The Influence of Situational Factors and Gamification on Intrinsic Motivation and Learning

Immersive virtual reality (iVR) is becoming increasingly popular for learning. But how such learning applications are designed is crucial and determines their success. Designing suitable feedback mechanisms in a learning environment manifests through gamification elements. Nevertheless, previous research has shown that the effect of gamification is ambiguous and depends on several aspects. The setting in which the gamification is used can affect the learner\u27s perception of the feedback and, in turn, their motivation. Since learning systems are usually aimed at increasing the user’s learning performance but also their inherent enjoyment of learning, investigating effects on the user’s intrinsic motivation is essential. This study proposes a research model, and an experimental approach is outlined in order to examine how situational factors influence the effect of gamification on intrinsic motivation and learning performance in iVR learning environments

Gamification as a neuroergonomic approach to improving interpersonal situational awareness in cyber defense

In cyber threat situations, the establishment of a shared situational awareness as a basis for cyber defense decision-making results from adequate communication of a Recognized Cyber Picture (RCP). RCPs consist of actively selected information and have the goal of accurately presenting the severity and potential consequences of the situation. RCPs must be communicated between individuals, but also between organizations, and often from technical to non-/less technical personnel. The communication of RCPs is subject to many challenges that may affect the transfer of critical information between individuals. There are currently no common best practices for training communication for shared situational awareness among cyber defense personnel. The Orient, Locate, Bridge (OLB) model is a pedagogic tool to improve communication between individuals during a cyber threat situation. According to the model, an individual must apply meta-cognitive awareness (O), perspective taking (L), and communication skills (B) to successfully communicate the RCP. Gamification (applying game elements to non-game contexts) has shown promise as an approach to learning. We propose a novel OLB-based Gamification design to improve dyadic communication for shared situational awareness among (technical and non-technical) individuals during a cyber threat situation. The design includes the Gamification elements of narrative, scoring, feedback, and judgment of self. The proposed concept contributes to the educational development of cyber operators from both military and civilian organizations responsible for defending and securing digital infrastructure. This is achieved by combining the elements of a novel communication model with Gamification in a context in urgent need for educational input.publishedVersio

Gamification of Visual Search in Real World Scenes

Gamification, or the application of game-like features in non-game contexts, has been growing in popularity over the last five years. Specifically, the successful gamification of applications (such as Waze, Foursquare, and Fitocracy) has begun a spike in gamification of more complex tasks, such as learning to use AutoCAD or Photoshop. However, much is unknown about the psychological mapping of gamification or how it translates to behavioral outcomes. This dissertation aims to compare three distinct styles of gamification (avatars, points and feedback, and leaderboards) onto the three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness). It will assess behavioral outcomes on a visual search task when gamification styles are used separately, compared against all three styles used in concert. The task chosen is a camouflage visual search task. This task was selected because it is both boring (as indicated by the Flow Short Scale) and difficult (as indicated by previous work). These features make it the ideal task to gamify. Results indicated that only in the full gamification condition was response time significantly faster than in the control condition, or no gamification. However, ANOVA evaluating differences in enjoyment, motivation, and stress indicated differences among the groups, suggesting that gamification may elicit psychological outcomes that may not necessarily manifest into behavioral outcomes. ANCOVA were used to evaluate group differences using relevant survey measures as covariates. These tests indicated differences among groups in all behavioral measures, though these differences were most pronounced in response time measures. Future directions involving gamification based on personality type, as well as suggestions on best practice for gamification in the future are discussed

Learning in a Mixed Reality System in the Context of ‚Industrie 4.0‘

This contribution in the field of innovative approaches to training and education in technical subjects focuses on the potential of modern teaching and learning environments. The contribution is based on a theoretical introduction to Mixed Reality Systems and virtual teaching and learning systems, and as such provides an overview of current research regarding modern learning environments. In particular, it takes a close look at motivational effects in the context of web-based learning structures, human-object interactions, gamification and immersion. The article discusses both technical, user-relevant and pedagogical aspects as well as suggestions for further research in the context of Ausbildung 4.0.Keywords: Industry 4.0, Vocational Training 4.0, Mixed Reality System, virtual learning AcknowledgementThe author would like to thank the ChinaScholarshipCouncil(CSC) for the financial support (No. 201406030091)

