Self-Determination Theory in HCI : Shaping a Research Agenda

Self-determination theory (SDT) has become one of the most frequently used and well-validated theories used in HCI research, modelling the relation of basic psychological needs, intrinsic motivation, positive experience and wellbeing. This makes it a prime candidate for a ‘motor theme’ driving more integrated, systematic, theory-guided research. However, its use in HCI has remained superficial and disjointed across various application domains like games, health and wellbeing, or learning. This workshop therefore convenes researchers across HCI to co-create a research agenda on how SDT-informed HCI research can maximise its progress in the coming years

Comparison of dynamic visuals to other presentation formats when learning social science topics in an online setting

Despite the widespread use of whiteboard animations in both academic and informal settings, little evidence exists about their efficacy and impact on learner experiences, especially in non-STEM fields such as the social sciences. This study examined the effects of whiteboard animations against three other instructional formats on comprehension, measured by multiple choice questions and an open-ended summary question, and subjective experiences measured by Likert scale items. In a randomised experiment, Amazon Mechanical Turk participants (N = 299) viewed one of two social science lectures in one of four instructional formats: whiteboard animations, narrated slides, on-stage lecture, or audio/narration alone. Data was analysed using a series of ANOVA tests. Results showed that the whiteboard animation group answered significantly more questions than those who learned with on-stage lectures or narrated slides. Whiteboard animation and audio only groups also reported more enjoyment of, and engagement with, the lessons compared to the other groups. Findings contribute to the body of knowledge by providing evidence on the effectiveness of instructional materials when learning example social science topics. Implications for practice or policy: • Considering on-stage lectures and narrated slides are commonly used video formats in online education, practitioners should consider using different lecture formats (e.g., audio only) when teaching social science subjects. • Online course developers may consider using the whiteboard animations to enhance student learning outcomes.</p

The relationship between avatar-based customization, player identification, and motivation

Player identification is an outcome of gameplay experiences in virtual worlds and has been shown to affectenjoyment and reduce self-discrepancy. Avatar customization has potential to impact player identificationby shaping the relationship between the player and the character. This mixed method study examines theeffects of avatar-based customization on players' identification with their characters, and the effects ofidentification dimensions (i.e., perceived similarity, wishful identification, embodied presence) on theirmotivation in a massively multiplayer online game, Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO). Participants (N= 66) played LotRO either in customization or in no-customization group for ten hours in four sessionsin a lab setting. Data were collected through interviews and surveys. Results showed both time andavatar customization positively impacted player identification with their characters. Player motivationwas predicted in different sessions by different identification dimensions, which shows the dynamic andsituational impact of identification on motivation

Explanations and Interactives Improve Subjective Experiences in Online Courseware

As online courses become more common, practitioners are in need of clear guidance on how to translate best educational practices into web-based instruction. Moreover, student engagement is a pressing concern in online courses, which often have high levels of dropout. Our goals in this work were to experimentally study routine instructional design choices and to measure the effects of these choices on students’ subjective experiences (engagement, mind wandering, and interest) in addition to objective learning outcomes. Using randomized controlled trials, we studied the effect of varying instructional activities (namely, assessment and a step-through interactive) on participants’ learning and subjective experiences in a lesson drawn from an online immunology course. Participants were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk. Results showed that participants were more likely to drop out when they were in conditions that included assessment. Moreover, assessment with minimal feedback (correct answers only) led to the lowest subjective ratings of any experimental condition. Some of the negative effects of assessment were mitigated by the addition of assessment explanations or a summary interactive. We found no differences between the experimental conditions in learning outcomes, but we did find differences between groups in the accuracy of score predictions. Finally, prior knowledge and self-rated confusion were predictors of post-test scores. Using student behavior data from the same online immunology course, we corroborated the importance of assessment explanations. Our results have a clear implication for course developers: the addition of explanations to assessment questions is a simple way to improve online courses

Self-determination theory approach to understanding the impact of videogames on wellbeing during COVID-19 restrictions

The COVID-19 pandemic caused tremendous economic and social disruption devastating people’s livelihoods and wellbeing. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended people engage in enjoyable activities such as videogames, helping them relax during difficult life situations. Using Self-Determination Theory as a lens, this interview study (N = 11) examined how people’s videogame behaviours were influenced by life context, and their impact on wellbeing during COVID-19. Findings established that videogames were a compensatory response to the stressors of the pandemic. Playing videogames satisfied participants’ needs for social connection, serving as a coping mechanism to distract them for a short time; following an initial prioritisation of gaming and spike in gaming hours, many returned to their regular gaming behaviours. This study contributes to the games for health literature, identifying the effects of videogames on wellbeing, and provides much needed knowledge for health practitioners and families on how videogames are used and their impact on players’ wellbeing during the pandemic as a societal stressful life event. The findings have clinical and policy implications both to identify a positive tool, and to dispel negative stigmas surrounding videogames.</p

