| The influence of learner-generated domain representations on learning combinatorics and probability theory | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1-11 | |
| Bas Kolloffel; Tessa H. S. Eysink; Ton de Jong | |||
| The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of providing support
in the form of tools for constructing representations, and in particular the
differential effects of the representational format of these tools (conceptual,
arithmetical, or textual) in terms of perceived affordances and learning
outcomes. The domain involved was combinatorics and probability theory. A
between-subjects pre-test-post-test design was applied with secondary education
students randomly distributed over four conditions. Participants completed the
same tasks in a simulation-based learning environment. Participants in three
experimental conditions were provided with a representational tool that could
be used to construct a domain representation. The experimental manipulation
concerned the format of the tool (conceptual, arithmetical, or textual).
Participants in a control condition did not have access to a representational
tool. Data from 127 students were analyzed. It was found that the construction
of a domain representation significantly improved learning outcomes. The format
in which students constructed a representation did not directly affect learning
outcomes or the quality of the created domain representations. The arithmetical
format, however, was the least stimulating for students to engage in
externalizing their knowledge. Keywords: External representations; Representational tools; Simulations; Inquiry learning; Mathematics | |||
| Knowledge search and people with high epistemic curiosity | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 12-22 | |
| Dong-Mo Koo; Young-Yun Choi | |||
| Porter sites have tried to increase their business potentials by helping
users easily engage in diverse online activities such as search, entertainment,
online communities, and others. Knowledge search engine is one of the most
successful killer applications increasing user loyalty. However, most studies
have independently focused on search engine technology such as search keyword
algorithm, presentation of information and user characteristics such as
cognitive style, search experiences, and skill levels. However, these previous
studies lack an integrated understanding of causal links among critical factors
predicting user motives and intention involving more situation-specific user
characteristics. To fill these gaps in the literature, the present study
focuses on whether knowledge characteristics such as specialization,
preciseness, and diversity, and system characteristics such as interactivity,
responsiveness, and communication richness are important in forming user
motives and intention. The present study also identifies a moderating role of
epistemic curiosity in the links between motives and intention. Two hundred and
fifty-five data from Korean university students confirmed that knowledge and
services characteristics such as specialty, preciseness, diversity,
communication richness improve user motives, which have a positive impact on
intention. Epistemic curiosity has a moderating effect on the links between
motives and intention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in
conclusion. Keywords: Knowledge; Specialty; Preciseness; Diversity; Epistemic curiosity; Interactivity; Responsiveness; Communication richness | |||
| How can one amplify the effect of e-learning? An examination of high-tech employees' computer attitude and flow experience | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 23-31 | |
| Li-An Ho; Tsung-Hsien Kuo | |||
| While numerous studies have focused on the effectiveness and benefits of
e-learning, this study elicits the determinants of the IT professionals'
e-learning outcomes by investigating the effect of IT professionals' computer
attitudes on two personal outcomes: self-perceived flow experience and learning
outcomes. Data collected from 50 technological companies which located in
Hsinchu Science Parks in Taiwan (N = 239) were analyzed using structural
equation modeling. Results confirm that both computer attitude and flow
experience generate positive and direct influence on learning outcome.
Specially, the effect of personal computer attitude is amplified on learning
outcome through experience of flow in an e-learning environment. Managerial
implications are proposed and research limitations are discussed. Keywords: Computer attitudes; Flow experience; Learning outcome; E-learning; Technological company | |||
| Exploring factors that influence knowledge sharing behavior via weblogs | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 32-41 | |
| Tai-Kuei Yu; Long-Chuan Lu; Tsai-Feng Liu | |||
| Knowledge sharing is seen as one of the essential processes for knowledge
management. A growing number of professionals have started weblogging, and use
this tool to share their ideas. It is important to explore ways to encourage
individuals to contribute personal knowledge and to assist community members to
share their expertise. Through the lens of sharing culture, we explore the
factors that facilitate voluntary knowledge sharing in a virtual community.
Specifically, the use of three categories associated with a sharing culture --
fairness, identification and openness -- is considered as a linear combination,
which means that enjoying helping and usefulness/relevancy thereafter promote
knowledge sharing behavior. To test the theoretical model, we survey 442
members of three online communities. In addition to the positive effects of
fairness and openness on community sharing culture, we also find that enjoying
helping, sharing culture and usefulness/relevancy are strongly linked to member
knowledge sharing behavior. This paper offers a new perspective on the
mechanisms related to the sharing culture construct, which in turn facilitates
weblog knowledge sharing behaviors and yields important implications for
understanding knowledge sharing behavior in online communities. Keywords: Knowledge sharing behavior; Weblogs; Structural equation modeling | |||
| The impact of perceived ease of use on Internet service adoption: The moderating effects of temporal distance and perceived risk | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 42-50 | |
| Chung-Chi Shen; Jyh-Shen Chiou | |||
| Perceived ease of use is found to affect consumer's intention toward using
an Internet-based service. However, to protect online transaction security,
more security verification mechanisms are established which in turn increase
the complexity and difficulty of using online services. This study proposed
that the importance of perceived ease of use is depending on short- vs.
long-term transaction expectation, product type, and whether security concern
information is presented. In certain situations buyers or sellers of an
Internet service may tolerate the inconvenience of using the Internet-based
service. A 2 (verification requirement) × 2 (network externality) ×
2 (short vs. long term) between-subject design was conducted on sellers of an
auction site and a 2 (verification requirement) × 2 (product type)
× 2 (with vs. without security concern information) between-subject
design was conducted on buyers of an auction site. The results of two studies
suggest that perceived ease of use increases the intention toward using online
service when sellers expect that the Internet service usage is only for a
short-term transaction or when buyers have no access of the security concern
information on the website. In contrast, sellers prefer using an online service
which requires a relatively high verification requirement when the purpose of
using Internet service is for long-term transaction or when buyers have access
of security concern information. The results also showed that perceived network
externality positively affect sellers' intention toward using an auction
website. Keywords: Internet consumer behavior; Perceived ease of use; Perceived risk; Temporal distance | |||
| Effects of color sample display and color sample grouping on screen layout usability for customized product color selection | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 51-60 | |
| Fong-Gong Wu; Cheih-Ying Chen; Ying-Jye Lee; Rain Chen | |||
| This study investigates the effects of color sample display and color sample
grouping on the usability (task efficiency and user preference) of a color
combination interface. A 180-subject nested design experiment tested each of
the three levels of color sample grouping (associative color number, color
series, and product section) against each of the two levels of color sample
display (color chip, product thumbnail) for efficiency and effectiveness
(search time and error rate). A separate 30-subject experiment evaluated user
preference.
Of the three grouping types, product section (grouping of color chips or product thumbnails to correspond with modular sections of a product preview image) yielded the lowest search time and error rates. Of the two display types, product thumbnails achieved the highest user preference. Of the six formation-display configurations, color sample chips grouped by product section yielded both the lowest search time and highest preference. Keywords: Web interface; Usability; Color sample grouping; Color sample display; Color information overload | |||
| E-mail characteristics, work performance and distress | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 61-69 | |
| Rita S. Mano; Gustavo S. Mesch | |||
| The purpose of the study is to examine how e-mail affects work performance.
E-mail communication studies have aroused both praise and query regarding the
suitability, appropriateness and effectiveness of electronic messages in
information management. Less is known about the effects of e-mail on work
performance. We consider (1) which e-mail features affect work performance; (2)
whether these features are differentially associated with positive (work
effectiveness) or negative (stress and distress) side-effects; and (3) whether
individual- and organizational-level characteristics are associated with
positive and/or negative work performance. Using a secondary level analysis
based on the Pew and American Life sample we show that extent, content, and
increased volume of e-mail are (a) more frequently reported by managers than by
non-managers (b) age, gender, marital status and education can become a
critical issue (c) the amount of e-mail received and sent is positively related
to work performance. These findings suggest that assessing the costs and
benefits of electronic communication should cover individual features as well
as e-mail-related features to assess their impact on work performance. Keywords: E-mail characteristics; E-mail effects; Work stress; Work distress; Work performance; Employees | |||
| Online activity, motivation, and reasoning among adult learners | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 70-73 | |
| Sarah Ransdell | |||
| College students' motivational beliefs influence their online behavior and
ability to think critically. In the present study, doctoral health science
students' reports of motivation, as measured by the California Measure of
Mental Motivation, reasoning skill, as measured by the Health Science Reasoning
Test, and Web-CT records of online activity during a Web-CT-based statistics
course were explored. Critical thinking skill and disposition each contributed
unique variance to student grades, with age, organization disposition, and
analysis skill as the strongest predictors. The youngest students, those
so-called millennial age, and born after 1982, were those with the lowest
critical thinking skill and dispositions, and the lowest grades in the class.
Future research must take into consideration discrepancies between skill and
disposition and interactions with age or cohort. At present, and contrary to
popular wisdom, older students may make better online learners than younger. Keywords: Critical thinking dispositions; Critical thinking skills; Health science students; Online communication | |||
| Designing an electronic guidebook for learning engagement in a museum of history | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 74-83 | |
| Yao-Ting Sung; Kuo-En Chang; Huei-Tse Hou; Pin-Fu Chen | |||
| Museums provide important avenues for lifelong learning, and using
information and communication technology to maximize a museum's lifelong
learning potential is a recognized issue. This study proposed a
human-computer-context interaction (HCCI) framework as a guide for designing a
mobile electronic guidebook for a history museum. To fulfill the goals of the
HCCI framework, two strategies, problem-based inquiry and
historical-context-embedded visiting, were used to implement a HCCI guidebook.
To evaluate the effects of the HCCI guidebook, this study conducted an
experiment to compare three visiting modes: Visiting with the HCCI guidebook;
visiting with a worksheet; and visiting without any supplementary tools.
Sixty-two college students participated in the evaluation of the HCCI guidebook
in the Tang dynasty tri-color glazed pottery exhibition at the National Museum
of History. The results showed that the students with the HCCI guidebooks had,
on average, a longer holding time with exhibits than either students with
paper-based worksheets or students without supplementary materials. However,
there were no significant differences in the knowledge gained about exhibits
among the three modes. Keywords: Museum; Informal leaning; Mobile learning; Guidebook; Life long learning; Interactive learning environment; Multimedia/hypermedia systems | |||
| Productive use of learning resources in an online problem-based learning environment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 84-99 | |
| Heisawn Jeong; Cindy E. Hmelo-Silver | |||
| This study examined students' use of learning resources in a
technologically-mediated online learning environment. Undergraduate student
groups were engaged in an online problem-based learning (PBL) environment, rich
with pre-selected video and knowledge resources. Quantitative and qualitative
analyses showed that students accessed resources fairly frequently and
benefited from them. Resources helped students construct a rich understanding
of the problem and provided ideas for problem solutions. Detailed analyses of
resource exploration along with contrasting case analyses between
high-achieving and low-achieving student groups suggested that for learning to
be effective in resource-rich environments, students first need to develop an
understanding of the resources and learn how to access them efficiently.
Second, students need to learn to process the contents of resources in
meaningful ways so that they can integrate diverse resources to form a coherent
understanding and apply them to solve problems. Finally, students need to
develop knowledge and skills to use resources collaboratively, such as sharing
and relating to each other's resources. The results indicated that students,
especially low-achieving students, need guidance to use resources effectively
in resource-rich learning environments. Keywords: Learning resources; Problem-based learning (PBL); Online hypermedia environments; Contrasting cases analysis; Knowledge resources; Video resources | |||
| Getting acquainted through social network sites: Testing a model of online uncertainty reduction and social attraction | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 100-109 | |
| Marjolijn L. Antheunis; Patti M. Valkenburg; Jochen Peter | |||
| The first aim of this study was to examine which uncertainty reduction
strategies members of social network sites used to gain information about a
person who they had recently met online. The second aim was to investigate
whether and how these uncertainty reduction strategies resulted in social
attraction. Drawing on a survey of 704 members of a social network site, we
found that respondents had used active, passive, and interactive strategies to
reduce uncertainty about their new acquaintance. Interactive strategies were
most effective in reducing uncertainty about the target person. Respondents'
level of uncertainty about the acquaintance mediated the relationships between
the use of interactive uncertainty strategies and perceived similarity on the
one hand and social attraction on the other. Finally, respondents' perceived
valence of the obtained information about the acquaintance moderated the
relationship between the level of uncertainty and social attraction. Keywords: Computer-mediated communication; CMC; Social network sites; Social attraction; Uncertainty reduction theory; Uncertainty reduction strategies; Similarity | |||
| Why does signaling enhance multimedia learning? Evidence from eye movements | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 110-117 | |
| Erol Ozcelik; Ismahan Arslan-Ari; Kursat Cagiltay | |||
| Previous studies have suggested that signaling enhances multimedia learning.
However, there is not enough evidence showing why signaling leads to better
performance. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of signaling on
learning outcomes and to reveal the underlying reasons for this effect by using
eye movement measures. The participants were 40 undergraduate students who were
presented with either signaled or nonsignaled multimedia materials. Labels in
the illustration were signaled by temporarily changing the color of the items.
The results suggest that the signaled group outperformed the nonsignaled group
on transfer and matching tests. Eye movement data shows that signaling guided
attention to relevant information and improved the efficiency and effectiveness
of finding necessary information. Keywords: Eye-tracking; Signaling effect; Multimedia learning; Cognitive processes | |||
| My Text: An alternative to the traditional textbook | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 119-121 | |
| James Reininger | |||
| Both college level students and instructors alike have become frustrated
with the modern textbook. Textbooks are expensive, passive in tone; water
downed, and rarely has the breadth and depth that is needed for a course.
Recently, Myles Johnson a former Psychology Instructor, has come up with an
instructional method known as My Text that addresses these frustrations. Here
students, with the instructor's guidance, create their own textbooks. This
paper takes a look at some of the Pedagogical merits of this method as a
Learner Centered Approach and makes recommendations for future research. Keywords: Learner centered instruction; Learner centered approach; Constructivism; Textbooks; Guided discovery learning; Inquiry learning | |||
| Latent constructs determining Internet job search behaviors: Motivation, opportunity and job change intention | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 122-131 | |
| Geoffrey K. F. Tso; Kelvin K. W. Yau; Monique S. M. Cheung | |||
| This study investigates the individual differences of job seekers as the
antecedents of Internet job search behaviors using the push and pull theories
and theory of planned behavior. Data based on a sample of 361 Hong Kong
employed individuals confirm the importance of the two dimensions of the
Internet job search behaviors: job search intensity and job sources. By
conducting structural equation modeling analysis, the results show that
individual differences could be conceptualized as three hypothesized
antecedents: motivation, opportunity and job change intention. The results also
reveal that motivation is the strongest predictor of job search intensity;
opportunity is the strongest predictor of job sources; job change intention is
a partial mediator of Internet job search behaviors via motivation, but not via
opportunity. Keywords: Jobs; Internet; Latent constructs | |||
| Factors affecting response rates of the web survey: A systematic review | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 132-139 | |
| Weimiao Fan; Zheng Yan | |||
| The lower response rate in web surveys has been a major concern for survey
researchers. The literature has sought to identify a wide variety of factors
that affect response rates in web surveys. In this article, we developed a
conceptual model of the web survey process and use the model to systematically
review a wide variety of factors influencing the response rate in the stage of
survey development, survey delivery, survey completion, and survey return.
Practical suggestion and future research directions on how to increase the
response rate are discussed. Keywords: Web survey; Response rate; Survey design; Survey delivery; Survey completion; Survey return | |||
| The influence of leads on cognitive load and learning in a hypertext environment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 140-150 | |
| Pavlo D. Antonenko; Dale S. Niederhauser | |||
| The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of leads (or hypertext
node previews) on cognitive load and learning. Leads provided a brief summary
of information in the linked node, which helped orient the reader to the linked
information. Dependent variables included measures of cognitive load:
self-report of mental effort, reading time, and event-related desynchronization
percentage of alpha, beta and theta brain wave rhythms; and learning
performance: a recall task, and tests of domain and structural knowledge.
Results indicated that use of leads reduced brain wave activity that may
reflect split attention and extraneous cognitive load, and improved domain and
structural knowledge acquisition. Further, findings provide insights into
differentiating the types of cognitive load apparent in hypertext-assisted
learning environments. Use of EEG measures allowed examination of instantaneous
cognitive load, which showed that leads may be influencing germane load --
reducing mental burden associated with creating coherence between two linked
node. The self-report of mental effort measure appears more closely associated
with overall and intrinsic load. Keywords: Cognition; Learning; Technology; Text structure; Psychophysiology | |||
| Awareness of group performance in a CSCL-environment: Effects of peer feedback and reflection | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 151-161 | |
| Chris Phielix; Frans J. Prins; Paul A. Kirschner | |||
| This study investigated the effects of a peer feedback tool and a reflection
tool on social and cognitive performance during computer supported
collaborative learning (CSCL). A CSCL-environment was augmented with a peer
feedback tool (Radar) and a reflection tool (Reflector) in order to make group
members aware of both their individual and their group behavior. Radar
visualizes how group members perceive their own social and cognitive
performance and that of their peers during collaboration along five dimensions.
Reflector stimulates group members to reflect upon their own performance and
the performance of the group. A 2 × 2 factorial between-subjects design
was used to examine whether Radar and Reflector would lead to better team
development, more group satisfaction, lower levels of group conflict, more
positive attitudes toward problem-based collaboration, and a better group
product. Results show that groups with Radar perceived their team as being
better developed, experienced lower conflict levels, and had a more positive
attitude towards collaborative problem solving than groups without Radar. The
quality of group products, however, did not differ. The results demonstrate
that peer feedback on the social performance of individual group members can
enhance the performance and attitudes of a CSCL-group. Keywords: Groupware; Collaborative learning; Peer feedback; Reflection; Group performance | |||
| Does Internet use reflect your personality? Relationship between Eysenck's personality dimensions and Internet use | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 162-167 | |
| Leman Pinar Tosun; Timo Lajunen | |||
| The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between three
Eysenckian personality dimensions -- psychoticism, extroversion and neuroticism
-- and the Internet use. A sample of 427 Turkish university students completed
the Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire, an Internet survey which contained
questions about interpersonal motives for Internet use and a scale for
measuring the tendency for expressing one's "true" self on the Internet. The
results indicated that psychoticism was the only personality dimension related
to establishing new relationships and having "Internet only" friends; and
extroversion was the only personality dimension that is related to maintaining
long-distance relationships, and supporting daily face-to-face relationships.
