The practical and theoretical implications of flow theory and intrinsic motivation in designing and implementing exergaming in the school environment

Helping children develop a positive attitude toward being active for life is a primary objective for physical educators. The cultivation of an internal desire to participate in physical activity occurs over a prolonged period of time through a variety of positive experiences in school, at home, and in the community. Like any well thought out physical education unit, a meaningful exergaming (also known as active gaming) program must balance the needs of the students with the prescribed learning expectations. This paper is intended to bridge the theoretical aspects of intrinsic motivation and flow theory with the pragmatics of teaching active gaming programs in a school setting. The authors have established the Canadian Exergaming Research Centre (http://www.ucalgary.ca/exergaming/) in order to explore the impact of exergames in a school environment

Motivation to Move with Exergaming in Online Physical Education

Motivation to move is critical in online physical education (OLPE). This study looked at the motivational aspect of remote exergaming versus another student versus proximally against a console generated non-player character (NPC). Research shows that students in grades 4-12 are motivated to play exergames because they are native gamers. The entertainment value of the exergame garners more effort from the students than they realize they are expending. This research showed that exergames are motivating for students (N=124) aged 11-18 in grades 6-12. The subjects reported high motivation to participate while playing both a computer-generated NPC and a remote human opponent over the internet. Scores for motivation were highest when subjects played another student over the internet but were also high for proximal NPC play. This research positions exergaming as a potential piece of OLPE curriculum that can help students access the emotional aspect of physical education curriculum

Misrepresentation of health research in exertion games literature

HCI often requires scholars to build upon research from fields outside their expertise, creating the risk that foundational work is misunderstood and misrepresented. The prevailing goal of “exergames” research towards ameliorating obesity appears to be built on just such a misunderstanding of health research. In this paper, we analyse all citations to a single influential study, which has been extensively cited to justify research on exergames. We categorise the 375 citations based on whether they represent the findings of that study accurately or inaccurately. Our findings suggest that 69% of exergames papers citing this study misrepresent the findings, demonstrating a systematic failure of scholarship in exergames research. We argue that exergaming research should cease focusing on games as treatment for obesity, and that HCI publications should demand more critical and scholarly engagement with research from outside HCI

The efficacy of exergames for social relatedness in online physical education

Online physical education (OLPE) has been viewed as an oxymoron. Physical education curriculum at all levels seeks to help learners grow socially in the way they interact and deal with diverse and challenging fellow students and settings. Students who have no contact with other students while they are at home for various reasons may not be able to learn the proper response to the challenges of social participation or benefits derived from social contact. This study looked at the efficacy of remote exergame participation between students aged 11–18 (N = 124). The results show that exergaming over the Internet can provide students with a social experience that results in increased relatedness between participants versus playing by themselves against a non-player character (NPC). This relatedness can help students access the social standards for physical education when enrolled in OLPE

Technology assisted reciprocal physical activity (TARPactivities)

At times technology is seen as a niche that holds out tremendous promise but falls short of a comprehensive tool that can produce sustained transformation. This narrow view must be overcome if technology is to increase its impact on physical activity. A broader view suggests that technology is an expansive term and includes the ideas, devices, or methods that result from the use of past knowledge, application of knowledge and the introduction of new knowledge derived from research and study. This paper suggests that technology assisted reciprocal physical activities (TARPactivities) can serve as a framework for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in physical education, sport, recreation, and fitness while expanding findings to other populations. TARPactivities can serve as a unifying framework and provide support for education, training, and research aimed at helping transform the lives of persons with disabilities, their families, and their communities with physical education, sport, recreation, and fitness

Exergaming and physical education: A qualitative examination from the teachers' perspectives

ABSTRACT Active video games, or exergames, which require the physical movement of the participant's body, are being recognized as one possible solution to a diminishing interest in childhood physical activity. Exergaming extends beyond the home and arcade and into the education sector, where it is being used as part of the physical education (PE) curriculum. This study is a qualitative examination of two elementary school PE teachers' reflections of a sixweek exergaming program with their fourth grade students. Through a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed and analyzed. Analysis through Social Cognitive Theory revealed several themes including the value of exergaming, student motivation, tailoring needs, accountability, self-awareness and challenges with implementation. Teachers in the study reported that exergaming was a positive curricular option that was students enjoyed resulting in high levels of student engagement. The variety of exergame activities provided a diverse learning experience that resulted in sustained engagement by the students. Student accountability appeared to help them focus on the task and enable them to make connections between their exergame movements and other movement activities. Challenges highlighted include the cost of the equipment, confidence in the use of technology and potential overuse. Future studies might consider investigating how teachers can objectively measure the connection between exergaming and student attitudes toward physical activity