuelto cada vez más importante en los entornos competitivos. Existe un interés creciente en el desarrollo de nuevas técnicas para mejorar el intercambio de conocimientos entre las personas, lo que favorece a los emprendedores de los medios de comunicación. Una de las principales barreras para el intercambio de conocimientos en la comunicación de los emprendedores es la falta de motivación, que puede mejorarse mediante la gamificación. El objetivo de esta investigación es lograr una mejor comprensión del proceso de intercambio de conocimientos de gamificación para mejorar el emprendimiento organizacional entre los empleados de la televisión. Realizamos entrevistas semiestructuradas con 15 empleados y gerentes de la organización IRIB. El análisis cualitativo de los datos de la investigación se realizó en tres pasos: transcripción de datos, codificación y organización de categorías. La mayoría de los empleados de IRIB se inspiran por motivaciones intrínsecas que incluyen estatus, poder, aprendizaje, autonomía y comunidad. La seguridad es la única y más crítica motivación extrínseca en la organización IRIB. Además, hemos encontrado cuatro categorías de tipos de usuarios, a saber: triunfador, socializador, descubridor y sobreviviente. Nuestro estudio identificó las principales motivaciones que crean un sentido de felicidad y motivación en el personal de los medios de comunicación para participar en el emprendimiento organizacional a través del intercambio de conocimientos. Por último, ofrecemos nuevos conocimientos sobre los tipos de usuarios de los empleados de medios de comunicación en el sistema de intercambio de conocimientos de gamificación