The results supported the idea that for some individuals, Internet can be used
as social substitute for face-to-face social interactions while for some others
it can be used as a tool of social extension, depending on the user's
personality characteristics. Also, psychoticism and neuroticism were found to
be positively associated with the expressing "true self" on the Internet, and
it was shown that the relationship between psychoticism and Internet uses as
social substitute is mediated by the tendency to express one's true self on the
Internet. Keywords: Personality; Internet; Psychoticism | |||
| School knowledge management framework and strategies: The new perspective on teacher professional development | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 168-175 | |
| Jingyuan Zhao | |||
| During the epoch of knowledge-based economy and knowledge management,
teachers must learn in order to improve professional development. The paper
discusses on the problems of teacher professional development in China, and
analyze on the relationship among teacher learning, teacher professional
development and school knowledge management. From the perspective of schools,
this study develops school knowledge management framework to facilitate teacher
learning and improve teacher professional development, in the basis of this
framework, schools' knowledge management strategies are presented, and provide
references for administrators of schools. The result reveals the knowledge
management strategies to improve teacher professional development, including
school organizational reforger and knowledge leaders, constructing learning
school and organization learning culture, establishing teacher knowledge
management system of teacher professional development, encouraging team
learning, teaching cooperation and knowledge sharing, establishing performance
assessment mechanism of knowledge applications and development. Keywords: Teacher; Professional development; Knowledge management; Learning school | |||
| Computer-mediated communication in adolescents with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI) | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 176-185 | |
| Kevin Durkin; Gina Conti-Ramsden; Allan J. Walker | |||
| The various uses of computer-mediated communication (CMC) are transforming
the nature of social interactions and human relations among adolescents. Little
is known about engagement of exceptional youth with this technology. The
present study investigated the implications of language and social factors for
frequency of CMC use and its relationship to adolescent well-being in young
people with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI). Eighty
six adolescents with a history of SLI and 90 typically developing 17 year olds
participated. Participants completed standardized assessments of
psycholinguistic abilities and self-report measures of language motivations and
social motivations for CMC use, as well as anxiety and depression. Results
indicate that language abilities have a complex relationship with frequency of
CMC use; social abilities have a more direct association and are predictive of
frequency of CMC use. Both adolescents with SLI and typically developing
adolescents were less shy online. No association was obtained between frequency
of CMC use and reported emotional symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. It is
argued that the characteristics of CMC, in terms of its less stringent language
demands and its reduced-cues environment, can provide a medium for positive
adaptation of adolescents with communication challenges. Keywords: Computer-mediated communication; Adolescence; Specific language impairment (SLI) | |||
| Moderating effects of localization differences on ERP use: A socio-technical systems perspective | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 186-198 | |
| Kee-Young Kwahk; Hyunchul Ahn | |||
| Despite the promised benefits of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems,
more than two thirds of ERP system projects result in failure. In this study,
we investigate some plausible reasons for their failure from the user's
perspective. Particularly, we propose the socio-technical factors that affect
ERP system use. This study has two research objectives. First, it introduces
and tests a theoretical model that views ERP systems as both an organizational
change driver and a sophisticated information system to explain the phenomenon
of ERP system use. For this purpose, the proposed model includes attitude
toward change and computer self-efficacy; this may affect ERP system use
behavior through perceived usefulness for the systems. Second, this paper
attempts to shed some light on how the localization differences of ERP systems
may affect users' intention to use the ERP systems. The results based on survey
data using subjects from two different ERP systems support the proposed
research model. It identifies the moderating effect of the localization
differences. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed
along with its limitations. Keywords: Localization differences; ERP systems; Attitude toward change; Computer self-efficacy; IT implementation | |||
| Effects of computer self-efficacy and system reliability on user interaction with decision support systems | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 199-204 | |
| Poornima Madhavan; Rachel R. Phillips | |||
| Computer self-efficacy (CSE) has been identified as a major determinant of
computer-related ability and usage in organizational contexts. However, there
has been little research on the impact of CSE on the use of high level
computerized systems such as decision support systems. In order to examine this
relationship, participants completed a visual search task with the assistance
of an automated decision support system which varied in reliability from
moderately reliable (70%) to highly reliable (90%). After completion of the
task, a median split was performed on participants' CSE scores to divide
participants into high-CSE and low-CSE groups. We examined the relationship
between CSE and trust and utilization of the system. High-CSE participants
trusted the system more, complied with it more and generated significantly more
hits than low-CSE participants, particularly on trials in which the aid was
highly reliable. This indicated that high-CSE levels led to a better ability to
gauge the true capabilities of the system. However, all participants uniformly
underestimated the true reliability of the system at both levels of CSE. This
study provides insight into the potential significance of personality factors
in shaping human-technology interaction and has implications for designers of
automated systems. Keywords: Technology; Trust; Computer self-efficacy; Reliability; Compliance; Reliance | |||
| WESONet: Applying semantic web technologies and collaborative tagging to multimedia web information systems | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 205-209 | |
| Jose Emilio Labra Gayo; Patricia Ordóñez de Pablos; Juan Manuel Cueva Lovelle | |||
| The publication of different media types, like images, audio and video in
the World Wide Web is getting more importance each day. However, searching and
locating content in multimedia sites is challenging. In this paper, we propose
a platform for the development of multimedia web information systems. Our
approach is based on the combination between semantic web technologies and
collaborative tagging. Producers can add meta-data to multimedia content
associating it with different domain-specific ontologies. At the same time,
users can tag the content in a collaborative way. The proposed system uses a
search engine that combines both kinds of meta-data to locate the desired
content. It will also provide browsing capabilities through the ontology
concepts and the developed tags. Keywords: Multimedia web information systems; Semantic web technologies; Collaborative tagging | |||
| Interactive web environment for collaborative and extensible diagram based learning | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 210-217 | |
| José Barranquero Tolosa; Jose E. Labra Gayo; Ana B. Martínez Prieto; Sheila Méndez Núñez; Patricia Ordóñez de Pablos | |||
| Nowadays there is a growing need of ubiquity for learning, research and
development tools, due to the portability and availability problems concerning
traditional desktop applications. In this paper, we suggest an approach to
avoid any further download or installation. The main goal is to offer a
collaborative and extensible web environment which will cover a series of
domains highly demanded by different kinds of working groups, in which it is
crucial to have tools which facilitate the exchange of information and the
collaboration among their members. The result of those interactions would be
the development of one or several diagrams accessible from any geographical
location, independently of the device employed. The environment can be adapted
through personalized components, depending on the type of diagram that the user
wants to interact with and the users can also create new elements or search and
share components with other users of the community. By means of this
environment, it will be possible to do research on the usability of
collaborative tools for design diagrams, as well as research on the psychology
of group interactions, assessing the results coming from the employment of
known methodologies, techniques, paradigms or patterns, both at an individual
and at a collaborative group level. Keywords: Collaborative; Extensible; Interactive; Web environment; Diagram design; Groupware usability; User tracking; Graph visualization; Semantic web | |||
| User goals in social virtual worlds: A means-end chain approach | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 218-225 | |
| Yoonhyuk Jung; Hyunmee Kang | |||
| The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to investigate user goals in
social virtual worlds; second, to introduce a methodological alternative (i.e.,
a means-end chain approach) for analyzing user goals in cyberspaces. The data
were acquired from a web survey, and were analyzed by means-end chain analysis
(MECA), which produces users' goal structure in reference to a hierarchical
system of interrelated goals (Olson & Reynolds, 1983). The results show
that people come to social virtual worlds to satisfy their social and hedonic
needs, and to escape from real world constraints, as do virtual community
members and virtual gamers; they also pursue unique activities, such as
creating virtual objects and selling them. On the other hand, by clarifying
relations among users' goals, MECA provides a richer explanation for user goals
than prior research which only offers separate user goals for cyberspace users
without explanation of relationship among goals. Keywords: Virtual worlds; Social virtual worlds; User goal; Goal structure; Means-end chain analysis | |||
| Face off: Implications of visual cues on initiating friendship on Facebook | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 226-234 | |
| Shaojung Sharon Wang; Shin-Il Moon; Kyounghee Hazel Kwon; Carolyn A. Evans; Michael A. Stefanone | |||
| This research investigates how moderating factors and theoretically relevant
contextual variables affect impression formation and the willingness to
initiate virtual friendship. An experiment examined both main and interaction
effects for visual cues, profile owner's gender, and evaluator's gender; a 2
(stimulus gender: male and female) × 3 (visual conditions: attractive,
unattractive, and no-photo) × 2 (evaluator's gender: male and female)
between subjects model analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed. A three-way
interaction between gender and appearance was revealed. The results indicated
that both male and female subjects were more willing to initiate friendships
with opposite-sex profile owners with attractive photos. Subjects also
displayed comparatively higher willingness to make friends with profile owners
who did not include visual cues than with those who revealed an unattractive
photo. The hyperpersonal model was supported and extended to address gender
attributes. Keywords: CMC; Facebook; Visucal cues; Impression formation; Physical attractiveness; Hyperpersonal | |||
| In justice we trust: Exploring knowledge-sharing continuance intentions in virtual communities of practice | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 235-246 | |
| Yu-Hui Fang; Chao-Min Chiu | |||
| Knowledge has become the key to success in the global knowledge economy, not
only for organizations, but also in virtual communities of practice (VCoPs).
The major challenge in sustaining a VCoP is acquiring knowledge spontaneously
from members. This challenge leads to our research question: what encourages
VCoP members to voluntarily and continuously help one another through
continuous knowledge-sharing? In this study, we integrate three research
streams -- justice, trust, and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) --
into one model in order to analyze the antecedents of knowledge-sharing
continuance intentions in VCoPs. Our model theorizes that the four dimensions
of justice (i.e., distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational
justice) affect two different referents of trust (i.e., trust in members and
trust in management). We further link these trust constructs to altruism (i.e.,
OCB directed to the individual) or conscientiousness (i.e., OCB directed to the
organization), which in turn effect the knowledge-sharing continuance
intentions in VCoPs. This hypothetical model is empirically validated using
data collected from 142 members of an IT-oriented VCoP in Taiwan. Our
integrated model has been helpful in VCoP research as it broadens our
theoretical understanding of knowledge-sharing continuance intentions. Keywords: Altruism; Conscientiousness; Justice; Knowledge-sharing; Trust; Virtual communities of practice | |||
| Who interacts on the Web?: The intersection of users' personality and social media use | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 247-253 | |
| Teresa Correa; Amber Willard Hinsley; Homero Gil de Zúñiga | |||
| In the increasingly user-generated Web, users' personality traits may be
crucial factors leading them to engage in this participatory media. The
literature suggests factors such as extraversion, emotional stability and
openness to experience are related to uses of social applications on the
Internet. Using a national sample of US adults, this study investigated the
relationship between these three dimensions of the Big-Five model and social
media use (defined as use of social networking sites and instant messages). It
also examined whether gender and age played a role in that dynamic. Results
revealed that while extraversion and openness to experiences were positively
related to social media use, emotional stability was a negative predictor,
controlling for socio-demographics and life satisfaction. These findings
differed by gender and age. While extraverted men and women were both likely to
be more frequent users of social media tools, only the men with greater degrees
of emotional instability were more regular users. The relationship between
extraversion and social media use was particularly important among the young
adult cohort. Conversely, being open to new experiences emerged as an important
personality predictor of social media use for the more mature segment of the
sample. Keywords: Internet; Social media; Instant messages; Social networking sites; Big-Five; Personality | |||
| An empirical study of the factors affecting social network service use | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 254-263 | |
| Ohbyung Kwon; Yixing Wen | |||
| Social network services are emerging as a promising IT-based business, with
some services already being provided commercially such as Facebook, Cyworld and
Xiaonei. However, it is not yet clear which potential audience groups will be
key social network service participants. Moreover, the process showing how an
individual actually decides to start using a social network service may be
somewhat different from current web-based community services. Hence, the aims
of this paper are twofold. First, we empirically examine how individual
characteristics affect actual user acceptance of social network services. To
examine these individual characteristics, we apply a Technology Acceptance
Model (TAM) to construct an amended model that focuses on three individual
differences: social identity, altruism and telepresence, and one perceived
construct: the perceived encouragement, imported from psychology-based
research. Next, we examine if the users' perception to see a target social
network service as human relationship-oriented service or as a task-oriented
service could be a moderator between perceived constructs and actual use. As a
result, we discover that the perceived encouragement and perceived orientation
are significant constructs that affect actual use of social network services. Keywords: Social network service; Technology Acceptance Model (TAM); Social identity; Altruism; Perceived encouragement; Perceived orientation | |||
| Multimedia, hypermedia, and hypertext: Motivation considered and reconsidered | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 265-276 | |
| Daniel C. Moos; Elizabeth Marroquin | |||
| Computer-based instruction (CBI) is becoming increasingly popular in the
classroom, particularly because the latest technological advancements allow for
visually rich and interactive environments. While the inherent nature of CBIs
is often thought to engage learners, research examining the role of motivation
in learning with these environments has resulted in mixed findings. These
findings are further complicated by unique design characteristics of distinct
CBIs. This literature review synthesizes research that has examined the role of
theoretically-grounded constructs of motivation in the context of three popular
CBIs, multimedia, hypermedia, and hypertext. Specifically, this literature
review considered empirical studies that examined the effect of these CBIs on
motivation, in addition to the effect of motivation on learning outcomes and
the learning process within the context of these environments. The literature
review concludes with a theoretical consideration of previous research and a
discussion of a framework for future directions. Keywords: Motivation; Multimedia; Hypermedia; Hypertext; Literature review | |||
| Following you home from school: A critical review and synthesis of research on cyberbullying victimization | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 277-287 | |
| Robert S. Tokunaga | |||
| More than 97% of youths in the United States are connected to the Internet
in some way. An unintended outcome of the Internet's pervasive reach is the
growing rate of harmful offenses against children and teens. Cyberbullying
victimization is one such offense that has recently received a fair amount of
attention. The present report synthesizes findings from quantitative research
on cyberbullying victimization. An integrative definition for the term
cyberbullying is provided, differences between traditional bullying and
cyberbullying are explained, areas of convergence and divergence are offered,
and sampling and/or methodological explanations for the inconsistencies in the
literature are considered. About 20-40% of all youths have experienced
cyberbullying at least once in their lives. Demographic variables such as age
and gender do not appear to predict cyberbullying victimization. Evidence
suggests that victimization is associated with serious psychosocial, affective,
and academic problems. The report concludes by outlining several areas of
concern in cyberbullying research and discusses ways that future research can
remedy them. Keywords: Cyberbullying; Online harassment; Social implications; Demography; Disturbances; Coping strategies | |||
| Peer evaluation in online anchored discussion for an increased local relevance of replies | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 288-295 | |
| J. van der Pol; W. F. Admiraal; P. R. J. Simons | |||
| This study investigates the use of an evaluation function to increase the
local relevance of replies in online anchored discussion. Being implemented in
a university course on French linguistics, a regular system for anchored
discussion is compared with two versions that are enhanced with an integrated
evaluation function. The function asks students to evaluate the relevance of
each others' replies. To compare between experimental and control conditions,
the collaboration protocols are analysed with a newly developed coding scheme
for the local relevance of replies. Statistical processing of the data is done
with a multilevel approach and results indicate that an evaluation function can
effectively increase the local relevance of students' replies, but only if it
is actually used to a certain extent. Using the evaluation function is
hypothesized to increase students' awareness of the importance of writing
relevant replies. Keywords: Collaborative learning; Anchored discussion; Peer-feedback; Dialogue analysis; Coherence; Relevance | |||
| eGames: Is imagination the forgotten ingredient? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 296-301 | |
| Tom Benjamin | |||
| Commercial eGames strive to create seamless transitions between realistic
virtual worlds. This condenses the experience and can create more intense
engagement. However, there is no evidence that this is essential in eGames used
for educational applications. Educators seek nearly opposite attributes. They
need materials that can be disaggregated into units small enough to fit within
timetables and that can be edited and customised to fit curricula without
resort to programming. This paper proposes the alternative of a meta-game -- a
loose string of game and puzzle tasks in the tradition of heroes' journeys,
tournaments, scavenger hunts, and road rallies. Imagination and symbolism
provide the links between otherwise unrelated clues, puzzles, and tasks.
Spreadsheets serve as the ideal hub for meta-games. Current spreadsheets
include form controls such as scroll bars and buttons, share the same
multimedia applications as other office software, and can even create
animation. The spreadsheet has the versatility to fill the niche of the
cardboard box as a plaything. Research is reviewed that supports a role for
eGames with less overt reward and more left to the imagination. Keywords: Games; Education; Electronic games; Virtual worlds; Personalised learning; Spreadsheet; Cognitive dissonance | |||
| Psychosocial predictors of the use of enhanced podcasting in student learning | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 302-309 | |
| Nathan D. Moss; Erin L. O'Connor; Katherine M. White | |||
| The current study examined the influence of psychosocial constructs, from a
theory of planned behavior (TPB) perspective, to predict university students'
(N = 159) use of a newly offered on-line learning tool, enhanced podcasts.
Pre-semester, students completed questionnaires assessing the TPB predictors
(attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control) related to intended
enhanced podcast use until the middle of semester. Mid-semester, students
completed similar items relating to podcast use until the end of semester.
Self-report measures of podcast use were obtained at the middle and end of
semester. At both time points, students' attitudes predicted their intentions
and, at the initial time point, subjective norm also predicted intended podcast
use. An examination of the beliefs underlying attitudes, the only construct to
predict intentions at both time points, revealed differences between those
students higher, rather than lower on intentions to use the podcasts,
especially for the perceived educational benefits of podcast use later in the
semester. Intentions to use enhanced podcasting only predicted self-reported
use in the second half of the semester. Overall, this study identified some of
the determinants which should be considered by those aiming to encourage
student use of novel on-line educational tools. Keywords: Podcast; e-Learning; Theory of planned behavior; Higher education | |||
| An empirical examination of factors influencing the intention to use mobile payment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 310-322 | |
| Changsu Kim; Mirsobit Mirusmonov; In Lee | |||
| With recent advances in mobile technologies, mobile commerce is having an
increasingly profound impact on our daily lives, and beginning to offer
interesting and advantageous new services. In particular, the mobile payment
(m-payment) system has emerged, enabling users to pay for goods and services
using their mobile devices (especially mobile phones) wherever they go. Mobile
payment is anticipated to enjoy a bright future.
In this paper, we reviewed the relevant literature regarding mobile payment services, analyzed the impact of m-payment system characteristics and user-centric factors on m-payment usage across different types of mobile payment users, and suggested new directions for future research in this emerging field. To analyze the adoption behaviors of m-payment users, we proposed an m-payment research model which consists of two user-centric factors (personal innovativeness and m-payment knowledge) and four m-payment system characteristics (mobility, reachability, compatibility, and convenience). We evaluated the proposed model empirically, applying survey data collected from m-payment users regarding their perceptions on mobile payment. We also attempted to categorize m-payment users into early and late adopters and delineated the different factors for these two types of adoptors that affect their intention to use m-payment. The results indicate that the strong predictors of the intention to use m-payment are perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. All respondents reported that the compatibility of m-payment was not the primary reason in their decision to adopt it. Interestingly, our findings indicate that early adopters value ease of use, confidently relying on their own m-payment knowledge, whereas late adopters respond very positively to the usefulness of m-payment, most notably reachability and convenience of usage. Moreover, late adopters' perceived ease of use is influenced by personal innovativeness, which can probably be best explained by the fact that innovative late adopters are tech-savvy and feel confident to use m-payment technologies for their needs. Our study will assist managers in implementing appropriate business models and service strategies for different m-payment user groups, allowing them to exert appropriate time, effort, and investment for m-payment system development. Our study also provides directions for future mobile payment-related studies. Keywords: Mobile payment; System characteristics; Individual differences; Mobile payment users | |||
| Self-concept, self-esteem, gender, race and information technology use | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 323-328 | |
| Linda A. Jackson; Alexander von Eye; Hiram E. Fitzgerald; Yong Zhao; Edward A. Witt | |||
| This research addressed two fundamental questions regarding self-concept,
self-esteem, gender, race and information technology use. First, is technology
use related to dimensions of self-concept and/or to self-esteem? Second, are
there gender and/or race differences in self-concept, self-esteem and
technology use? Approximately 500 youth, average age 12 years old, one-third of
whom were African American and the remaining two-thirds were Caucasian
American, completed multidimensional measures of self-concept, the Rosenberg
(1965) self-esteem scale and measures of frequency of Internet use, Internet
use for communication (email and instant messaging), videogame playing and cell
phone use. Findings indicated that technology use predicted dimensions of
self-concept and self-esteem, with videogame playing having a negative
influence, and Internet use having a positive influence on self-concept
dimensions. Gender differences were observed on several self-concept dimensions
but contrary to expectations not on the social self-concept dimension. Only one
race difference was observed and this was in behavioral self-concept.