An Examination of Influential Factors on Gamification in Higher Education: A Content Analysis

Student disengagement and disconnection post pandemic has become a prominent concern in higher education. As colleges and universities navigate the post-pandemic landscape, addressing student disengagement and reconnecting them to the learning community has become a priority. Gamification has been used in education since early 2010s, however, the empirical studies on the effectiveness of gamification have yielded inconsistent results. Without a clear understanding of how gamification works and which gamification design elements have a higher potential to influence learning outcomes, gamification intervention may not achieve the desired results. Guided by Self-Determination Theory and Theory of Gamified Learning, this study aimed to examine the factors that contributed to the successful implementation of gamification in higher education, and to identify the design elements that had most influence on student learning outcomes. The study employed a correlational research design and quantitative content analysis method. Data was collected from the empirical studies conducted between 2014 and 2023. The literature search yielded 1038 publications. After a careful screening, 67 experiments were included in this study. Data analysis was conducted using logistic regression and Chi-Square tests. Two gamification design elements, Social Interaction and Leaderboards, were found to have significant influence on student learning outcomes. The results showed that integrating social interaction and leaderboards in the gamification design facilitates the satisfaction of the needs for competence and relatedness, which helps improve student engagement and connection with the learning community and alleviates the issue facing higher education. This study provided insights for college instructors and instructional designers in the design of gamification intervention in instruction. Implications for practice and future studies were presented

Impact of Gamification on User’s Knowledge-Sharing Practices: Relationships between Work Motivation, Performance Expectancy and Work Engagement

How to engage and motivate employees to share their knowledge has become one of the main organizational strategic goals. This study, supported by the Flow theory and Kahn’s theory of engagement, investigated how the impact of gamification on user’s knowledge-sharing practices. We ran an online survey of 147 participants from a large organization that implemented social engagement and motivational systems to leverage internal knowledge-sharing practices. Our study revealed important drivers of job motivation (enjoyment, reciprocal benefit and recognition), which led to higher degree of job engagement and performance expectancy. From this study we derive important insights for practice and theory

The gamification of learning: a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically synthesize research findings on effects of gamification on cognitive, motivational, and behavioral learning outcomes. Results from random effects models showed significant small effects of gamification on cognitive (g = .49, 95% CI [0.30, 0.69], k = 19, N = 1686), motivational (g = .36, 95% CI [0.18, 0.54], k = 16, N = 2246), and behavioral learning outcomes (g = .25, 95% CI [0.04, 0.46], k = 9, N = 951). Whereas the effect of gamification on cognitive learning outcomes was stable in a subsplit analysis of studies employing high methodological rigor, effects on motivational and behavioral outcomes were less stable. Given the heterogeneity of effect sizes, moderator analyses were conducted to examine inclusion of game fiction, social interaction, learning arrangement of the comparison group, as well as situational, contextual, and methodological moderators, namely, period of time, research context, randomization, design, and instruments. Inclusion of game fiction and social interaction were significant moderators of the effect of gamification on behavioral learning outcomes. Inclusion of game fiction and combining competition with collaboration were particularly effective within gamification for fostering behavioral learning outcomes. Results of the subsplit analysis indicated that effects of competition augmented with collaboration might also be valid for motivational learning outcomes. The results suggest that gamification as it is currently operationalized in empirical studies is an effective method for instruction, even though factors contributing to successful gamification are still somewhat unresolved, especially for cognitive learning outcomes

Motivation and Information Affordances Towards User Engagement in a Gamified System

Gamification is a growing phenomenon, and educational institutions have begun incorporating it into their existing information systems (IS) curriculum. This study seeks to examine how motivational affordances and information quality contribute to student engagement within gamified IS education. Drawing on the frameworks of affordances, information quality, and engagement, this study develops a conceptual model to explain motivational affordances and information quality and its satisfaction effects on students’ engagement in IS education. Our preliminary results show a contrary view that despite the challenges or competition evoked by gamification, it is more satisfying for students to continue using the gamified system. This research-in-progress paper is theoretically important because there are currently no widely accepted theoretical models linking motivational affordances, information quality, and engagement to gamified outcomes, and test the effect on students’ learning behaviours