Touch-less Remedial Game Prototype for Hand Rehabilitation - Feedback Results

Remedial hand therapy can be required for many reasons, so burn injuries were used as a specific case for development of the remedial prototype of this paper. With burns, 80% of injuries involve the hands. Infection is also a constant concern with burns patients. In this paper, we sought feedback on our remedial prototype, from both professional hand therapists and past patients. Both groups gave very positive responses. With regard to burn injuries, the prototype had been developed with the following three considerations: 1) Touch-less hand control to reduce chances of infection. 2) Computer vision datasets for damaged/bandaged hands, as most existing datasets target healthy hands. 3) Ensure that the remedial game is engaging to help distract from pain and provide motivation, thereby encouraging patients to perform their required remedial exercises. Our contribution is the continued development of an application for hand rehabilitation, where hand detection and classification were specifically developed for a minority group of damaged/bandaged hands. The feedback obtained here helps to focus further iterative development.</p

Motivation Outcomes in Math-Related Videogames

This study examined the relationship between elementary students’ domain-specific and game-specific motivations in the context of educational videogames. Using a quasi-experimental design, thirty (N = 30) sixth grade students were assigned to two groups based on their level of motivation for the domain of math (higher math motivation vs. lower math motivation). They then played a videogame involving mathematics fifteen times over a two-week period. During this time, participants’ in-game performances were recorded, along with their levels of motivation for the videogame and the domain of math. The results showed that the participants played the game at the same level of skill regardless of their initial level of motivation for the domain of math. Similarly, participants expressed high levels of interest, effort, pressure, and value for the game despite their varied levels of math motivation. However, the two groups reported significantly different levels of perceived competence involving the videogame. Further still, participants with lower levels of motivation for math reported a significant decrease in their self-reported ability perceptions in math, which did not occur for participants with higher levels of motivation for math. The study concludes with a discussion of the relationship between learners’ domain-specific and game-specific motivations and the implications for future game-based learning research.</p

Do videogame rewards influence players’ subsequent prosocial engagement? A preregistered partial replication study on the role of reward and reasoning

Prosocial behaviours are actions that have a positive impact on others. Those who act prosocially in videogames are more likely to be prosocial after the game. In-game rewards may impact this prosocial transfer to real life but there are mixed findings. The aim of this research was to determine the impact that in-game rewards for helping have on post-game prosocial behaviour. We partially replicated and extended a prior study that showed an impact of in-game rewards on a post-game charitable donation. While playing a videogame, players voluntarily chose to help a non-player character or not and were rewarded or not based on their experimental condition. Pre- and post-gameplay questionnaires were used to measure trait empathy, prosocial self-concept, and reasoning for in-game helping. Participants were then offered a bonus compensation and given the opportunity to donate some amount of it to charity. Moral Reasoning was positively associated with donation behaviour, successfully replicating some prior findings. However, in-game rewards did not affect reasoning or donation behaviour. The outcomes of this research help both researchers and developers better understand how rewards affect players’ reasoning and how to better utilise games as a method to increase prosocial behaviour in people.</p

Does a presentation’s medium affect its message? PowerPoint, Prezi, and oral presentations

<div><p>Despite the prevalence of PowerPoint in professional and educational presentations, surprisingly little is known about how effective such presentations are. All else being equal, are PowerPoint presentations better than purely oral presentations or those that use alternative software tools? To address this question we recreated a real-world business scenario in which individuals presented to a corporate board. Participants (playing the role of the presenter) were randomly assigned to create PowerPoint, Prezi, or oral presentations, and then actually delivered the presentation live to other participants (playing the role of corporate executives). Across two experiments and on a variety of dimensions, participants evaluated PowerPoint presentations comparably to oral presentations, but evaluated Prezi presentations more favorably than both PowerPoint and oral presentations. There was some evidence that participants who viewed different types of presentations came to different conclusions about the business scenario, but no evidence that they remembered or comprehended the scenario differently. We conclude that the observed effects of presentation format are not merely the result of novelty, bias, experimenter-, or software-specific characteristics, but instead reveal a communication preference for using the panning-and-zooming animations that characterize Prezi presentations.</p></div