Implications of the benefits and liabilities of youth's current and future
technology use are discussed. Keywords: Self-concept; Self-esteem; Technology use; Gender differences; Race/ethnicity differences | |||
| Time on the Internet at home, loneliness, and life satisfaction: Evidence from panel time-diary data | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 329-338 | |
| Irena Stepanikova; Norman H. Nie; Xiaobin He | |||
| This study uses data collected from adult U.S. residents in 2004 and 2005 to
examine whether loneliness and life satisfaction are associated with time spent
at home on various Internet activities. Cross-sectional models reveal that time
spent browsing the web is positively related to loneliness and negatively
related to life satisfaction. Some of the relationships revealed by
cross-sectional models persist even when considering the same individuals over
time in fixed-effects models that account for time-invariant, individual-level
characteristics. Our results vary according to how the time use data were
collected, indicating that survey design can have important consequences for
research in this area. Keywords: Time on the Internet; Loneliness; Life satisfaction | |||
| Career HOPES: An Internet-delivered career development intervention | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 339-344 | |
| Steve Herman | |||
| Career HOPES is an Internet-delivered group counseling intervention designed
to facilitate occupational exploration and career decision making. The
intervention includes automated interactive lessons and self-assessments,
homework assignments, and group discussions in private online forums. A
randomized, controlled experiment (N = 64) was conducted to evaluate (a) the
efficacy of Career HOPES and (b) the contribution of professional moderation of
the online group discussions to outcomes. Participants in two treatment
conditions showed greater gains than control condition participants in career
decidedness as measured by the Occupational Alternatives Questionnaire (d =
.54), occupationally relevant self-knowledge (d = .58), and emission of career
exploration behaviors (d = .50). In one of the treatment conditions, the online
group discussions were moderated by a psychologist with career counseling
experience; in the other treatment condition, the discussions were unmoderated.
Professional moderation resulted in better outcomes on several variables and
greater overall satisfaction with the intervention. Keywords: Career development; Intervention; Internet; Computer applications | |||
| Computer attitude as a moderator in the relationship between computer anxiety, satisfaction, and stress | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 345-352 | |
| Satyanarayana Parayitam; Kiran J. Desai; Mayur S. Desai; Mary K. Eason | |||
| The present study empirically examines the relationship between computer
anxiety, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and stress. Based on
self-efficacy theory and self-worth theory of achievement-motivation, it is
hypothesized that the relationship between computer anxiety and job
satisfaction is curvilinear and attitude towards computer moderates such
relationship. The relationship between computer anxiety and career satisfaction
and job stress were empirically examined in this study. Two hundred and thirty
undergraduate students (125 female and 105 male students) at a university in
south-western part of Louisiana completed computer anxiety, computer attitude,
job satisfaction, career satisfaction and stress surveys. Hierarchical
moderated regression results support that the attitude towards computer acts as
a moderator in the relationship between (i) computer anxiety and stress, (ii)
computer anxiety and job satisfaction, and (iii) computer anxiety and career
satisfaction. Implications for management are discussed. Keywords: Computer anxiety; Attitude towards computers; Job satisfaction; Career satisfaction; Stress | |||
| Understanding the role of an IT artifact in online service continuance: An extended perspective of user satisfaction | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 353-364 | |
| Young Sik Kang; Heeseok Lee | |||
| Given increasing investment in an IT (information technology) artifact
(i.e., online service website), it is becoming important to retain existing
customers. In order to help link website design and investment decisions to the
strategy for retaining customers, we propose a model by extending the user
satisfaction perspective into research on online service continuance. We
empirically tested the model within the context of a social network service.
The analysis results found that website information satisfaction and system
satisfaction play key roles in forming continuance intention through perceived
usefulness and perceived enjoyment. It is also noted that computer anxiety
serves as an important moderator toward continuance intention. Theoretical and
practical implications are offered for better understanding of the role of the
IT artifact in online service post-adoption phenomena. Keywords: Continued IS use; Online service; IT artifact; User satisfaction; Computer anxiety; Social network service | |||
| SOCIALSENSE: Graphical user interface design considerations for social network experiment software | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 365-370 | |
| Noah Stupak; Nicholas DiFonzo; Andrew J. Younge; Christopher Homan | |||
| Using networked computers in laboratory experiments to investigate group
dynamics currently requires the creation of special program application
software. Design considerations for a useable graphical user interface (GUI) in
such software are discussed in this paper. We describe SOCIALSENSE
communication software created to experimentally test the effect of different
social network configurations, group membership, and group integration on
patterns of rumor self-organization. The software connected 16 participants
using several different network configurations via a web-accessible Java
applet, tasked them with making sense of rumors presented to them, enabled
"neighbors" to synchronously or asynchronously communicate, and recorded their
selections and beliefs. Four principles of design were followed: employ reading
gravity, minimize cognitive load, use pre-existing mental models, and select
color to direct attention. A description of each principle is presented, how it
was applied to the GUI, and how it could be applied to other social network
experiment program interfaces. Keywords: Apparatus; Computer-mediated communication; Gossip; Group structure; Groupware; Social networks | |||
| Neurophysiological correlates in interface design: An HCI perspective | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 371-376 | |
| Q. H. Mach; M. D. Hunter; R. S. Grewal | |||
| Objective: The current study examines the changes in functional connectivity
that occurs when expert users adapt to an alternate mapping. Background:
Research has indicated that interfaces that are similar will result in more
errors and may contribute to confusion. Methods: Six volunteers were recruited
to determine the neurophysiological changes that occur when users are exposed
to an alternate mapping once an internal mental model is formed. Results: The
results indicated a change in synchronization after alterations to the button
mappings occurred. By altering the layout or order of the task, a difference in
the activation pattern was observed. New areas became synchronized while
synchronized activity that was present in the developed internal model became
desynchronized. Altering the complexity of the task resulted in different
patterns of activation recorded on the quantitative electroencephalogram
(QEEG). Conclusion: Users often form a schema when learning a device and
subsequent interactions are compared to the mental model formed during the
initial learning phase. If the newer interface differs significantly a new
schema is formed, resulting in a different pattern of synchronization recorded
on the QEEG. Application: The use of this knowledge can assist in the
development of new interfaces. If the intent is to create a similar interface
design, the activation pattern should remain the same indicating that the old
schema can be applied. An interface that displays a different cognitive pattern
will indicate that a new schema was developed. Keywords: QEEG; HCI; Expert user; Novel interfaces | |||
| The interactional effects of atmospherics and perceptual curiosity on emotions and online shopping intention | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 377-388 | |
| Dong-Mo Koo; Seon-Hee Ju | |||
| With increasing importance of online stores, a great number of studies have
focused on extending our knowledge related to successful functional aspects
increasing ease of use and usefulness. More recent studies have focused on
identifying the effects produced by hedonic aspects of online store environment
such as web atmospherics on emotional responses of customers. However, previous
studies have been somewhat deficient in their investigation of studying diverse
aspects of online consumer characteristics, which may have an impact on
customer evaluation of atmospheric cues. Building on this research tradition,
the present study addresses two critical issues. The present study adopting a
well validated S-O-R framework tests the effect of atmospheric cues of online
stores on the intervening affective emotional states of consumers, which have a
subsequent impact on behavioral intention. Additionally, the model hypothesizes
that perceptual curiosity (PC) moderates the relationships between atmospheric
cues and shoppers' emotional reactions. Structure equation model confirmed that
online atmospherics such as graphics, colors, and links have an impact on
customer emotions such as pleasure and arousal, both of which have subsequent
effects on intention. The moderating effect of perceptual curiosity has also
been supported. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and
directions for future research are discussed in conclusion. Keywords: Online store; Atmospherics; Emotion; Pleasure; Arousal; Intention; Moderator; Perceptual curiosity | |||
| Cross-validation of reliability, convergent and discriminant validity for the problematic online game use scale | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 389-398 | |
| Min Gyu Kim; Joohan Kim | |||
| The main purpose of the present study is to develop a measure of problematic
online game use by identifying underlying factors and testing external
validities of the scale. The authors tested the scale with the three age
groups: 5th, 8th, and 11th graders. Through a series of exploratory and
confirmatory factor analyses, the present study confirmed that the POGU scale
produced reliable and consistent factorial structures across the independent
samples. The results supported convergent validity of the scale: POGU showed
significant correlations with academic self-efficacy, anxiety, loneliness, and
satisfaction with daily life. The results also supported the discriminant
validity. The POGU scale did not redundantly measure any of individual
difference constructs and was statistically distinguishable from the closely
correlated constructs. Keywords: Problematic online game use (POGU) scale; Confirmatory factor analysis; Convergent validity; Discriminant validity | |||
| Computer anxiety and attitudes among undergraduate students in Greece | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 399-405 | |
| S. Korobili; A. Togia; A. Malliari | |||
| This study attempts to give an insight to the computer anxiety levels and
attitudes toward computers of the students of the Library and Information
Systems (LIS) Department of Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of
Thessaloniki using Computer Anxiety Rating Scale (CARS) and Computer Attitudes
Scale (CAS). Both constructs were examined using explanatory factor analysis.
Internal consistency of the factors of each construct was satisfactory. It was
found that there was a strong negative relationship between the two concepts.
Canonical correlation analysis demonstrated that anxiety explains more variance
of the attitudes than vice versa. Another finding was that most of LIS students
were not anxious toward computers and with positive attitudes. Factors
correlated negatively with anxiety and positively with attitudes, were
knowledge of English language, PC ownership, access of students to computers at
younger ages, perceived advanced computer skills and computer experience as
reflected by frequency of computer use. Keywords: Computer anxiety; Computer attitudes; Computer experience; Greece; Library Science students | |||
| All about me: Disclosure in online social networking profiles: The case of FACEBOOK | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 406-418 | |
| Amanda Nosko; Eileen Wood; Seija Molema | |||
| The present research examined disclosure in online social networking
profiles (i.e., FACEBOOK ). Three studies were conducted. First, a scoring tool
was developed in order to comprehensively assess the content of the personal
profiles. Second, grouping categories (default/standard information, sensitive
personal information, and potentially stigmatizing information) were developed
to examine information pertinent to identity threat, personal and group threat.
Third, a grouping strategy was developed to include all information present in
FACEBOOK, but to organize it in a meaningful way as a function of the content
that was presented. Overall, approximately 25% of all possible information that
could potentially be disclosed by users was disclosed. Presenting personal
information such as gender and age was related to disclosure of other sensitive
and highly personal information. Age and relationship status were important
factors in determining disclosure. As age increased, the amount of personal
information in profiles decreased. Those seeking a relationship were at
greatest risk of threat, and disclosed the greatest amount of highly sensitive
and potentially stigmatizing information. These implications of these findings
with respect to social and legal threats, and potential means for identifying
users placing themselves at greatest risk, are discussed. Keywords: FACEBOOK; Online; Social communication; Social networking; Disclosure; Privacy; Internet; Threat | |||
| Comprehension effects of signalling relationships between documents in search engines | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 419-426 | |
| Ladislao Salmerón; Laura Gil; Ivar Bråten; Helge Strømsø | |||
| A key task for students learning about a complex topic from multiple
documents on the web is to establish the existing rhetorical relations between
the documents. Traditional search engines such as Google® display the
search results in a listed format, without signalling any relationship between
the documents retrieved. New search engines such as Kartoo® go a step
further, displaying the results as a constellation of documents, in which the
existing relations between pages are made explicit. This presentation format is
based on previous studies of single-text comprehension, which demonstrate that
providing a graphical overview of the text contents and their relation boosts
readers' comprehension of the topic. We investigated the assumption that
graphical overviews can also facilitate multiple-documents comprehension. The
present study revealed that undergraduate students reading a set of web pages
on climate change comprehended them better when using a search engine that
makes explicit the relationships between documents (i.e. Kartoo-like) than when
working with a list-like presentation of the same documents (i.e. Google-like).
The facilitative effect of a graphical-overview interface was reflected in
inter-textual inferential tasks, which required students to integrate key
information between documents, even after controlling for readers' topic
interest and background knowledge. Keywords: Multiple-documents comprehension; Text comprehension; Graphical overviews; Web search engines | |||
| Small-device users situationally impaired by input | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 427-435 | |
| Yeliz Yesilada; Simon Harper; Tianyi Chen; Shari Trewin | |||
| Users of small computational devices, such as Mobile telephones or Personal
Digital Assistants, are situationally impaired by both the device and the
context of the device's use. This paper describes empirical work which makes
the link between the behaviour of motor impaired desktop users and non-impaired
users of small-devices. This is important because it may, therefore, be
possible to leverage existing solutions for motor-impaired users into the
small-device domain. We find that there is significant overlap in the extent of
the problems encountered, but not the magnitude. Eight of the 11 existing
errors made by motor-impaired users were also present in our small-device study
in which two additional error types, key ambiguity and landing errors, were
also observed. In addition, small-device rates for common error types were
higher than those of desktop users with no impairment, but lower than those of
desktop users with motor impairments. We suggest that this difference is
because all users were seated to maintain constancy between studies and assert
that this magnitude difference will equalise once the small-device is used in a
mobile context. Keywords: Motor-impaired; Dexterity-impaired; Small-device; Typing; Pointing; Input; Errors | |||
| Beyond self-efficacy: Measuring pre-service teachers' Instructional Technology Outcome Expectations | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 436-442 | |
| Dale S. Niederhauser; Serkan Perkmen | |||
| The purpose of this study was to examine concurrent and construct validity
for the Instructional Technology Outcome Expectation (ITOE) scale. Outcome
expectation is an intrapersonal factor which influences individuals'
motivation. In the present study, we examined outcome expectation beliefs with
regard to integrating technology into teaching practice. Findings revealed that
outcome expectation is a multifaceted construct consisting of three components
(performance, self-evaluative and social outcome expectations), and that the
ITOE scale shows good validity and psychometric properties. Use of the scale
can help teacher educators and inservice providers more efficiently and
effectively address outcome expectations as they help teachers integrate
technology into their practice. Keywords: Outcome expectation; Teacher preparation; Computer attitude; Instructional Technology | |||
| The effects of incorporating a virtual agent in a computer-aided test designed for stress management education: The mediating role of enjoyment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 443-451 | |
| Seung-A. Annie Jin | |||
| Drawing upon the Entertainment-Education paradigm, this study evaluated the
effectiveness of a computer-aided interactive test designed for stress
management education targeting college students. The presence (vs. absence) of
a virtual agent incorporated into the interactive test was proposed as the key
factor that induces enjoyment and educational outcomes. The interactive test
consisted of scenarios describing stressful situations that could occur in
college students' everyday lives. Furthermore, college students could relate
the concerns raised by these hypothetical situations to the ways they manage
their stress and mental health. After the student's choice behavior in each
scenario, a virtual agent conveyed health-related educational messages via a
text-modal dialogue box. Participants who took the interactive test in which
there was a virtual agent perceived the test as more educational and
entertaining than those who took the test without a virtual agent. Results of a
path analysis also revealed a significant mediating role of enjoyment on
educational outcomes (i.e., students' enjoyment of the interactive test
mediated the effects of the presence of a virtual agent on their perceived
educational value of health information), thus confirming the
Entertainment-Education link. In addition, engaging in the interactive test
resulted in stress management self-efficacy improvement. Theoretical and
practical implications are discussed. Keywords: Virtual agent; Interactive test; Stress management; Entertainment-Education; Mediating role of enjoyment | |||
| Building an interaction design pattern language: A case study | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 452-463 | |
| Stefan L. Pauwels; Christian Hübscher; Javier A. Bargas-Avila; Klaus Opwis | |||
| Interaction design patterns are a proven way to communicate good design.
However, current pattern collections are not sufficiently powerful and
generative to be used as a guide for designing an entire application such as
those used in complex business environments. This study shows how we built and
validated interaction design patterns that serve as the specification for the
redesign of an application. Additionally, they were integrated into a pattern
language, as a ruleset for human-computer interaction (HCI) non-professionals
to continue development of the application. We demonstrate how individual
phases in the redesign of an application can be matched with the process of
creating an interaction design pattern language. To facilitate the writing of
individual interaction design patterns as well as the development of the
pattern language as a whole, a combination of user interviews, controlled
experiments and analytical methods has been applied successfully. Keywords: Design patterns; Pattern languages; Interaction design | |||
| Analysis on the evolution of the discourse on computer software and programming languages in the light of literary genres and POWER-KNOWLEDGE | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 464-473 | |
| Mohammad Hannan | |||
| Although much analyses have been performed on the collaborative nature of
software development in papers (Bardram, 1997; Bardram, 1998a, 1998b;
Barthelmess & Anderson, 2002) with some of them in the perspective of
Vygotsky's Activity theory, less focus has been given on the discursive
evolution of software as different 'Genres'. In this article we will
investigate discursive formation of software and the programming languages in
course of time driven by increased 'Activities', 'Dialogue' and 'Power'
exercised by certain user groups and entities which will complement our efforts
with Activity theory and Foucaultdian POWER-KNOWLEDGE. We will show that POWER
relation is affecting user preferences, choices and activities, which are
producing changes in the programming languages and creating new software
genres. We have borrowed the term 'Genre' from the literary studies of Bakhtin
and applying it for software. The way different coexisting social classes in a
specific time in history leave their fingerprints in different speech and
text-genres, we claim that similar mechanisms exist in the software world. We
will show that a modern software system is developing improved 'Dialogism' or
'Intertextuality', 'Chronotope' 'Heteroglossia' and forming its own discourse.
Our presentation is heavily dependent on Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of literary
genres and Foucaultdian concept of POWER-KNOWLEDGE. Keywords: Discourse; Literary genres; Chronotope; Heteroglossia; Dialogism; POWER-KNOWLEDGE | |||
| An examination of two mental workload measurement approaches to understanding multimedia learning | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 474-481 | |
| Eric N. Wiebe; Edward Roberts; Tara S. Behrend | |||
| This study reports on an examination of two measures of mental workload: the
NASA-TLX and Paas' Subjective Cognitive Load (SCL) measure. The goal was to
assess the relative efficacy of the measures in the design and research of
multimedia learning environments. Benchmarks based on the literature as to the
goals for mental workload measurement in learning research are established. A
multifaceted study was conducted which manipulated various aspects of mental
workload in order to study the utility of these two measures in detecting
changes in load and their relationship to learning outcomes. The results
indicate that the weighted version of the NASA-TLX provided little additional
value over the unweighted version of the measure. While both the NASA-TLX and
SCL measures were sensitive to changes in both intrinsic and extraneous load,
the study revealed differences in the measures based on levels of each of these
load factors. The study also concludes that a better understanding of the third
factor, germane load, will be needed to both expand the theoretical framework
about mental workload in instructional settings and further understand the
utility of these two measures. Keywords: Mental workload; Cognitive load theory; Cognitive load measurement; Subjective ratings; Multimedia learning | |||
| Gender, age and income differences in internet usage among employees in organizations | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 482-490 | |
| Ibrahim Akman; Alok Mishra | |||
| This paper reviews and discusses Internet issues and reports the findings of
a survey concerning the impact of gender, age and income on employees' Internet
usage in Turkey. Internet usage was categorized in two empirical factors,
namely usage profile (reason for using the Internet, average daily use of the
Internet) and usage patterns (average daily use of the Internet for
communication/e-mailing/chat, information access/downloading/entertainment and
electronic services). The survey was conducted among 200 employees from public
and private sector organizations. The results indicated that gender has a
positive impact on average daily time spent on the use of the Internet for
communication/e-mailing/chat and information access/downloading/entertainment.
Age has a positive impact on average daily use of the Internet in general and a
negative impact on the use of the Internet for information
access/downloading/entertainment. Income was not found to have an impact on
empirical factors. Finally, gender, age and income do not have any significant
impact on average daily use of Internet for electronic services such as
e-commerce/e-shopping/e-banking/e-government. Keywords: Internet; Gender; Age; Income; Employees; Moods median test; Multiple regression; χ² test | |||
| Emerging and scripted roles in computer-supported collaborative learning | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 491-494 | |
| Jan-Willem Strijbos; Armin Weinberger | |||
| Emerging and scripted roles pose an intriguing approach to analysing and
facilitating CSCL. The concept of emerging roles provides a perspective on how
learners structure and self-regulate their CSCL processes. Emerging roles
appear to be dynamic over longer periods of time in relation to learners'
advancing knowledge, but are often unequally distributed in ad hoc CSCL
settings, e.g., a learner being the 'typist' and another being the 'thinker'.