Strengthening the Customer Experience via Interactive Digital Tactics: Evaluating the Quantification of Self and Gamification

Managing customer interactions has evolved, with firms shifting their focus from simply “selling” to customers to instead building more meaningful personal relationships with them. A key part of this new thinking is the customer experience, involving interactions between a customer and brand that provoke a meaningful personal reaction, and often include the consumer playing an active role in tailoring the experience. I examine two interactive innovations, the quantification of self (QOS) and gamification, that are being utilized by marketers to enrich the customer experience. QOS involves the production of highly-detailed individualized performance metrics for personal activity monitoring. Gamification is the use of game design elements to enhance products and services. There is a significant overlap between the two, when gamification is based on QOS metrics. Both QOS and gamification are meant to deepen the consumer experience with a product/brand, in terms of more engagement and more personal benefits derived. In addition, both involve co-creation. My dissertation explores these marketing tactics and their impact on the customer experience. The purpose of essay one is to establish if QOS data, provided via a consumer product, positively impacts motivation toward a goal pursuit. I propose and show support for a mediation model that captures the psychological process underlying QOS’s positive motivational impact. My model suggests three factors mediate the impact of QOS on motivation: 1) feedback loop enhancement, 2) self-empowerment amplification, and 3) goal focus strengthening. This research suggests QOS-based consumer products used as part of a goal pursuit will provide the user with a more personally meaningful experience than a similar non-QOS product. The purpose of essay two is to understand the impact of QOS in wellness programs that are directed by a third party. Since an increase in perceived self-empowerment is found in essay one to be a critical mediating factor in the impact of QOS, this essay explores the hypothesis that QOS loses much of its appeal when run by a third party that is seen as having a power advantage. The theoretical framework for this essay draws from self-determination theory and the consumer empowerment literature. This research identifies an important boundary condition for the impact of QOS. Essay three examines the use of gamification in marketing contexts, including gamification’s impact on the gamified marketing activity itself (enjoyment, emotional attachment) as well as the potential spillover benefits for the brand associated with the activity. I also gauge potential moderators of gamification’s appeal, such as individual’s innate competitiveness and innate propensity for risk. My results suggest gamification has some ability to bolster anticipated enjoyment and interest in joining a marketing activity, though this can vary substantially due to innate personal characteristics and situational factors. No support was found for gamification’s ability to strengthen emotional engagement with the activity or the brand. Drawing from established theoretical foundations such as goal setting theory, self-determination theory and the consumer empowerment literature, these three essays extend marketing theory regarding how interactive, digital-based environments can help marketers strengthen the consumer experience. My research provides models to understand the meaningful benefits consumers derive from these marketing approaches. It also identifies important boundary conditions and modifiers, including innate personal characteristics and situational contexts. In my discussion of results, I provide applicable managerial insights for strengthening relationships between consumers and products/brands

Motivation, basic psychological needs and intention to be physically active after a gamified intervention programme

The aim of the present study was to compare the possible effects of a gamified programme and a traditional instructional approach in secondary physical education at the level of intrinsic motivation, autonomy satisfaction, competence satisfaction, relatedness satisfaction, and intention to be physically active. A total of 54 year-nine students (14±0.1 years) enrolled in two classes in the same high school participated. The school administration (totally anonymous to the study) distributed all the students among the two classes and the research team randomly considered one the experimental group (n =27, 13 boys, 14 girls), which experienced a gamified learning unit, and the other the comparison group (n =27, 15 boys, 12 girls), which followed a traditional instructional approach. Both study groups had the same physical education teacher with training and experience on several pedagogical approaches, including gamification. The study followed a pretest, post-test quasi-experimental research design (the time lag between pre-test and post-test was nine weeks). The results showed significant differences at post-tests favouring the experimen tal group in all the variables assessed. In conclusion, the results from the present study provided support for the use of gamification in physical education since it was associated with increased levels of students’ intrinsic motivation, basic psychological needs and intention to be physically active more than a traditional approach. Therefore, gamification could be considered a positive pedagogical framework for secondary physical education. Nevertheless, more studies with larger variability in contexts, participants and content are needed