Empirical findings show that learners benefit from structuring or scripting
CSCL. Scripts can specify roles and facilitate role rotation for learners to
equally engage in relevant learning roles and activities. Scripted roles can,
however, collide with emerging roles and therefore need to be carefully attuned
to the advancing capabilities of the learners. Keywords: Roles; Scripted roles; Emerging roles; Collaborative learning; CSCL | |||
| Developing the role concept for computer-supported collaborative learning: An explorative synthesis | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 495-505 | |
| Jan-Willem Strijbos; Maarten F. De Laat | |||
| The role concept has attracted a lot of attention as a construct for
facilitating and analysing interactions in the context of computer-supported
collaborative learning (CSCL). So far much of this research has been carried
out in isolation and the focus on roles lacks cohesion. In this article we
present a conceptual framework to synthesise the contemporary conceptualisation
of roles, by discerning three levels of the role concept: micro (role as task),
meso (role as pattern) and macro (role as stance). As a first step to further
conceptualise 'role as a stance', we present a framework of eight participative
stances defined along three dimensions: group size, orientation and effort. The
participative stances -- Captain, Over-rider, Free-rider, Ghost, Pillar,
Generator, Hanger-on and Lurker -- were scrutinised on two data sets using
qualitative analysis. The stances aim to facilitate meaningful description of
student behaviour, stimulate both teacher and student awareness of roles at the
macro-level in terms of participative stances, and evaluate or possibly change
the participation to collaborative learning on all levels. Keywords: Roles; Collaborative learning; CSCL; Scripting; Narratives; Higher education | |||
| Learning to argue online: Scripted groups surpass individuals (unscripted groups do not) | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 506-515 | |
| Armin Weinberger; Karsten Stegmann; Frank Fischer | |||
| Students often face process losses when learning together via text-based
online environments. Computer-supported collaboration scripts can scaffold
collaborative learning processes by distributing roles and activities and thus
facilitate acquisition of domain-specific as well as domain-general knowledge,
such as knowledge on argumentation. Possibly, individual learners would require
less additional support or could equally benefit from computer-supported
scripts. In this study with a 2 × 2-factorial design (N = 36) we
investigate the effects of a script (with versus without) and the learning
arrangement (individual versus collaborative) on how learners distribute
content-based roles to accomplish the task and argumentatively elaborate the
learning material within groups to acquire domain-specific and argumentative
knowledge, in the context of a case-based online environment in an Educational
Psychology higher education course. A large multivariate interaction effect of
the two factors on learning outcomes could be found, indicating that
collaborative learning outperforms individual learning regarding both of these
knowledge types if it is structured by a script. In the unstructured form,
however, collaborative learning is not superior to individual learning in
relation to either knowledge type. We thus conclude that collaborative online
learners can benefit greatly from scripts reducing process losses and
specifying roles and activities within online groups. Keywords: CSCL; Collaborative learning; Individual learning; Online learning; Collaboration scripts; Argumentative knowledge construction | |||
| Roles as a structuring tool in online discussion groups: The differential impact of different roles on social knowledge construction | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 516-523 | |
| Bram De Wever; Hilde Van Keer; Tammy Schellens; Martin Valcke | |||
| This study focuses on stimulating social knowledge construction in
e-discussions and examines the introduction of five roles: starter, summariser,
moderator, theoretician, and source searcher. Asynchronous discussion groups of
10 1st-year students Instructional Sciences were organised to foster students'
processing of the learning content. Four successive authentic tasks of three
weeks each were presented. Taking into account the moment of introduction of
the role assignment (at the start of the discussions versus at the end), the
differential impact of the roles on knowledge construction is studied through
quantitative content analysis based on the interaction analysis model of
Gunawardena, Lowe, and Anderson (1997). The results show a positive effect of
role assignment on students' social knowledge construction at the start of the
discussions. This implies that roles should be introduced at the start of the
discussions and can be faded out towards the end. With respect to the
differential impact of the roles, the results show that messages from
moderators, theoreticians, and summarisers reflect higher levels of knowledge
construction at the start of the discussions. Even students without a role in
role-supported groups benefit from the role introduction. Keywords: Roles; Computer-supported collaborative learning; Collaborative learning; Computer-mediated communication; Collaboration; Distance education | |||
| Boundaries and roles: Positioning and social location in the Virtual Math Teams (VMT) online community | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 524-532 | |
| Johann W. Sarmiento; Wesley Shumar | |||
| As research in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) expands its
understanding of joint knowledge building, new perspectives on how social
reality is constructed become necessary. Our research concentrates on the
longitudinal or diachronic trajectories of Virtual Math Teams (VMT) at The Math
Forum, an online community supporting mathematical inquiry. We investigate how
these virtual teams constitute themselves while engaged in building
collaborative knowledge. We describe as well, through the lens of positioning
theory, the interactional activities that allow participants to situate
themselves, others, and their collective knowledge resources over time. Our
analysis suggests that positioning work is central to constructing a sustained
problem space and illustrates how the configurations of positions and resources
that co-participants put forward through interaction might change across a
team's trajectory. These changes constitute and are sensitive to the
participants' evolving reasoning routines and other forms of joint
participation uniquely related knowledge building. In addition, we show that
the VMT activity system affords participants a level of disciplinary engagement
which is partly illustrated by active engagement in positioning work. Finally,
we suggest that an interactional approach to roles and participation provides a
fruitful framework for researchers, designers, and practitioners interested in
understanding and creating engaging CSCL interactions. Keywords: Collaborative learning; Cooperative learning; Computer assisted instruction; Intergroup dynamics; Role taking; Longitudinal analysis | |||
| Dynamics of social roles in a knowledge management community | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 533-546 | |
| Isa Jahnke | |||
| With the emergence of community-oriented Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) applications, e.g., Wikipedia, the popularity of
socio-technical phenomena in society has increased. This development emphasises
the need to further our understanding of how computer-supported social group
structures change over time and what forms emerge. This contribution presents
the results of a qualitative field study of a Socio-Technical Community (STC).
The STC is described from its founding (in 2001) to its sustainable development
(in 2006) as well as its transformation phase (2007-2008). The design-based
research approach revealed changes of social structures by social roles within
the STC over time. The central conclusion is that such STC's -- networks of
computer-mediated communication and human interaction -- evolve a specific kind
of social structure, which is formal rather than informal. The results indicate
that a group evolves from an informal trust-based community with few formal
roles to a STC where the social mechanisms, and not the software architecture,
supports knowledge management processes. Keywords: Socio-Technical Communities; Roles; Social structures; Community change; Design-based research; Qualitative paradigm | |||
| Of scripts, roles, positions, and models | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 547-550 | |
| Hans Spada | |||
| The analysis of emerging roles in computer-supported collaborative learning
(CSCL) is of high relevance for a better understanding of the effects of
learning in groups and is important for adapting the scripting of roles to the
already existing role pattern(s). This commentary first reviews the individual
contributions to this special issue and subsequently addresses three additional
perspectives: (a) what are the characteristics of good collaboration in
problem-solving and learning, and which roles, or patterns of roles, might have
favourable effects in this regard? (b) besides scripting roles learners can be
instructed to collaborate by providing them with a model of an exemplary
collaboration. Are the effects comparable? (c) ultimately we want learners to
use roles in a strategic way, and in concluding the commentary outlines how
this aim is in line with the overarching goal of promoting the concept of human
agency in learning. Keywords: Scripts; Roles; Positions; Learning from models; CSCL | |||
| Roles, design, and the nature of CSCL | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 551-555 | |
| Christopher Hoadley | |||
| In this article, I argue that roles are a key construct for CSCL that
demonstrate the interdisciplinary strengths of CSCL as a field. CSCL is a
problem-driven field with a history of incorporating different paradigms, and
has the advantage of using a design stance to understand phenomena like
collaboration and learning that are difficult to study. Roles are understood
differently by different disciplines, but the concept of roles serves as a
boundary object between the different disciplines within CSCL and highlights
potential areas for research. Keywords: Roles; Scripting; CSCL; Design-based research methods | |||
| The use of 'Clickers' in the classroom: Teaching innovation or merely an amusing novelty? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 556-561 | |
| Michael E. Lantz | |||
| 'Clickers' are individual response devices in which students each have a
remote control that allows them to quickly and anonymously respond to questions
presented in-class. Clickers are now being used in many classrooms as an active
learning component of courses. Educators considering the use of clickers in
their own classrooms may wonder whether the clickers are a worthwhile,
pedagogical tool or merely an amusing novelty. As Li (2008) pointed out,
research has examined clicker effects on interaction within the classroom, but
little research has examined whether clicker use can affect the understanding
of concepts. This article will discuss ways in which clickers may help students
organize and understand material presented in the classroom. The paper is
intended to help guide educators in potentially effective uses of clickers as
well as to guide future research. Keywords: Individual response technology; Active learning; Active responding; Effective instructing | |||
| Towards a social network model for understanding information and communication technology use for general practitioners in rural Australia | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 562-571 | |
| Kon Shing Kenneth Chung; Liaquat Hossain | |||
| In this study, we develop a theoretical model based on social network
theories and the social influence model to understand how knowledge
professionals utilise technology for work and communication. We investigate the
association between ego-centric network properties (structure, position and
tie) and information and communication technology (ICT) use of individuals in
knowledge-intensive and geographically dispersed settings. Analysis from data
collected using a reliable and validated questionnaire show that task-level ICT
use is significantly associated with degree centrality and functional tie
diversity; and communication-level ICT use is negatively associated with
efficiency. The implications of these associations for knowledge-intensive work
mean that it is important to consider the professional social network
characteristics of potential users of the technology for designing ICT-enabled
organizations. The greater the number and diversity of peers individuals
interact with translates into more opportunities to use ICT for
context-specific tasks. Results from this study also show that individuals who
tend to isolate themselves from peers tend to be slow adopters or low users of
ICT. Thus, an understanding of how network structure inter-relates with
technology and its adopters proves beneficial in reaping benefits required at
the organizational (macro) and individual (micro) levels. Keywords: Social network; Structure; Ties; Position; ICT use; Knowledge-intensive work | |||
| Managing perceived communication failures with affordances of ICTs | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 572-580 | |
| Chei Sian Lee | |||
| Affordances of information communication technology (ICT) are often thought
to influence communicators' usage of a communication technology. This is not
surprising since ICTs vary on different dimensions; some ICTs may impose
constraints while others afford certain resources. Despite the widespread usage
of ICTs in the workplace, we are still not clear about how affordances of ICTs
support communicators during ICT-supported interaction. This exploratory study
aims to understand the relationship between affordances of ICTs and perceived
communication failures (i.e. low, moderate, high). Data for this research was
collected from a leading global IT consulting company. We found strong
association between affordances of ICT and perceived communication failures. In
particular, we found that textual and audio affordances were used to manage
high perceived communication failures. Additionally, we were able to identify
the core and tangential affordances of ICTs that were useful to help
organization communicators enhance their communication competence and reduce
potential communication failures. Keywords: Organizational communication; Affordances; Computer-mediated communication; Human perception; Communication failures; ICT use | |||
| A fully personalization strategy of E-learning scenarios | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 581-591 | |
| Fathi Essalmi; Leila Jemni Ben Ayed; Mohamed Jemni; A Kinshuk; Sabine Graf | |||
| The personalization in E-learning systems has been the subject of many
recent research efforts. While a large number of systems have been implemented,
many of these systems allow the application of very few if not just one
predefined personalization strategy. This is a constraint for providing
effective E-learning experience and for rationalizing the personalization needs
of the pedagogues, the professors and the learners. In this paper, we propose a
new approach for personalization of learning scenarios based on two levels: The
first level allows the personalization of learning scenarios according to a
predefined personalization strategy. The second level allows teachers to select
personalization parameters and combine them flexibly to define different
personalization strategies according to the specifics of courses. The proposed
solution is a step to federate the research efforts on the E-learning
personalization by integrating and combining the personalization parameters.
Concerning the technological aspect, Web service technology constitutes an
operational solution for implementing our approach and for the interoperability
with other E-learning personalization systems. Beside the implementation of an
interoperable solution, we also aim to enable teachers to provide proper
personalized learning scenarios. Keywords: Personalization parameters; Personalized E-learning systems; Learning scenarios; Linguistic variable; Web services | |||
| Guided self-help via internet for panic disorder: Dissemination across countries | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 592-596 | |
| T. Nordgreen; B. Standal; H. Mannes; T. Haug; B. Sivertsen; P. Carlbring; G. Andersson; E. Heiervang; O. E. Havik | |||
| Guided self-help via Internet is a promising way of treating panic disorder
(PD). The present study examined the effects of a self-help program via
Internet with weekly therapist contact for PD after disseminated to a new
country. Predictors of outcome were also examined. The study was an open trial
with 27 participants with PD with or without agoraphobia as their primary
diagnose. Medium to large effects on PD-symptoms were reported after treatment
and at 6 months follow-up, with smaller effects on secondary outcome measures,
i.e. depression, interpersonal problems, and sleep problem. The attrition rate
of 30% in present study was higher than in Swedish studies. Predictor analysis
showed that participants with longer duration of PD-symptoms had less
improvement on all outcome measurers, whereas higher age predicted more
improvement. The guided self-help program remained effective when disseminated
to a new country, but the high attrition rate needs to be addressed in future
studies. Keywords: Panic disorder; Guided self-help; Internet; Cognitive behaviour therapy; Predictors | |||
| Exploring gender differences in online shopping attitude | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 597-601 | |
| Bassam Hasan | |||
| While attitude and gender are important factors that affect online shopping
behavior, toward online shopping attitude remains a poor understood construct.
Moreover, very few studies, if any, have explicitly addressed gender
differences in online shopping attitude. Using attitude as a multidimensional
concept to include cognitive, affective, and behavioral components, the present
study examines gender differences across the three attitudinal components. The
results of empirical testing demonstrate three distinct components of online
shopping attitude and significant gender differences in all three attitudinal
components. The results also show that the largest gender difference is in the
cognitive attitude, indicating that females value the utility of online
shopping less than their male counterparts do. Keywords: Gender; Online shopping; Attitude; Affect; Cognition; Behavior | |||
| Presenting a model of predicting computer anxiety in terms of epistemological beliefs and achievement goals | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 602-608 | |
| Reza G. Jahromi; Masoud G. Lavasani; Ahmad Rastegar; Alireza Mooghali | |||
| The aim of this study was to prepare a model for computer anxiety through
investigating the relationship of achievement goals and epistemological beliefs
with computer anxiety. In order to fulfill this, 375 undergraduate students
(218 female and 157 male) from the University of Tehran were chosen through
relative class sampling. They completed a questionnaire composed of an
achievement goals scale, an epistemological beliefs questionnaire, and a
computer anxiety scale. The results showed that mastery and
performance-avoidance goals directly and epistemological beliefs indirectly,
i.e.; through the mediating role of achievement goals, can significantly (p
< 0.01) predict computer anxiety. Keywords: Model of computer anxiety; Achievement goals; Epistemological beliefs | |||
| School counselors perceived importance of counseling technology competencies | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 609-617 | |
| Russell A. Sabella; Timothy A. Poynton; Madelyn L. Isaacs | |||
| The purpose of this study was to determine levels of perceived importance of
technological competencies among school counselors, school counseling students,
supervisors, and counselor educators as the competencies relate to their work.
Results indicated that technology competencies relating to Ethical Standards
and Data Management practices were rated as most important. Technological
competencies rated lowest for level of importance related to Multimedia and Web
Development. Four of the other subscales were very similar in overall average
ratings and included Word Processing, World Wide Web, Communication and
Collaboration, and Operating Systems. In addition, findings indicate that
neither the participant's age, level of practice, or position (e.g., graduate
student vs. practitioner) affects the perceived importance of technological
competencies included in this survey. Implications for practice, training, and
future research are included. Keywords: Educational psychology; Educational/vocational counseling and student services; School counseling; Technology adaptation; Technological literacy | |||
| Coping with information technology challenges to identity: A theoretical framework | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 618-629 | |
| Hamid Nach; Albert Lejeune | |||
| Drawing on ideas from identity control theory and coping theory and on a
diverse range of social psychology literature, we propose an integrative
theoretical framework that unpacks and traces the processes by which
information technology comes to affect users' identity. We define four types of
strategies (acting on the situation, adjusting the self, cathartic practices
and distancing) through which people cope with technological challenges to the
self. We suggest that these strategies may lead to four individual-level
outcomes, namely reinforced identity, redefined identity, ambivalent identity
and anti-identity. The model is provided with a preliminary support through
reference to real life situations, carefully selected from extant empirical IS
enquiries. Keywords: Identity control theory; Coping theory; Information technology; Identity; Emotion | |||
| Team member selection decisions for virtual versus face-to-face teams | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 630-635 | |
| Geeta C. D'Souza; Stephen M. Colarelli | |||
| We compared the importance placed on task skills and four personal
characteristics when selecting members of virtual and face-to-face teams. We
expected that task skills would be most important in selection decisions for
virtual teams due to the lack of physical proximity and visibility, whereas
personal characteristics would be more important for face-to-face team
selection. In a policy capturing study, 100 undergraduates' decision policies
indicated that task skills had a greater impact on selection decisions for
virtual teams. Gender also influenced selection decisions, with women choosing
more female than male applicants for both types of teams. Applicants' race,
physical attractiveness, and attitudinal similarity to participants did not
influence selection decisions for either type of team; however, when assessed
by self-report evaluations, these characteristics and gender, had a greater
influence for face-to-face teams. Keywords: Virtual teams; Face-to-face teams; Selection; Decision-making | |||
| E-file adoption: A study of U.S. taxpayers' intentions | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 636-644 | |
| Ludwig Christian Schaupp; Lemuria Carter; Megan E. McBride | |||
| The United States Congress has set ambitious goals for the diffusion of
e-government initiatives. One of congress' goals for the 2007 tax year was for
80% of tax and informational returns to be filed electronically (IRS., 2004).
In 2008, 90 million Americans choose to e-file (IRS., 2009); however, Congress'
goal of 80% adoption has still fallen short. This paper integrates the Unified
Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, online trust,
perceived risk, and optimism bias into a comprehensive model of e-file
adoption. To empirically test the model a survey is administered to 260 United
States taxpayers. Structural equation modeling is used to evaluate
relationships between these concepts and intention to use. Results indicate
performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and optimism
bias all have a significant impact on e-file intention. Trust in the internet
and trust in the e-file provider were shown to significantly influence
perceived risk. Implications for practice and research are discussed. Keywords: E-government; E-filing; IT adoption; Perceived risk; Trust; Optimism bias | |||
| Group norms, media preferences, and group meeting success: A longitudinal study | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 645-655 | |
| Zixiu Guo; Felix B. Tan; Tim Turner; Huizhong Xu | |||
| Group norms are known to have an effect on group meeting success. But to
what extent do these norms affect choice of media for communication of group
members, and what role does this effect play, if any, in group meeting success?
This paper empirically examines these questions. It takes a novel approach in
considering these questions longitudinally to investigate the importance of the
formation and affect of norms over time. The study presented here showed that
group norms do influence group member media preference and that, over time,
these effects grow stronger. Furthermore, a strong positive association between
the similarity of group media preferences and group meeting success is
revealed. The paper concludes with a discussion of the importance and
implications of understanding the effect of group norms on technology use and
meeting success. Keywords: Computer-mediated communication (CMC); Group meeting success; Group norms; Longitudinal research methods; Partial least squares (PLS) | |||
| Technology and young children: How 4-7 year olds perceive their own use of computers | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 656-664 | |
| Susan McKenney; Joke Voogt | |||
| This study examined young children's access, perceptions and use of
technology within and outside of school settings. One hundred sixty seven
children from varied ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds participated in the
study. Regardless of gender, socio-economic status or ethnic group, most
children had access to computers in and outside of schools. In both settings,
pre-K through grade 2 children report that they primarily use computers to play
games. Children's attitudes toward computers are positive. Older children tend
to use the computer more often, are better able to operate the computer and
their attitudes towards computers are more positive. Boys' attitudes towards
computers are more positive than the attitudes of girls, but no gender
differences were found for computer use nor ability level. While no significant
differences were found between the attitudes of Dutch and immigrant children,
the latter group indicated more frequent use. Also, children from a lower
socio-economic neighborhood had more positive attitudes towards computers and
used computers slightly more often than middle class children. The findings of
this study inform the debate on the desirability of young children's exposure
to computers at home as well as in educational settings. Further, these
findings may help educators and parents to both critically assess their current
practices (e.g. the relative value of the most frequently used applications --
games), and strive to integrate developmentally appropriate uses of technology
at home and in classrooms. Keywords: Kindergarten; Elementary school; Computer; Technology; Gender; Ethnicity | |||
| The more humanlike, the better? How speech type and users' cognitive style affect social responses to computers | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 665-672 | |
| Eun-Ju Lee | |||
| The present experiment investigated if anthropomorphic interfaces facilitate
people's tendency to project social expectations onto computers and how such
effects might vary depending on users' cognitive style. In a 2 (synthetic vs.
recorded speech) × 2 (flattering vs. generic feedback) × 2 (low vs.
high rationality) × 2 (low vs. high experientiality) experiment,
participants played a trivia game with a computer. Use of recorded speech did
not amplify the previously documented flattery effects (Fogg & Nass, 1997),
challenging the notion that anthropomorphism will promote social responses to
computers. Participants evaluated the human-voiced computer more positively and
conformed more to its suggestions than the one using synthetic speech, but such
effects were found only among less analytical or more intuition-driven
individuals, suggesting dispositional differences in people's susceptibility to
anthropomorphic cues embedded in the interface. Keywords: Anthropomorphism; Computers Are Social Actors (CASA); Experientiality; Rationality | |||
| Increasing trust in mobile commerce through design aesthetics | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 673-684 | |
| Yung-Ming Li; Yung-Shao Yeh | |||
| The growth of mobile commerce (m-commerce) has motivated a better
understanding of how trust can be built on a mobile device. Researchers have
previously examined design aesthetics (or visual aesthetics) of mobile website
and incorporated a hedonic component of enjoyment in m-commerce domain, but the
relationship between design aesthetics of mobile website design and customer
trust in m-commerce has been rarely investigated. In this study, design
aesthetics was enhanced to include a website characteristics component as
important to trust development on the mobile Internet. This model was examined
through an empirical study involving 200 subjects using structural equation
modeling techniques. Our research found that design aesthetics did
significantly impact website characteristics component, especially
customization, perceived usefulness and ease of use, all of which were
ultimately shown to have significant explanatory power in affecting customer
trust. Keywords: Mobile commerce; Trust; Design aesthetics; Website design; Website quality | |||
| Why provide an online review? An extended theory of planned behavior and the role of Big-Five personality traits | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 685-696 | |
| Sergio Picazo-Vela; Shih Yung Chou; Arlyn J. Melcher; John M. Pearson | |||
| Online review, an important form of reputation systems, has been studied
intensively because of its powerful impact on online retailers, intermediaries,
and customers. However, to date, very little attention has been paid to factors
that influence an individual's intention to provide an online review. An
extended theory of planned behavior and Big-Five personality framework are used
in this study. We empirically examine our model by using a cross-sectional
survey study, collecting data from a sample of 171 online shoppers. Results
show that attitude, perceived pressure, neuroticism, and conscientiousness are
significant predictors of an individual's intention to provide an online
review. Findings may help online retailers and/or intermediaries increase the
number of online reviews provided, which will lead to more accurate rating
information about transactions, products, or services and may serve as a
stepping-stone to continuous improvements. Implications, limitations, and
future research directions are discussed. Keywords: Online reviews; Theory of planned behavior; Big-Five personality | |||
| In-store consumer behavior: How mobile recommendation agents influence usage intentions, product purchases, and store preferences | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 697-704 | |
| Tobias Kowatsch; Wolfgang Maass | |||
| Product information given in purchase situations influences purchase
behavior. In online purchase situations, the use of recommendation agents
increases the value of product information as information becomes adaptive and
thus more relevant to consumers' information needs. Correspondingly, mobile
recommendation agents (MRAs) may also increase the value of product information
in bricks-and-mortar stores. In this sense, product information is not only
adaptive but can also be requested at any place such as in front of products
consumers are interested in. Because unprecedented, we investigate the use of a
MRA that is virtually bound to a physical product via an RFID-enabled mobile
device and provides product information. Based on Theory of Planned Behavior,
Innovation Diffusion Theory, and Technology Acceptance Model, we develop a
model to better understand the impact of MRAs on usage intentions, product
purchases and store preferences of consumers. This model is then tested in a
lab experiment (n = 47). Among high usability scores, results indicate that
perceived usefulness of a MRA influences product purchases, predicts usage
intentions and store preferences of consumers. Thus, new business models for
retail stores can be considered in which MRAs satisfy both the information
needs of consumers and the communication needs of retailers. Keywords: Consumer behavior; Decision support system; Personal digital assistant | |||
| Effectiveness of image-based mnemonic techniques for enhancing the memorability and security of user-generated passwords | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 705-715 | |
| Deborah Nelson; Kim-Phuong L. Vu | |||
| Complex passwords are hard to remember, so people often pick simple
passwords, write complex ones down, and reuse the same password across multiple
accounts. Proactive password checking (PPC) restrictions and mnemonic
techniques can enhance password security and memorability. Participants in this
study were assigned to one of three password generation groups: PPC
restrictions alone, image-based mnemonic, or text-based mnemonic. They were
asked to generate and later recall passwords for five separate fictitious
online accounts. The use of mnemonic techniques resulted in the generation of
longer and more complex passwords. Furthermore, passwords were more accurately
recalled when they were generated using the image-based mnemonic technique or
PPC restrictions alone, as opposed to the text-based mnemonic technique.
However, passwords generated using PPC restrictions alone were more easily
forgotten and susceptible to being cracked. Thus, the image-based mnemonic
technique was shown to be the most effective method for generating secure and
memorable passwords. Keywords: Human memory; Security; Passwords; Username-password; Mnemonics | |||
| Fostering transfer of websearchers' evaluation skills: A field test of two transfer theories | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 716-728 | |
| Amber Walraven; Saskia Brand-Gruwel; Henny P. A. Boshuizen | |||
| Transfer of complex cognitive skills is important when stimulating students
to become life long learners. An example of a complex cognitive skill is the
skill of evaluating results, information and source while solving information
problems using the WWW. Especially the knowledge and use of evaluation criteria
is crucial in this matter. Two educational programs to foster this skill in
students were designed and evaluated. The programs were based on two different
transfer theories. The first program was based on the theory that transfer of
complex cognitive skills is fostered through the development of a rich
knowledge structure. The second program is based on the theory that transfer is
fostered by paying explicit attention to the various steps that have to be
taken in a problem solving process. Effects of the two programs on increase in
knowledge and use of criteria and degree of transfer were determined. Results
show that both programs enable transfer. Keywords: Information-problem solving; WWW; Transfer; Evaluation of information; Instruction | |||
| Is compulsive internet use related to sensitivity to reward and punishment, and impulsivity? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 729-735 | |
| G.-J. Meerkerk; R. J. J. M. van den Eijnden; I. H. A. Franken; H. F. L. Garretsen | |||
| Aim of the present study was to examine whether the personality correlates
sensitivity to reward and to punishment, and impulsivity predict compulsive
internet use (CIU). Furthermore, the predictive value of these personality
correlates was compared to the predictive value of factors relating to
psychosocial wellbeing. The results showed that particularly rash spontaneous
impulsivity predicts CIU and that this personality factor is more important
than psychosocial wellbeing factors. Sensitivity to reward, which is supposed
to play a role in craving processes associated with substance abuse and eating
disorders, could not be related to CIU. The data suggest that internet users
who are characterized by an impulsive personality feature, are less able to
control their use of the internet, which makes them more vulnerable to develop
CIU. Keywords: Compulsive internet use; Internet addiction; Impulsivity; Sensitivity to reward; Sensitivity to punishment | |||
| Internet administration of self-report measures commonly used in research on social anxiety disorder: A psychometric evaluation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 736-740 | |
| Erik Hedman; Brjánn Ljótsson; Christian Rück; Tomas Furmark; Per Carlbring; Nils Lindefors; Gerhard Andersson | |||
| The Internet has become increasingly popular as a way to administer
self-report questionnaires, especially in the field of Internet delivered
psychological treatments. Collecting questionnaire data over the Internet has
advantages, such as ease of administration, and automated scoring. However,
psychometric properties cannot be assumed to be identical to the
paper-and-pencil versions. The aim of this study was to test the equivalence of
paper-and-pencil and Internet administered versions of self-report
questionnaires used in social phobia research. We analyzed data from two trials
in which samples were recruited in a similar manner. One sample (N = 64)
completed the paper-and-pencil version of questionnaires and the second sample
(N = 57) completed the same measures online. We included the Liebowitz Social
Anxiety Scale-self-assessment (LSAS-SR), the Social Interaction and Anxiety
Scale (SIAS), and the Social Phobia Scale (SPS) as measures of social anxiety.
Also included were the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating
Scale-self-assessment (MADRS-S), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the
Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI). Results showed equivalent psychometric
properties across administration formats. Cronbach's α ranged between
0.77 and 0.94. There was an indication of a somewhat higher construct validity
when participants filled out questionnaires using paper-and-pencil. We conclude
that the LSAS-SR, SIAS, and SPS can be administered via the Internet with
maintained psychometric properties. Keywords: Self-report questionnaire; Internet; Psychometrics; Social anxiety disorder | |||
| Motivation in online learning: Testing a model of self-determination theory | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 741-752 | |
| Kuan-Chung Chen; Syh-Jong Jang | |||
| As high attrition rates becomes a pressing issue of online learning and a
major concern of online educators, it is important to investigate online
learner motivation, including its antecedents and outcomes. Drawing on Deci and
Ryan's self-determination theory, this study proposed and tested a model for
online learner motivation in two online certificate programs (N = 262). Results
from structural equation modeling provided evidence for the mediating effect of
need satisfaction between contextual support and motivation/self-determination;
however, motivation/self-determination failed to predict learning outcomes.
Additionally, this study supported SDT's main theorizing that intrinsic
motivation, extrinsic motivation, and a motivation are distinctive constructs,
and found that the direct effect and indirect effects of contextual support
exerted opposite impacts on learning outcomes. Implications for online learner
support were discussed. Keywords: Online learning; Motivation; Self-determination theory; Structural equation modeling; Student support; Instructional strategies | |||
| Using audio to support animated route information in a hospital touch-screen kiosk | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 753-759 | |
| Patricia Wright; Anthony Soroka; Steve Belt; Duc T. Pham; Stefan Dimov; David De Roure; Helen Petrie | |||
| It can be difficult for both patients and staff to find particular locations
within large, modern hospital building complexes. Interactive way-finding
information on a touch-screen kiosk might remedy this, but numerous design
issues face those developing appropriate interfaces. This paper discusses the
decisions underlying a design which provided routes to 16 destinations in the
UK's third largest hospital, for both stair users and those wishing to avoid
stairs. All routes included an animated map, photographs and text boxes with
optional spoken output. Assessment methods included unobtrusive observation of
kiosk users, analysis of computer logs, and interviews with reception staff who
normally answered way-finding queries. Observation confirmed that people using
the touch-screen reached their destinations. The computer logs over 10 weeks
showed a stable daily average of 82 people interacting with the kiosk. Most
way-finders (72%) retained the voice output but 28% turned it off, suggesting
that modality choice is needed in multimedia interfaces for the public. This
study highlighted beneficial side-effects of interactive way-finding kiosks,
such as enabling patients to access relevant route information before visiting
the hospital. This information could be provided via the internet or by
including a printout of the relevant route with the appointment letter. Keywords: Animated maps; Pedestrian navigation; Public information kiosks; Route information; Spoken text; Way-finding | |||
| Integrating TTF and UTAUT to explain mobile banking user adoption | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 760-767 | |
| Tao Zhou; Yaobin Lu; Bin Wang | |||
| Due to its advantages such as ubiquity and immediacy, mobile banking has
attracted traditional banks' interests. However, a survey report showed that
user adoption of mobile banking was much lower than that of other mobile
services. The extant research focuses on explaining user adoption from
technology perceptions such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use,
interactivity, and relative advantage. However, users' adoption is determined
not only by their perception of the technology but also by the task technology
fit. In other words, even though a technology may be perceived as being
advanced, if it does not fit users' task requirements, they may not adopt it.
By integrating the task technology fit (TTF) model and the unified theory of
acceptance and usage of technology (UTAUT), this research proposes a mobile
banking user adoption model. We found that performance expectancy, task
technology fit, social influence, and facilitating conditions have significant
effects on user adoption. In addition, we also found a significant effect of
task technology fit on performance expectancy. Keywords: Task technology fit (TTF); Unified theory of acceptance and usage of technology (UTAUT); Mobile banking; User adoption | |||
| Exploring and mitigating social loafing in online communities | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 768-777 | |
| Yih-Chearng Shiue; Chao-Min Chiu; Chen-Chi Chang | |||
| The motivation to share members' knowledge is critical to an online
community's survival and success. Previous research has established that
knowledge sharing intentions are based on group cohesion. Several studies also
suggested that social loafing behavior will seriously corrode group cohesion.
Therefore, social loafing is a key obstacle to fostering online community
development. Although substantial studies have been performed on the critical
factors that affect social loafing in the learning group, those on online
communities are still lacking. By integrating two perspectives, social capital
and perceived risk, a richer understanding of social loafing behavior can be
gained. In the research model, social ties and perceived risk have been driven
by anonymity, offline activities, knowledge quality, and media richness. Social
ties and perceived risk are hypothesized to affect social loafing in the online
community, which, in turn, is hypothesized as negatively affecting group
cohesion. Data collected from 323 online users in online communities provide
support for the proposed model. The study shows that social loafing is a
significant negative predictor of the users' group cohesion. The study also
shows that social ties and perceived risk are important components of social
loafing. Anonymity, offline activities, knowledge quality, and media richness
all have strong effects on social ties and perceived risk in the online
community. Implications for theory and practice and suggestions for future
research are discussed. Keywords: Social loafing; Group cohesion; Online community; Social capital; Perceived risk | |||
| Balancing uniqueness and assimilation in computer-mediated groups | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 778-784 | |
| Junghyun Kim | |||
| The goal of the current study is to investigate how the augmented visual
similarity and individuation can influence group identification process in
computer-mediated groups. In investigating this topic, this study relies on the
assumption that human beings need to meet two competing motivations --
assimilation motivation and uniqueness motivation -- at the same time. An
experiment using virtual self-representations showed that uniform virtual
appearance, whatever form it may take, encouraged group identification.
However, uniform appearance did not increase assimilation within
computer-mediated groups all the time, because uniform appearance made
individuals perceive a strong threat to their uniqueness and became less
willing to agree with others as a way to restore their uniqueness. On the
contrary, people might have pandered to their uniqueness motivation from being
represented by excessively idiosyncratic visual cues. As a way to boost up the
other motivation, assimilation motivation, they tried to find any cue that can
bond themselves with others even amongst differences in their visual
representations. Keywords: Group identity; Computer-mediated communication (CMC); Social identity model of deindividuation effects (SIDE); Uniqueness theory; Optimal distinctiveness theory; Uniqueness motivation; Assimilation motivation | |||
| Advancing educational research on collaboration through the use of gStudy computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) tools: Introduction to special issue | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 785-786 | |
| Carmen L. Z. Gress; Allyson F. Hadwin | |||
| This is an introduction to a special issue on computer-supported
collaborative learning. Keywords: Computer-supported collaborative learning; gStudy; Roles; Prompts; Scripts; Co-operative learning; Self-regulated learning; Ontology | |||
| The learning kit project: Software tools for supporting and researching regulation of collaborative learning | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 787-793 | |
| Philip H. Winne; Allyson Fiona Hadwin; Carmen Gress | |||
| Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is a dynamic and varied
area of research. Ideally, tools for CSCL support and encourage solo and group
learning processes and products. However, most CSCL research does not focus on
supporting and sustaining the co-construction of knowledge. We identify four
reasons for this situation and identify three critical resources every
collaborator brings to collaborations that are underutilized in CSCL research:
(a) prior knowledge, (b) information not yet transformed into knowledge that is
judged relevant to the task(s) addressed in collaboration, and (c) cognitive
processes used to construct these informational resources. Finally, we
introduce gStudy, a software tool designed to advance research in the learning
sciences. gStudy helps learners manage cognitive load so they can re-assign
cognitive resources to self-, co-, and shared regulation; and it automatically
and unobtrusively traces each user's engagement with content and the means
chosen for cognitively processing content, thus generating real-time
performance data about processes of collaborative learning. Keywords: Collaborative learning environment; gStudy; Self-regulated learning; Tracing | |||
| Innovative ways for using gStudy to orchestrate and research social aspects of self-regulated learning | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 794-805 | |
| Allyson F. Hadwin; Mika Oshige; Carmen L. Z. Gress; Philip H. Winne | |||
| This paper explores the ways three different theoretical perspectives of the
social aspects of self-regulated learning [Hadwin, A. F. (2000). Building a
case for self-regulating as a socially constructed phenomenon. Unpublished
doctoral dissertation, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada; Hadwin, A.
F., & Oshige, M. (2006). Self-regulation, co-regulation, and
socially-shared regulation: Examining many faces of social in models of SRL. In
A. F. Hadwin, & S. Jarvela (Chairs), Socially constructed self-regulated
learning: Where social and self meet in strategic regulation of learning.
Symposium conducted at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research
Association, San Francisco, CA] have been operationalized in a computer
supported learning environment called gStudy. In addition to contrasting social
aspects of SRL and drawing connections with specific collaborative tools and
structures, this paper explores the potential of gStudy to advance theory,
research, and practice. Specifically it discusses how the utilization of
differing collaborative models provides new avenues for systematically
researching social aspects of SRL and their roles in collaboration. Keywords: Self-regulated learning; gStudy; Computer-supported collaborative learning; Socio-cognitive; Socio-cultural; Social constructionist | |||
| Measurement and assessment in computer-supported collaborative learning | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 806-814 | |
| Carmen L. Z. Gress; Meghann Fior; Allyson F. Hadwin; Philip H. Winne | |||
| The overall goal of CSCL research is to design software tools and
collaborative environments that facilitate social knowledge construction via a
valuable assortment of methodologies, theoretical and operational definitions,
and multiple structures [Hadwin, A. F., Gress, C. L. Z., & Page, J. (2006).
Toward standards for reporting research: a review of the literature on
computer-supported collaborative learning. In Paper presented at the 6th IEEE
International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, Kerkrade,
Netherlands; Lehtinen, E. (2003). Computer-supported collaborative learning: an
approach to powerful learning environments. In E. De Corte, L. Verschaffel, N.
Entwistle & J. Van Merriëboer (Eds.), Unravelling basic components and
dimensions of powerful learning environments (pp. 35-53). Amsterdam,
Netherlands: Elsevier]. Various CSCL tools attempt to support constructs
associated with effective collaboration, such as awareness tools to support
positive social interaction [Carroll, J. M., Neale, D. C., Isenhour, P. L.,
Rosson, M. B., & McCrickard, D. S. (2003). Notification and awareness:
Synchronizing task-oriented collaborative activity. International Journal of
Human-Computer Studies 58, 605] and negotiation tools to support group social
skills and discussions [Beers, P. J., Boshuizen, H. P. A. E., Kirschner, P. A.,
& Gijselaers, W. H. (2005). Computer support for knowledge construction in
collaborative learning environments. Computers in Human Behavior 21, 623-643],
yet few studies developed or used pre-existing measures to evaluate these tools
in relation to the above constructs. This paper describes a review of the
measures used in CSCL to answer three fundamental questions: (a) What measures
are utilized in CSCL research? (b) Do measures examine the effectiveness of
attempts to facilitate, support, and sustain CSCL? And (c) When are the
measures administered? Our review has six key findings: there is a plethora of
self-report yet a paucity of baseline information above collaboration and
collaborative activities, findings in the field are dominated by 'after
collaboration' measurement, there is little replication and an over reliance on
text-based measures, and an insufficient collection of tools and measures for
examining processes involved in CSCL. Keywords: Computer-supported collaborative learning; Measurement; Assessment | |||
| Designing roles, scripts, and prompts to support CSCL in gStudy | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 815-824 | |
| R. Morris; A. F. Hadwin; C. L. Z. Gress; M. Miller; M. Fior; H. Church; P. H. Winne | |||
| This paper addresses the paucity of computer supported collaborative
learning (CSCL) tools and research that focus on actual computer embedded
supports, guides, and scaffolds to effectively support the collaborative
process. This paper: (a) explores the potential of support in the form of
roles, scripts, and prompts to scaffold collaborative engagement in
computer-based learning environments, (b) explores ways these supports might be
implemented in a CSCL learning environment, namely gStudy, (c) describes how
collaborative supports in gStudy might enhance opportunities for students to
learn to self-regulate collaborative activity, and (d) uses examples from our
research to propose ways these types of support tools might advance research in
CSCL. Keywords: Computer-supported collaborative learning; Roles; Prompts; Scripts; Scaffold; gStudy | |||
| Assessing process in CSCL: An ontological approach | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 825-834 | |
| Vive S. Kumar; Carmen L. Z. Gress; Allyson F. Hadwin; Phillip H. Winne | |||
| Educational technology innovations enable students to collaborate in online
educational tasks, across individual, institutional, and national boundaries.
However, online interactions across these boundaries are seldom transparent to
each other. As a result, students are not motivated to share their best
learning practices. Also, there is no singular basis on which one can compare
learning practices of multiple students. In addressing these problems, we offer
a solution that encourages students to record and share their learning
interactions using our ontology-oriented theory-centric software tool. In doing
so, students not only observe the products of their learning but also the
process of how they learnt. These unique and computationally formal recordings
of learning interactions not only allow educators to observe how learners
learn, but also provide opportunities for learners to reflect on their
understanding of meta-cognitive processes that they employed or neglected in
their learning. Further, these recordings feed our software system to
autonomously analyze students' learning behaviour and to actively promote self-
and co-regulation among learners. This article presents the need for such a
system, the architecture of the system, and concludes with key experimental
observations from software prototypes. Keywords: Computer-supported collaborative learning; Ontology; Trace data; gStudy | |||
| On the nature of support in computer-supported collaborative learning using gStudy -- January 17, 2009 | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 835-839 | |
| Philip C. Abrami | |||
| The authors of the articles in this special issue of Computers in Human
Behavior explore the nature of support in gStudy, a computer-supported
collaborative learning (CSCL) environment, especially from the perspective of
the theory of self-regulation [e.g., Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attainment of
self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P. Pintrich,
& M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation, research and applications
(pp. 13-39). Orlando, FL: Academic Press]. To comment critically on the
systematic and comprehensive research this collection of articles represents is
a daunting task. Therefore, I want to begin by insuring that the reader has the
appropriate impression of the quality and importance of the collection of
studies and the tool itself. Keywords: Discussant; Commentary; Computer-supported collaborative learning; Cooperative learning | |||
| Managing workload in human-robot interaction: A review of empirical studies | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 840-856 | |
| Matthew S. Prewett; Ryan C. Johnson; Kristin N. Saboe; Linda R. Elliott; Michael D. Coovert | |||
| Working with artificial agents is a challenging endeavor, often imposing
high levels of workload on human operators who work within these
socio-technical systems. We seek to understand these workload demands through
examining the literature in major content areas of human-robot interaction. As
research on HRI continues to explore a host of issues with operator workload,
there is a need to synthesize the extant literature to determine its current
state and to guide future research. Within HRI socio-technical systems, we
reviewed the empirical literature on operator information processing and action
execution. Using multiple resource theory (MRT; Wickens, 2002) as a guiding
framework, we organized this review by the operator perceptual and responding
demands which are routinely manipulated in HRI studies. We also reviewed the
utility of different interventions for reducing the strain on the perceptual
system (e.g., multimodal displays) and responses (e.g., automation). Our
synthesis of the literature demonstrates that much is known about how to
decrease operator workload, but there are specific gaps in knowledge due to
study operations and methodology. This work furthers our understanding of
workload in complex environments such as those found when working with robots.
Principles and propositions are provided for those interested in decreasing
operator workload in applied settings and also for future research. Keywords: Performance; Teleoperation; Automation; Perception; Display | |||
| How shall I trust the faceless and the intangible? A literature review on the antecedents of online trust | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 857-869 | |
| Ardion Beldad; Menno de Jong; Michaël Steehouder | |||
| Trust is generally assumed to be an important precondition for people's
adoption of electronic services. This paper provides an overview of the
available research into the antecedents of trust in both commercial and
non-commercial online transactions and services. A literature review was
conducted covering empirical studies on people's trust in and adoption of
computer-mediated services. Results are described using a framework of three
clusters of antecedents: customer/client-based, website-based, and
company/organization-based antecedents. Results show that there are many
possible antecedents of trust in electronic services. The majority of the
research has been conducted in the context of e-commerce; only few studies are
available in the domains of e-government and e-health. For many antecedents,
some empirical support can be found, but the results are far from univocal. The
research calls for more, and particularly more systematic, research attention
for the antecedents of trust in electronic services. The review presented in
this paper offers practitioners an overview of possibly relevant variables that
may affect people's trust in electronic services. It also gives a
state-of-the-art overview of the empirical support for the relevance of these
variables. Keywords: e-Commerce; Trust; Online trust; Website design; Organizational reputation; e-Government; e-Health | |||
| Computer use by older adults: A multi-disciplinary review | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 870-882 | |
| Nicole Wagner; Khaled Hassanein; Milena Head | |||
| As the populations of most of the world's developed nations experience an
increase in average age, a similar trend is being observed in the population of
computer and Internet users. In many cases, older adults are the fastest
growing computer and Internet user group in both personal and workplace
contexts. However, the needs and concerns of older adults as computer users
differ from those of younger users as a result of the natural changes
associated with the aging process. Much research has been conducted in a
variety of fields in order to understand how these changes experienced by older
adults impact their use of computers and the Internet. This article reviews
this existing research and provides a holistic view of the field. Since the
study of computer use by older adults is a multi-disciplinary topic by nature,
we provide a synthesis of the findings across these many disciplines, and
attempt to highlight any gaps that exist. We use Social Cognitive Theory as a
lens to view and organize the literature, as well as illustrate means through
which computer use by this user group can be encouraged. Finally, suggestions
for future research are proposed, and implications for research and practice
are discussed. Keywords: Older adults; Aging; Computer use; Literature review; Social Cognitive Theory | |||
| Comparing narratives of personal and preferred partner characteristics in online dating advertisements | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 883-888 | |
| Elizabeth M. Morgan; Tamara C. Richards; Emily M. VanNess | |||
| This study explored online personal ads of 294 heterosexual and homosexual
men and women in the United States through a qualitative analysis and
comparison of participant-generated "personal" and "preferred partner"
narratives. Nine characteristics were identified and combined into three
overarching categories: physical, lifestyle, and personality characteristics.
These three personal and preferred partner characteristics were examined for
difference by gender, sexual orientation, age and desired relationship type of
the advertisers. Main effects emerged for all four predictors, most notably for
age and desired relationship type. Additionally, this study explored the
possibility that personal and preferred partner narratives contained similar
constellations of characteristics, finding significant correlations on all
three variables, lending support for the matching hypothesis in dating partner
characteristics. Keywords: Internet dating; Gender differences; Mate preferences; Initiation of personal relationships | |||
| The effect of emoticons in simplex and complex task-oriented communication: An empirical study of instant messaging | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 889-895 | |
| Tainyi (Ted) Luor; Ling-ling Wu; Hsi-Peng Lu; Yu-Hui Tao | |||
| Many studies have shed light on general computer-mediated communication,
instant messaging (IM), and emotion or emoticons, but little is known
specifically about the impacts of emoticons in task-oriented IM communication
in the workplace. Therefore, the current study addresses this issue by
conducting an exploratory experiment to (1) categorize workplace IM messages
into coherent groups, (2) identify the most commonly used emoticons (emblems)
for expressing positive, negative, and neutral emotions in the case company,
(3) test the differences in the emotional effects of the received text messages
with and without emoticons on the reader/s, and (4) examine the intention to
use emoticons in IM in the workplace. The results showed that (1) negative
emoticons could cause a negative effect in both simplex and complex
task-oriented communication, (2) positive emoticons only created a positive
effect in complex communication and for female employees in simplex
communication, and (3) there is no significant difference between task-oriented
messages with or without neutral emoticon. Furthermore, the intention of using
emoticons was not statistically significant in terms of gender, but it has a
higher tendency on female employees. The corresponding suggestions provided by
this research may help increase our understanding on the effect of emoticon use
in IM in the workplace. Keywords: Instant messaging; Task-oriented communication; Simplex and complex communication; Emotional effects; Emoticons | |||
| A longitudinal study of the relation between adolescent boys and girls' computer use with friends and friendship quality: Support for the social compensation or the rich-get-richer hypothesis? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 896-905 | |
| Malinda Desjarlais; Teena Willoughby | |||
| Using computers with friends either in person or online has become
ubiquitous in the life of most adolescents; however, little is known about the
complex relation between this activity and friendship quality. This study
examined direct support for the social compensation and rich-get-richer
hypotheses among adolescent girls and boys by including social anxiety as a
moderating factor. A sample of 1050 adolescents completed a survey in grade 9
and then again in grades 11 and 12. For girls, there was a main effect of using
computers with friends on friendship quality; providing support for both
hypotheses. For adolescent boys, however, social anxiety moderated this
relation, supporting the social compensation hypothesis. These findings were
identical for online communication and were stable throughout adolescence.
Furthermore, participating in organized sports did not compensate for social
anxiety for either adolescent girls or boys. Therefore, characteristics
associated with using computers with friends may create a comfortable
environment for socially anxious adolescents to interact with their peers which
may be distinct from other more traditional adolescent activities. Keywords: Online communication; Computers; Friendship quality; Social anxiety; Internet | |||
| Determinants of users' intention to adopt wireless technology: An empirical study by integrating TTF with TAM | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 906-915 | |
| David C. Yen; Chin-Shan Wu; Fei-Fei Cheng; Yu-Wen Huang | |||
| This paper reported the results of a survey study and provided evidences of
empirically testing a model that integrates both technology acceptance model
(TAM) and task-technology fit (TTF) model in understanding the determinants of
users' intention to use wireless technology in organizations. Questionnaires
were distributed to organizations that bring mobile commerce into practice
through the wireless handheld devices. The results indicated that both
technology acceptance model and task-technology fit model are robust models by
themselves. First, both perceived usefulness and ease of use significantly
influence users' behavior intention to utilize wireless technology. Perceived
ease of use has significant effect on perceived usefulness. Second,
characteristics of technology and task significantly predict the fit between
these two constructs. Significant effect of characteristics of technology on
perceived ease of use and usefulness were observed. Finally, significant
relationships between TAM and TTF model were also observed. Task-technology fit
is a significant direct predictor of technology adoption intention. Overall,
users' intention to adopt wireless technology in organizations was determined
directly by fit between characteristics of task and technology as well as
users' perceived ease of use and usefulness. Keywords: Mobile commerce; Technology acceptance model; Task-technology fit | |||
| Netiquette within married couples: Agreement about acceptable online behavior and surveillance between partners | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 916-926 | |
| Ellen J. Helsper; Monica T. Whitty | |||
| The internet has become an integral part of many people's everyday lives. It
is unclear what its role is in maintaining intimate offline relationships and
whether the use of the internet might cause conflicts between partners about
what constitutes acceptable online behavior. An online survey of 920 married
couples in the UK who used the internet investigated whether partners have
similar netiquettes. There were high levels of agreement between married
partners about the unacceptability of online infidelities; similarly they
agreed more than two random individuals about the acceptability of
entertainment activities which, in excess, might be addictive. Partners further
showed high correspondence in surveillance behavior. Women were more concerned
about their own and their partner's behavior and were more likely to monitor
their partner's online activities. These findings suggest that a netiquette is
developed and consciously or subconsciously negotiated within intimate
relationships. Nevertheless, traditional gender differences as regards risk
perception still hold; women are more likely to problematies their own and
their partners behaviors. Keywords: Nettiquette; Internet; Marriage; Surveillance; Intimate relationships | |||
| Guiding students' online complex learning-task behavior through representational scripting | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 927-939 | |
| B. Slof; G. Erkens; P. A. Kirschner; J. G. M. Jaspers; J. Janssen | |||
| This study investigated the effects of representational scripting on
students' collaborative performance of a complex business-economics problem.
The scripting structured the learning-task into three part-tasks, namely (1)
determining core concepts and relating them to the problem, (2) proposing
multiple solutions to the problem, and (3) coming to a final solution to the
problem. Each provided representation (i.e., conceptual, causal, or simulation)
was suited for carrying out a specific part-task. It was hypothesized that
providing part-task congruent support would guide student interaction towards
better learning-task performance. Groups in four experimental conditions had to
carry out the part-tasks in a predefined order, but differed in the
representation they received. In three mismatch conditions, groups only
received one of the representations and were, thus, only supported in carrying
out one of the part-tasks. In the match condition, groups received all three
representations in the specified order (i.e., representational scripting). The
results indicate that groups in the match condition had more elaborated
discussions about the content of the knowledge domain (i.e., concepts,
solutions and relations) and were better able to share and to negotiate about
their knowledge. As a consequence, these groups performed better on the
learning-task. However, these differences were not obtained for groups
receiving only a causal representation of the domain. Keywords: External representations; Complex learning-tasks; Computer Supported Collaborative Learning; Representational scripting; Student interaction | |||
| Towards a unified Media-User Typology (MUT): A meta-analysis and review of the research literature on media-user typologies | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 940-956 | |
| Petter Bae Brandtzæg | |||
| Considering the increasingly complex media landscape and diversity of use,
it is important to establish a common ground for identifying and describing the
variety of ways in which people use new media technologies. Characterising the
nature of media-user behaviour and distinctive user types is challenging and
the literature offers little guidance in this regard. Hence, the present
research aims to classify diverse user behaviours into meaningful categories of
user types, according to the frequency of use, variety of use and content
preferences. To reach a common framework, a review of the relevant research was
conducted. An overview and meta-analysis of the literature (22 studies)
regarding user typology was established and analysed with reference to (1)
method, (2) theory, (3) media platform, (4) context and year, and (5) user
types. Based on this examination, a unified Media-User Typology (MUT) is
suggested. This initial MUT goes beyond the current research literature, by
unifying all the existing and various user type models. A common MUT model can
help the Human-Computer Interaction community to better understand both the
typical users and the diversification of media-usage patterns more
qualitatively. Developers of media systems can match the users' preferences
more precisely based on an MUT, in addition to identifying the target groups in
the developing process. Finally, an MUT will allow a more nuanced approach when
investigating the association between media usage and social implications such
as the digital divide. Keywords: Human-Computer Interaction; Media behaviour; User typology; User needs; Internet; Digital divide | |||
| Blogging privacy management rule development: The impact of self-monitoring skills, concern for appropriateness, and blogging frequency | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 957-963 | |
| Jeffrey T. Child; Esther A. Agyeman-Budu | |||
| The current study utilized communication privacy management (CPM) theory to
examine how individuals' blogging privacy management rules are related to their
communication-based personality dispositions (self-monitoring skills and
concern for enacting socially appropriate interactions). The study also
explored relationships between the same dispositions and blogging frequency.
Overall, 356 bloggers completed an online survey instrument. Regression
analysis provided support for both hypotheses. Bloggers with higher
self-monitoring skills had a more private orientation towards their blogging
privacy management practices. Bloggers' CFA level was related to more public
and open blogging permeability rules. High self-monitors and high CFA
dispositions were positively related to blogging frequency. Implications of the
study to current computer-mediated communication (CMC) theory and research are
discussed. Keywords: Computer-mediated communication; Self-monitoring skills; Concern for appropriateness; Blogging interaction; Communication privacy management | |||
| Error correction strategies of professional speech recognition users: Three profiles | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 964-975 | |
| Mariëlle Leijten; Daniel Janssen; Luuk van Waes | |||
| One of the challenges in writing research in general is to explain the
structural variation in writing processes within and between subjects. More or
less recursivity has been attributed to writing experience, proficiency, task
characteristics and the writing mode or medium. This study focuses on
professional writers (n = 10) who use a modern writing instrument -- speech
recognition -- as their primary tool for text production and revision. More
specifically we are interested in the way this new technology affects the
cognitive processes that underlie text production. In our study we have focused
on error correction. We provide a description of the errors that professional
speech recognition users need to deal with, how they deal with them and why
they opt for various error correction strategies. Different converging research
methods were used: (1) product, (2) process, and (3) protocol analysis. The
results are described on two levels: the overall level and the subgroup level
(three writer groups).
The results show that the contrast between immediate and delayed error correction is quite decisive for the way in which writers structure their writing process. Next to this, the distinction between technical problems and revisions also plays an important role. Most writers prefer solving technical problems immediately. The same does not necessarily hold for other revisions. However, the revision behavior is not random: overall results show three distinct patterns or profiles of error correction. First, there are writers who prefer writing a first time final draft and solve technical problems immediately as well as revising the text produced so far immediately (handle profile). Second, writers who solve more than half of the deficiencies in the text produced so far immediately, but who also delay or postpone various technical problems and revisions (postpone revisions profile). Finally, writers who prefer delaying error correction and who delay technical problems to a second draft (postpone technical problems profile). Keywords: Cognitive processes; Error correction; Inputlog; Keystroke logging; On-line writing processes; Pauses; Pause analysis; Research methods; Speech recognition; Writing modes; Writing observation | |||
| Comparative study of three training methods for enhancing process control performance: Emphasis shift training, situation awareness training, and drill and practice | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 976-986 | |
| Dina Burkolter; Annette Kluge; Jürgen Sauer; Sandrina Ritzmann | |||
| Three training methods to improve attention management skills in process
control were compared. Forty students from technical disciplines participated
in a five-hour module of emphasis shift training (EST), EST combined with
situation awareness training (EST/SA), and drill and practice (D&P) on a
simulated process control task. Participants were then tested three times for
45 min each (immediately after training, two weeks after training, and six
weeks after training) for system control performance and diagnostic performance
on familiar and nonfamiliar fault states. D&P led to superior diagnostic
performance on familiar system faults. EST/SA training supported the diagnosis
of novel system faults. EST was less effective than expected for system control
performance. Implications for training design in process control are discussed. Keywords: Training; Process control; Attention; Emphasis shift; Situation awareness; Practice | |||
| Optimistic bias about online privacy risks: Testing the moderating effects of perceived controllability and prior experience | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 987-995 | |
| Hichang Cho; Jae-Shin Lee; Siyoung Chung | |||
| This study examined the ways in which Internet users construct their risk
judgments about online privacy. The results, based on telephone survey data
from a national probability sample in Singapore (n = 910), revealed that (a)
individuals distinguish between two separate dimensions of risk judgment
(personal level and societal level), (b) individuals display a strong
optimistic bias about online privacy risks, judging themselves to be
significantly less vulnerable than others to these risks, and (c) internal
belief (perceived controllability) and individual difference (prior experience)
significantly moderate optimistic bias by increasing or decreasing the gap
between personal- and societal-level risk estimates. The implications of the
findings for research and practice are discussed. Keywords: Online privacy; Optimistic bias; Risk judgments; Perceived vulnerability; Perceived controllability; Prior experience | |||
| Computer-based instruction and generative strategies: Conceptual framework & illustrative example | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 996-1003 | |
| Dave S. Knowlton; Julia Simms | |||
| Adult students who are enrolled in higher education must experience
computer-based instruction that is well-designed in terms of both efficiency
and relevance. Published practical examples of processes that will result in
such instruction are rare. This article begins by describing the needs of adult
students who are enrolled in higher education. Then, this article describes a
project in which Morrison, Ross, and Kemp's (2004) curvilinear instructional
design model was used to create computer-based instruction in the field of
developmental mathematics. Both the design and development phases are
described. The article concludes with implications for others who might use a
similar approach in higher education. Keywords: Computer-based instruction; Generative strategies; Computer integration | |||
| Proficiency and attitudes toward information technologies' use in psychology undergraduates | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1004-1008 | |
| Ana Cázares | |||
| In this study we had two aims: first, to evaluate the self-reported
proficient use of data analysis and information technologies in psychology
undergraduates. Second, to investigate the relationship between their
proficiency level and attitude toward the technology's use for academic, social
and personal activities. Two hundred students were asked to answer two short
Likert scales which shown a high internal consistency (proficiency α =
0.93; attitudes α = 0.88) and a coherent factorial structure. They also
were required to answer a semantic differential scale (α = 86) of whose
bipolar adjectives evaluated the technologies' use in their learning-teaching
process. A regression analysis showed that an efficient e-information searching
and e-downloading strategies as well as considering the active vs passive use
of the technology can together predict (R2 = .754) the usage of complex
technology and abilities. Keywords: Proficiency; Attitudes; Abilities; Data analysis and information technologies | |||
| Experiencing flow with instant messaging and its facilitating role on creative behaviors | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1009-1018 | |
| Maliha Zaman; Murugan Anandarajan; Qizhi Dai | |||
| The goal of this study is to explore how experiencing flow with IM, an
Internet-based communication technology, can facilitate an individual's
perception on creativity. We argue that certain capabilities in IM,
telepresence and perceived control, provide users a means to experience flow.
We further investigate whether flow and its outcomes, positive affect and
exploratory behavior have any influence on the perception of creativity of the
users. Using an online survey with 207 observations we found that user's
perceived control over the technology and its ability to transport the user to
a virtual environment were shown to facilitate the experience of flow. We found
that flow in itself does not influence perceived expected creativity in its
users but does indirectly influence perceived expected creativity through
exploratory behavior and positive affect. From these initial findings we
believe that our study provides implications for both users and designers on
IT. Furthermore, managers can apply the findings during implementation and use
of interactive information technologies for communications in the workplace. Keywords: CMC; Affect; Creativity; Flow; Telepresence; Control | |||
| Will the experience of playing a violent role in a video game influence people's judgments of violent crimes? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1019-1023 | |
| Kwan Min Lee; Wei Peng; Julian Klein | |||
| The present study investigates the impact of the experience of role playing
a violent character in a video game on attitudes towards violent crimes and
criminals. People who played the violent game were found to be more acceptable
of crimes and criminals compared to people who did not play the violent game.
More importantly, interaction effects were found such that people were more
acceptable of crimes and criminals outside the game if the criminals were
matched with the role they played in the game and the criminal actions were
similar to the activities they perpetrated during the game. The results
indicate that people's virtual experience through role-playing games can
influence their attitudes and judgments of similar real-life crimes, especially
if the crimes are similar to what they conducted while playing games.
Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Keywords: Video game; Role playing; Computer game; Violence; Attitude towards crime; Police crime | |||
| Interactivity in multimedia learning: An integrated model | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1024-1033 | |
| Steffi Domagk; Ruth N. Schwartz; Jan L. Plass | |||
| What does interactivity entail? What factors need to be taken into account
in the design of interactive systems? Although interactivity is a widely used
term accorded great prominence in discussions of multimedia learning, even a
preliminary look at the literature suggests that how interactivity is defined,
and what benefits it may offer, are not at all clear. The goal of this article
is therefore to clarify the concept of interactivity. We present a unifying
model that includes the user, the learning environment, and a system of
connections and concepts that together make up interactivity. Such a model can
help inform research, discussion, and design decisions on interactive
multimedia instruction. Keywords: Interactivity; Multimedia learning; Learner control; Guidance; Emotion; Motivation | |||
| Tracing elementary school students' study tactic use in gStudy by examining a strategic and self-regulated learning | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1034-1042 | |
| Jonna Malmberg; Hanna Järvenoja; Sanna Järvelä | |||
| This study investigated, with the help of log file traces (f = 172), how 20
elementary school students used study tactics when studying science within the
gStudy learning environment and examined how tactic use contributed to the
students' achievement. The analysis of this study is divided into two parts.
First, at the situational level, the focus is on capturing the tactics that
were used in different gStudy sessions, classifying the gStudy sessions based
on the tactic use, and illustrating the patterned use of tactics during these
sessions. Second, at the individual level, the focus is on examining individual
students' typical methods of using tactics, which helps to illustrate how
tactic use contributes to the students' achievement. The gStudy sessions were
classified into three categories on the basis of tactic use: rare, moderate,
and frequent. Findings indicate that frequent tactic use did not contribute to
deep learning. Moderate tactic use was fairly effective for learning, but rare
tactic use contributed to deep learning. The results did not show that the use
of many study tactics improves learning; rather, they suggest that the
distinguishing feature in strategic learning is not the tactic use itself but
the way the tactic is performed. Keywords: Self-regulated learning; Study tactic; Learning strategy; gStudy; Computer supported learning; Elementary school students | |||
| The way we share and learn: An exploratory study of the self-regulatory mechanisms in the professional online learning community | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1043-1053 | |
| Fan-Chuan Tseng; Feng-Yang Kuo | |||
| Self-regulation involves a triadic interplay among personal beliefs,
individual behavior, and environment that both proactively and reactively
influences one's adjustment of efforts, courses of action, and attainment of
goals to reach the anticipated outcomes. In this study, we propose and validate
a self-regulation model that explores the effects of social capital and social
cognitive factors on knowledge-sharing behavior. The results demonstrate that
members of an online knowledge communities regulate his or her internal
motivation, external demands, interpersonal relationships, help-seeking
strategies, as well as confidence of capability in utilizing social resources
and performing knowledge sharing task. Through a stronger sense of community,
emotional attachment and empathic concern about others' needs, members develop
a high level of professional competence to collaborate with others and adequate
efficacious beliefs to emotionally and instrumentally help others. The
implications to both research and practice are discussed to enhance the
understanding and effectiveness of self-regulation in the realm of knowledge
management. Keywords: Knowledge sharing; Self-regulation; Social capital; Self-efficacy | |||
| Comparison of paper-and-pencil versus Web administration of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS): Participation, data quality, and perceived privacy and anonymity | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1054-1060 | |
| Maxine M. Denniston; Nancy D. Brener; Laura Kann; Danice K. Eaton; Timothy McManus; Tonja M. Kyle; Alice M. Roberts; Katherine H. Flint; James G. Ross | |||
| The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors priority
health-risk behaviors among US high school students. To better understand the
ramifications of changing the YRBSS from paper-and-pencil to Web
administration, in 2008 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
conducted a study comparing these two modes of administration. Eighty-five
schools in 15 states agreed to participate in the study. Within each
participating school, four classrooms of students in grades 9 or 10 were
randomly assigned to complete the Youth Risk Behavior Survey questionnaire in
one of four conditions (in-class paper-and-pencil, in-class Web without
programmed skip patterns, in-class Web with programmed skip patterns, and "on
your own" Web without programmed skip patterns). Findings included less missing
data for the paper-and-pencil condition (1.5% vs. 5.3%, 4.4%, 6.4%; p <
.001), less perceived privacy and anonymity among respondents for the in-class
Web conditions, and a lower response rate for the "on your own" Web condition
than for in-class administration by either mode (28.0% vs. 91.2%, 90.1%, 91.4%;
p < .001). Although Web administration might be useful for some surveys,
these findings do not favor the use of a Web survey for the YRBSS. Keywords: Privacy; Anonymity; Web-based surveys; Paper-and-pencil surveys | |||
| When more is too much: Operationalizing technology overload and exploring its impact on knowledge worker productivity | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1061-1072 | |
| Pamela Karr-Wisniewski; Ying Lu | |||
| Individuals within organizations are beginning to make an important
realization: more information technology (IT) usage in the workplace can, at
times, lead to productivity losses. We conceptualize this frequently observed,
but largely ignored phenomenon as technology overload, when additional
technology tools begin to crowd out one's productivity instead of enhancing it.
We found support for three main factors contributing technology-based
productivity losses through information overload, communication overload, and
system feature overload. Interestingly, these factors are a function of the
individuals who use the technology, not the technology itself. In this paper,
we present the results from three studies that (1) develop and pre-test a scale
measurement for technology overload and its distinct dimensions, (2) validate
the instrument, and (3) explore the relationship between technology overload
and knowledge worker productivity. Our findings demonstrate the relationship
between information technology usage and knowledge worker productivity, and
they suggest how tradeoffs can be managed to ameliorate technology overload. Keywords: Technology overload; Productivity; Bounded rationality; Cognitive load theory; Human interruption theory; System feature overload; Information overload; Communication overload | |||
| An empirical investigation of electronic word-of-mouth: Informational motive and corporate response strategy | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1073-1080 | |
| Young Lyoul Lee; Seokwoo Song | |||
| The proliferation of the Internet has given birth to a number of complaint
web sites where dissatisfied and frustrated consumers can easily articulate
their opinions and comments on products, services, or companies. Little
attention, however, has been paid to the influence of online complaints on
potential consumers' behaviors. This study attempts to provide the
understanding of causal attribution process in the online complaining
behaviors. The results showed that informational factors, such as vividness and
consensus, facilitated consumers' attribution to companies' responsibility for
the negative events, and subsequently led to changing their evaluation of the
companies. In addition, we found that corporate response strategies to online
complaints should be different from the conventional response strategies. Keywords: Electronic word-of-mouth; Online complaint behavior; Corporate response strategies | |||
| Interactivity and presence of three eHealth interventions | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1081-1088 | |
| Robert P. Hawkins; Jeong-Yeob Han; Suzanne Pingree; Bret R. Shaw; Timothy B. Baker; Linda J. Roberts | |||
| A number of researchers have identified interactivity and presence as
potentially important attributes of eHealth applications, because they are
believed to influence users to interact with systems in ways that increase
commitment, learning, and other desirable responses. This paper reports on the
development of brief scales to assess the two concepts, and on use of them with
participants in six conditions of a large-scale trial of interventions for
breast cancer patients. Overall, the Internet scored very low on both measures.
Versions of an integrated system of services (CHESS) scored higher,
particularly as conditions added features to different versions of the system.
Interventions involving a human Cancer Information Mentor scored highest,
though even the Mentor was perceived as more interactive and having more
presence when combined with the integrated eHealth system. Keywords: Health psychology and medicine; Cognitive therapy; Specialized interventions; Mass media communications | |||
| Theory and measurement of generalized problematic Internet use: A two-step approach | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1089-1097 | |
| Scott E. Caplan | |||
| This study tested an updated cognitive-behavioral model of generalized
problematic Internet use and reports results of a confirmatory analysis of the
Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS2). Overall, the results
indicated that a preference for online social interaction and use of the
Internet for mood regulation, predict deficient self-regulation of Internet use
(i.e., compulsive Internet use and a cognitive preoccupation with the
Internet). In turn, deficient self-regulation was a significant predictor of
the extent to which one's Internet use led to negative outcomes. Results
indicated the model fit the data well and variables in the model accounted for
27% of the variance in mood regulation scores, 65% of variance in participants'
deficient self-regulation scores, and 61% of variance in the negative outcome
scores. Keywords: Problematic Internet use; Computer-mediated communication; CMC; Internet addiction; Preference for online social interaction; Deficient self-regulation; GPIUS2; Measurement | |||
| The contingent effects of leadership on team collaboration in virtual teams | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1098-1110 | |
| Rui Huang; Surinder Kahai; Rebecca Jestice | |||
| Decision-making in virtual teams creates challenges for leaders to structure
team processes and provide task support. To help advance our knowledge of
leadership in virtual teams, we explore the interaction effects between
leadership styles and media richness on task cohesion and cooperative climate,
which in turn influence team performance in decision-making tasks. Results from
a laboratory study suggest that transactional leadership behaviors improve task
cohesion of the team, whereas transformational leadership behaviors improve
cooperative climate within the team which, in turn, improves task cohesion.
However, these effects of leadership depend on media richness. Specifically,
they occur only when media richness is low. Our results also suggest that task
cohesion leads to group consensus and members' satisfaction with the
discussion, whereas cooperative climate improves discussion satisfaction and
reduces time spent on the task. Keywords: Leadership styles; Media richness; Virtual teams; Decision-making | |||
| Internet use intention and adoption among Chinese older adults: From the expanded technology acceptance model perspective | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1111-1119 | |
| Shuya Pan; Maryalice Jordan-Marsh | |||
| The purpose of this paper is to discuss how various factors intertwine to
affect Chinese older adults' decisions to adopt the Internet by applying the
expanded technology acceptance model (TAM). Perceived usefulness (PU),
perceived ease of use (PEU), subjective norm (SN), and facilitating conditions
(FC) were four key predictors. Gender and age were included in the proposed
model as factors to moderate the effect of two key TAM components (PU and PEU)
on adoption behaviors. The results indicate that PU, PEU, and SN were
significant predictors of Internet adoption among Chinese older adults, while
PU, SN, and FC were significant predictors of Internet use intention. The
effect of PEU on Internet use intention was also found to be stronger for older
seniors than younger seniors. Implications for future research and practices
are discussed. Keywords: Internet adoption; Internet use intention; Older adults; TAM; Subjective norm; Facilitating conditions | |||
| When is trust not enough? The role of perceived privacy of communication tools in comfort with self-disclosure | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1120-1127 | |
| Nancy E. Frye; Michele M. Dornisch | |||
| In what circumstances might privacy concerns about new communication tools
like instant messaging help predict the degree to which people feel comfortable
communicating via these new communication tools? The current study examined
whether topic intimacy and perceived privacy predict levels of comfort with
disclosure, and whether these associations are moderated by overall levels of
trust and frequency of technology use. Participants reported on the degree to
which they would feel comfortable discussing each of 32 topics (e.g., "times
when I felt that I was in love") using 10 different communication tools. Topic
and tool interacted, such that the privacy of the communication tool was
related to disclosure comfort only for intimate topics. Privacy concerns were
more important to less frequent technology users, and topic intimacy mattered
most to participants with low levels of trust. Results are discussed in terms
of implications for extending models of disclosure to the selection of new
communication tools. Keywords: Self-disclosure; Trust; Personality | |||
| Cyberbullying in adolescents: Modalities and aggressors' profile | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1128-1135 | |
| Esther Calvete; Izaskun Orue; Ana Estévez; Lourdes Villardón; Patricia Padilla | |||
| In this study, a questionnaire (Cyberbullying Questionnaire, CBQ) was
developed to assess the prevalence of numerous modalities of cyberbullying (CB)
in adolescents. The association of CB with the use of other forms of violence,
exposure to violence, acceptance and rejection by peers was also examined. In
the study, participants were 1431 adolescents, aged between 12 and17 years (726
girls and 682 boys). The adolescents responded to the CBQ, measures of reactive
and proactive aggression, exposure to violence, justification of the use of
violence, and perceived social support of peers. Sociometric measures were also
used to assess the use of direct and relational aggression and the degree of
acceptance and rejection by peers. The results revealed excellent psychometric
properties for the CBQ. Of the adolescents, 44.1% responded affirmatively to at
least one act of CB. Boys used CB to greater extent than girls. Lastly, CB was
significantly associated with the use of proactive aggression, justification of
violence, exposure to violence, and less perceived social support of friends. Keywords: Cyberbullying; Adolescents; Proactive and reactive aggression; Exposure to violence; Social support | |||
| Relationships among ERP post-implementation success constructs: An analysis at the organizational level | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1136-1148 | |
| Princely Ifinedo; Birger Rapp; Airi Ifinedo; Klas Sundberg | |||
| Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems implementation success factors
have been widely researched; however, few have investigated ERP
post-implementation success in organizational contexts. The paucity of research
into ERP system success evaluations partly motivates this research. To that
end, the objective of this study is twofold. First, it primarily investigates
the relationships among six constructs or dimensions in a respecified ERP
system success measurement model, which was developed from prior relevant
frameworks. Second, this research adds to the body of knowledge in the
information system (IS) success evaluation domain, especially with its focus on
ERP packages. The extended ERP system success model was tested using data
collected in a cross-sectional field survey of 109 firms in two European
countries. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test six relevant
hypotheses. The SEM results showed that five out of the six hypotheses have
significant, positive associations. Namely, the constructs of System Quality,
Service Quality, Individual Impact, Workgroup Impact, and Organizational Impact
have strong relevance in ERP success conceptualization, whereas Information
Quality does not, at least, in the context of our data. The pertinence of the
study's findings for IS success evaluation as well as its implications for
practice and research are discussed. Keywords: Enterprise resource planning (ERP); Information system (IS) success; Measurement model; ERP post-implementation success; ERP system success constructs; Structural equation modeling | |||
| Does multimedia help students answer test items? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1149-1157 | |
| Yungwei Hao | |||
| The aim of this study was to investigate the difficulty levels of test items
and student perceptions of the test formats while taking a multimedia exam
(Vexam). The participants were 390 students in the Department of Anthropology,
at the University of Texas at Austin, who took an online, self-paced
undergraduate course, integrated with Vexam. The hypothesis of the quantitative
study was that the difficulty level would be influenced when multimedia formats
were integrated with test items. Qualitative data was collected during and
after the exams, using think-aloud activities and individual interviews
respectively, to explore the effect of multimedia on students. The mixed
research methods elicited findings and some suggestions for future study, and
the results of this study provided implications for educators regarding student
assessment of multimedia integration. Keywords: Media in education; Multimedia/hypermedia systems; Post-secondary education; Testing; Student perceptions | |||
| The use of interactive media among today's youth: Results of a survey | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1158-1165 | |
| Antoine Van den Beemt; Sanne Akkerman; Robert-Jan Simons | |||
| The intensive use of interactive media has led to assertions about the
effect of these media on youth. This paper presents a quantitative study on the
position of interactive media in young people's lives. Rather than following
the assumption of a homogeneous generation, we investigate the existence of a
diversity of user patterns. The research question for this paper: Can patterns
be found in the use of interactive media among youth? We answer this question
by a survey among Dutch youngsters aged 10-23. Four clusters of interactive
media users, namely Traditionalists, Gamers, Networkers and Producers were
identified using cluster analysis. Behind these straightforward clusters, a
complex whole of user activities can be found. Each cluster shows specific use
of and opinions about interactive media. This provides a contextualized
understanding of the position of interactive media in the lives of contemporary
youth, and a nuanced conceptualization of the 'Net generation'. This allows for
studying the intricate relationship between youth culture, interactive media
and learning. Keywords: Youth culture; Interactive media; Games; User's activities; User's opinions | |||
| Programmed instruction and interteaching applications to teaching Java: A systematic replication | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1166-1175 | |
| Henry H. Emurian; Peng Zheng | |||
| Students in a Java computer programming course completed a programmed
instruction tutor and an interteaching session to learn a Java computer program
as the first technical training exercise. The program presented a text string
in a browser window. Prior to the interteaching session, students completed a
tutorial that included exemplars of a test of rule-governed performance that
was administered on three different occasions during this initial learning.
Students showed progressive improvements in test performance and software self
confidence, although the gains observed during interteaching did not always
transfer to a subsequent quiz. The reported backgrounds of the students were
found to relate to the knowledge acquired from the several instructional
tactics. The replication shows the value of using several different
instructional media successively to help students achieve skill and confidence. Keywords: Programmed instruction; Interteaching; Java training | |||
| Reading direction and signaling in a simple computer simulation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1176-1182 | |
| Günter Daniel Rey | |||
| The experiment investigated whether layout of cause and effect affects
learning for causal connections in a simple computer simulation. Students (N =
113) used an introductory text and a simulation to learn central concepts about
neural networks and then took a retention and transfer test. Each learner was
randomly assigned to one cell of a 2 (compliance with reading direction or not)
× 2 (with or without signaling) between subjects factorial design.
Students who obtained the causal connection in reading direction (the cause is
positioned on the left side, the effect is placed on the right side) performed
better on transfer than did students, for whom the reading direction was
reversed (from right to left). Furthermore, signals that indicated the layout
of the causal connection fostered transfer performance and reduced time spent
with the simulation. These results are consistent with the signaling principle
and the cognitive theory of multimedia learning. Keywords: Multimedia learning; Computer simulation; Causal connection; Reading direction; Signaling | |||
| Empowering processes in online support groups among people living with HIV/AIDS: A comparative analysis of 'lurkers' and 'posters' | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1183-1193 | |
| Phoenix K. H. Mo; Neil S. Coulson | |||
| The proliferation of online support groups provides an opportunity for
individuals living with HIV/AIDS to obtain support online. The present study
aimed to explore how different levels of participation in online support groups
are associated with empowering processes and outcomes for individuals living
with HIV/AIDS. A total of 340 individuals living with HIV/AIDS were recruited.
They completed an online questionnaire consisting of measures on satisfaction
with online support groups, empowering processes, self-care self efficacy,
loneliness, optimism, coping, depression, and health-related quality of life.
Results revealed that compared to posters, members who only read the messages
(lurkers) scored lower in receiving social support and receiving useful
information in empowering processes, and lower in satisfaction with their
relationship with group members. They also scored higher in distraction and
lower in planning in the brief COPE. In addition, they scored lower in social
function and higher in energy. There were no significant differences in
self-care self efficacy, loneliness, depression, or optimism between posters
and lurkers. Our results suggest that lurking in the online support groups may
be as empowering as reading and posting messages to the groups. More research
is needed to identify the long term effects of online support group use. Keywords: HIV/AIDS; Internet; Online support groups; Lurking; Posting | |||
| Thirty years after Harrison and Saeed: Does the medium make the message? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1194-1198 | |
| Rosemarie Reynolds | |||
| In 1977, Harrison and Saeed published what became the classic study of
personal advertisements. They found that women tended to offer youth and
attractiveness, while seeking financial security or wealth. Men, in turn,
sought youth and attractiveness, while offering financial security. The purpose
of the current study was to determine if changes in the medium used for
personal ads (Internet versus print) has had an impact on stated preferences in
mate selection. Our results duplicated the Harrison and Saeed (1977) findings,
suggesting that neither the medium, nor the societal changes of the last 30
years, have had any effect on mate selection. In a supplementary analysis of
women in the 50-69 age group, however, we found that these women were less
willing to date older men, preferring younger partners. Keywords: Mate selection; Dating; Attraction; Personal ads; Sexual Strategies Theory; Internet | |||
| Stressful life events and problematic Internet use by adolescent females and males: A mediated moderation model | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1199-1207 | |
| Dongping Li; Wei Zhang; Xian Li; Shuangju Zhen; Yanhui Wang | |||
| In a sample of 660 adolescents (M age = 14.14 years; 55% females), this
study examined a mediated moderation model in which temperamental effortful
control and sensation seeking moderated the relationship between stressful life
events and problematic Internet use (PIU), and this moderating effect was
mediated by maladaptive cognitions. Findings revealed that effortful control
buffered the risk of stressful life events for females' PIU, and this effect
was mediated through maladaptive cognitions. The risk-buffering effect of
effortful control for males' PIU was not significant, although it buffered the
risk of maladaptive cognitions for PIU. The risk-enhancing effect of sensation
seeking was not significant in both female and male adolescents. In addition,
males scored higher on risks but lower on protective factors of PIU than
females, which explain the gender difference in PIU. The authors discuss the
theoretical and practical implications of these findings. Keywords: Internet; Problematic Internet use; Life events; Temperament; Adolescents | |||
| Consumer perceptions on web advertisements and motivation factors to purchase in the online shopping | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1208-1222 | |
| Jong Uk Kim; Woong Jin Kim; Sang Cheol Park | |||
| The principal objective of this study was to investigate the mediating and
moderating effects of product involvement and trust toward websites in relation
to the effects of the attributes of web advertisements on customers' purchase
intentions. We collected data consisting of a total of 264 responses from
individuals with previous experience with purchasing products from online
shopping mall sites, and utilized the PLS (partial least squares) method to
analyze the collected data.
Our findings demonstrated that consumers with greater product involvement tended to shop in shopping malls, where they could obtain more information on products, and that consumers with low product involvement tended to be more willing to consider entertainment. Additionally, consumers with higher levels of trust toward websites tended to be influenced by perceived entertainment and thus stay longer at shopping sites; conversely, consumers with low levels of trust toward websites tended to be more willing to consider perceived informativeness as minimizing environmental uncertainty. On the basis of our results, online shopping malls must stress the intrinsic attributes of products to attract highly-involved consumers and must present a benevolent corporate image for consumers concerned with better service. Our results also demonstrated that, for less-involved consumers who wish to search for products to present, it may be appropriate to mix entertainment components with product information, and also to implement creative web interface designs for more effective browsing. Keywords: Perceived informativeness; Perceived entertainment; Trust; Product involvement; Intention to purchase | |||
| Defining the lines between virtual and real world purchases: Second Life sells, but who's buying? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1223-1227 | |
| Ashleigh K. Shelton | |||
| The present study examines the virtual spending habits of Residents in
Second Life, a unique Massively Multi-player Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG)
with a thriving economy where virtual goods and services are purchased with
real money. Large corporations are entering the virtual worlds of MMORPGs
through advertising; yet, few studies have examined the relationship between
virtual identities, virtual consumption and real world consumption. This study
formulates a preliminary taxonomy of user motivations for playing Second Life
and addresses how these diverse reasons impact both virtual and 'real world'
consumer behaviors. A total of 209 participants completed a Web-based
questionnaire. The independent variable in the study was motivation for using
Second Life, and respondents completed measures of frequency of purchasing
different products, motivations for using Second Life, and demographic
characteristics. Results are consistent with the expectation that not all
Second Life users are the same in their motivations or behaviors, despite
popular media coverage of the phenomenon. Keywords: Second Life; Product consumption; Motivation | |||
| Games without frontiers: On the moral and psychological implications of violating taboos within multi-player virtual spaces | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1228-1236 | |
| Garry Young; Monica T. Whitty | |||
| When assessing the appropriateness of massively multiplayer online
role-playing games, it is our contention that questions dealing with the
morality of their content -- especially regarding the more 'adult' nature of
potential interactions -- are the wrong sorts of questions to ask. Instead,
when considering the permissibility of such games, a more informative strategy
is to focus on what gamers are able to deal with, psychologically, especially
regarding taboo violation. Thus, we argue that there is nothing morally
problematic with online gamespace per se, no matter how prohibitive the
simulated behaviour is offline (as long as the space is frequented by adults
only). Instead, we should concern ourselves with whether the potential moral
freedoms afforded the online gaming community are psychologically healthy: For
it is our contention that underlying any change to the gamer's behaviour
offline is the need (in some) to seek psychological parity across domains
(making congruent one's identity and actions in both the virtual and offline
worlds). It is therefore not so much what games are doing to us that is of
concern, here, but what we are doing to ourselves through the process of
seeking psychological parity. Keywords: MMORPGs; Violent computer games; Moral prohibition; Taboos; Psychological parity; Psychological harm | |||
| Facebook® and academic performance | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1237-1245 | |
| Paul A. Kirschner; Aryn C. Karpinski | |||
| There is much talk of a change in modern youth -- often referred to as
digital natives or Homo Zappiens -- with respect to their ability to
simultaneously process multiple channels of information. In other words, kids
today can multitask. Unfortunately for proponents of this position, there is
much empirical documentation concerning the negative effects of attempting to
simultaneously process different streams of information showing that such
behavior leads to both increased study time to achieve learning parity and an
increase in mistakes while processing information than those who are
sequentially or serially processing that same information. This article
presents the preliminary results of a descriptive and exploratory survey study
involving Facebook use, often carried out simultaneously with other study
activities, and its relation to academic performance as measured by
self-reported Grade Point Average (GPA) and hours spent studying per week.
Results show that Facebook® users reported having lower GPAs and spend
fewer hours per week studying than nonusers. Keywords: Facebook; Social networking software; Grade point average; Academic performance | |||
| Applying the self-explanation principle to multimedia learning in a computer-based game-like environment | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1246-1252 | |
| Cheryl I. Johnson; Richard E. Mayer | |||
| What is the most effective way to incorporate self-explanation into an
educational game? In Experiment 1, students who played a 10-level computer game
about electrical circuits performed better on an embedded transfer test (i.e.,
level 10) if they were required to select the reason for each move from a list
on levels 1-9 (selection self-explanation) than if they were not required to
engage in self-explanation (d = 1.20). In Experiment 2, the same pattern of
results was replicated (d = 0.71), but students who were required to type in
their reason for each move on levels 1-9 (generation self-explanation) did not
perform any better than those who were not required to engage in
self-explanation (d = -0.06). Overall, asking students to select a reason from
a list fosters some degree of reflection while not overly disrupting the flow
of the game. Keywords: Educational game; Self-explanation; Science learning | |||
| Online assessment of problem solving skills | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1253-1258 | |
| Seth Mayotte | |||
| This overview evaluates the effectiveness of an alternative interactive
scenario based assessment system (ISBAS). ISBAS addresses the limitations of
traditional assessment methods, allowing students to troubleshoot complex
scenarios, ask questions, and make diagnoses through an interactive web
interface. The choices the student makes are tracked and scored based on
predetermined, objective values. An analysis of student choices/decisions is
used to assign a grade/proficiency level and provide the student feedback.
ISBAS is efficient, flexible, and objectively evaluates the sophistication of
complex knowledge and skills.
The research question: is ISBAS more effective in assessing complex knowledge and skills in students than traditional methods of school assessment? This is a complex question; this study is a continuing step in the research to answer it. Keywords: Interactive; Scenario; Assessment | |||
| Advergames and the effects of game-product congruity | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1259-1265 | |
| Michelle L. Gross | |||
| Electronic games transcend demographic boundaries and are a prevalent
cultural phenomenon. Marketers see potential of this immersive venue as a way
to reach a highly receptive audience with brand messages. Designing games
around a brand -- advergames -- has become a common marketing practice.
However, few empirical studies have tested the effectiveness of this
communication strategy in delivering the brand message. This paper serves to
fill some research gaps and explores the influence of game-product congruity on
brand memory and attitudes toward the game. A product-congruent advergame is
compared to a product-incongruent advergame using a stimulus brand for a
low-involvement product category. The findings indicate that highly congruent
games lead to superior memory for the sponsoring brand. However, benefits of
these positive memory effects may be negated by the negative attitudes players
have toward the highly thematic game for a low-involvement product.
Implications are discussed. Keywords: Advertising; Advergames; Brand memory; Product involvement | |||
| Thanks for the memory: Cooperative autonomous agent search in uncertain environments | | BIBA | Full-Text | 1266-1275 | |
| Trey Hickman | |||
| The effects of cooperation between autonomous electronic or physical agents are widely studied in computational science literature. We concentrate on a homogenous population of agents in a multi-agent system (MAS) to explore the effects of useful memory on goal achievement. We use simulations to consider two-dimensional planar surfaces upon which N targets are randomly scattered. N agents exist each with a maximal interest in one specific target. Agents may observe the positions of "uninteresting" targets in the environment and communicate this information to other agents encountered within the environment. The benefits of cooperation can be approximated by pure probabilistic analysis for theoretical search success, but the introduction of real-world cost factors (e.g. fuel, energy, transmission time) associated with movement within the environment renders these predictions unusable. In pure probabilistic terms, higher numbers of cooperative agents can greatly increase search effectiveness. In systems where positive costs are associated with search, internal agent memory factors can allow agent density to approximate pure probabilistic effectiveness. Practical applications for this research include real-time electronic document search, problems in robotic multi-agent systems (e.g. "foraging" or "consumption" problems), and network coverage for wireless communication devices. | |||
| Reeves, B., & Read, J.L. (2009). Total engagement: Using games and virtual worlds to change the way people work and businesses. Harvard Business School Press | | BIB | Full-Text | 1276-1277 | |
| Trey Hickman | |||
| Integrating cognitive load theory and concepts of human-computer interaction | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1278-1288 | |
| Nina Hollender; Cristian Hofmann; Michael Deneke; Bernhard Schmitz | |||
| With the continually increasing complexity of e-learning environments, there
is a need for integrating concepts of cognitive load theory (CLT) with concepts
of human-computer interaction (HCI). Basic concepts of both fields were
reviewed and contrasted. A literature review was conducted within the
literature database "The Guide to Computing Literature," searching for
"cognitive load theory" and "Sweller." Sixty-five publications contained
"cognitive load" in their titles or abstracts. Each publication was checked to
see whether it contained the concepts of intrinsic, extraneous, or germane
cognitive load. The review showed that CLT concepts have been adopted in HCI.
However, the concept of germane cognitive load has attracted less attention up
to the present time. Two conceptual models are proposed. The first model
divides extraneous cognitive load into load induced by the instructional design
and load caused by software usage. The model clarifies the focus of traditional
usability principles and of existing instructional design principles derived
from CLT. The second model fits CLT concepts into the basic components of
user-centered design. The concept of germane cognitive load illustrates that an
increase of cognitive load can be desirable when designing e-learning
environments. Areas for future interdisciplinary research are sketched. Keywords: Cognitive load theory; Human-computer interaction; Computer assisted instruction; Learning | |||
| Social network use and personality | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1289-1295 | |
| Yair Amichai-Hamburger; Gideon Vinitzky | |||
| Studies have shown a connection between the individual personality of the
user and the way he or she behaves on line. Today many millions of people
around the world are connected by being members of various Internet social
networks. Ross et al. (2009) studied the connection between the personality of
the individual users and their behavior on a social network. They based their
study on the self-reports of users of Facebook, one of the most popular social
networks, and measured five personality factors using the NEO-PI-R (Costa &
McCrae, 1992) questionnaire. They found that while there was a connection
between the personalities of surfers and their behavior on Facebook, it was not
strong. This study is based on that of Ross et al. (2009), but in our study the
self-reports of subjects, were replaced by more objective criteria,
measurements of the user-information upload on Facebook. A strong connection
was found between personality and Facebook behavior. Implications of the
results are discussed. Keywords: Internet and personality; Facebook; Social network | |||
| Antecedents of customer satisfaction with online banking in China: The effects of experience | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1296-1304 | |
| Cheolho Yoon | |||
| This study investigates the antecedents of customer satisfaction with online
banking in China, and explores the effects of experience on the relationships
between the antecedents and customer satisfaction. Based on prior research, the
six antecedents of customer satisfaction -- ease of use, design, speed,
security, information content and customer support service -- are proposed, and
the effects of experience on the relationships between these and customer
satisfaction are analyzed using a structural multi-group (a high-experience
group and a low-experience group) model.
The results show that design, speed, security, information content, and customer support service have a significant influence on customer satisfaction in the high-experience group or the low-experience group, but ease of use does not have a significant influence on customer satisfaction in either of the groups. Also, the results relating to the influence of the level of customer experience reveal that the effects of design, security, speed and information content on customer satisfaction were significantly higher in the high-experience group, whereas the effect of customer support service on customer satisfaction was significantly higher in the low-experience group. Keywords: Online banking; Customer satisfaction; Experience; Multi-group analysis; China | |||
| Change detection in desktop virtual environments: An eye-tracking study | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1305-1313 | |
| Hacer (Uke) Karacan; Kursat Cagiltay; H. Gurkan Tekman | |||
| It is common knowledge that attention is important for learning. We need to
utilize attention in order to learn something efficiently and effectively.
Similarly, we may also need to acquire familiarity with (i.e., learn) our
surroundings in order to utilize our attention. In this study, learning is
defined as a product of one's exposure to natural visual stimuli. Using a
virtual model of a natural scene, we investigate both attention and its
relationship to learning, according to this definition. Specifically, our focus
is the effect of environment familiarity on gaze direction. Our findings reveal
that the factor of familiarity with one's surroundings in virtual reality
environments exerts a significant influence on peoples' ability to detect a
variety of specific changes that occur within scenes under their observation. Keywords: Spatial learning; Attention; Virtual reality; Eye movements; Scene memory | |||
| Intragroup status and social presence in online fan groups | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1314-1317 | |
| Stephen Reysen; Jason D. Lloyd; Iva Katzarska-Miller; Brett M. Lemker; Russell L. Foss | |||
| Low and high status member posts from online fan message board posts were
examined. Low status members, as compared to high status members, were found to
use more intimacy and immediacy social presence cues, including: praise for the
group, self-disclosure, friendly and positive affective language, first person
singular pronouns, and present tense verbs. Low status members were less likely
than high status members to use articles, larger words, and discrepancy words.
Lastly, low status members were rated as more likeable than high status
members. The results suggest that low status members may strategically use
social presence cues as a means of ingratiating themselves to the group. Keywords: Intragroup status; Internet; Fans; Social presence; Communication accommodation | |||
| Solving problems: How can guidance concerning task-relevancy be provided? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1318-1326 | |
| Martin Groen; Jan Noyes | |||
| The analysis of eye movements of people working on problem solving tasks has
enabled a more thorough understanding than would have been possible with a
traditional analysis of cognitive behavior. Recent studies report that
influencing 'where we look' can affect task performance. However, some of the
studies that reported these results have shortcomings, namely, it is unclear
whether the reported effects are the result of 'attention guidance' or an
effect of highlighting display elements alone; second, the selection of the
highlighted display elements was based on subjective methods which could have
introduced bias. In the study reported here, two experiments are described that
attempt to address these shortcomings. Experiment 1 investigates the relative
contribution of each display element to successful task realization and does so
with an objective analysis method, namely signal detection analysis. Experiment
2 examines whether any performance effects of highlighting are due to
foregrounding intrinsic task-relevant aspects or whether they are a result of
the act of highlighting in itself. Results show that the chosen objective
method is effective and that highlighting the display element thus identified
improves task performance significantly. These findings are not an effect of
the highlighting per se and thus indicate that the highlighted element is
conveying task-relevant information. These findings improve on previous results
as the objective selection and analysis methods reduce potential bias and
provide a more reliable input to the design and provision of computer-based
problem solving support. Keywords: Problem solving support; Eye tracking; Signal detection analysis; Task relevance | |||
| The effects of survey administration on disclosure rates to sensitive items among men: A comparison of an internet panel sample with a RDD telephone sample | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1327-1335 | |
| Denise A. Hines; Emily M. Douglas; Sehar Mahmood | |||
| Research using Internet surveys is an emerging field, yet research on the
legitimacy of using Internet studies, particularly those targeting sensitive
topics, remains under-investigated. The current study builds on the existing
literature by exploring the demographic differences between Internet panel and
RDD telephone survey samples, as well as differences in responses with regard
to experiences of intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization,
alcohol and substance use/abuse, PTSD symptomatology, and social support.
Analyses indicated that after controlling for demographic differences, there
were few differences between the samples in their disclosure of sensitive
information, and that the online sample was more socially isolated than the
phone sample. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for using
Internet samples in research on sensitive topics. Keywords: Sensitive topics; Survey research; Online surveys; Phone surveys; Methodology | |||
| Profiling good Samaritans in online knowledge forums: Effects of affiliative tendency, self-esteem, and public individuation on knowledge sharing | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1336-1344 | |
| Eun-Ju Lee; Jeong-woo Jang | |||
| Two studies investigated what motivates knowledge sharing in online
knowledge forums. Based on the uses and gratifications model, we hypothesized
that individuals would respond to information requests broadcast by unknown
others to fulfill their needs for social interaction (affiliative tendency), to
maintain a positive self-image (self-esteem), or to proclaim one's uniqueness
(public individuation). Consistent with the hypotheses, a web-based survey with
current users of a public knowledge sharing site found that those with stronger
affiliative tendency, higher self-esteem, or stronger public individuation were
more likely to contribute to the open information repository (Study 1).
However, a 2 (social presence: low vs. high) × 2 (recognition rewards:
absent vs. present) between-subjects design experiment also showed that these
psychological traits significantly enhanced individuals' intention to share
knowledge on a public web site, only when other users' presence was rendered
salient and individual contributions were visibly acknowledged (Study 2). Keywords: Affiliative tendency; Knowledge sharing; Public individuation; Recognition rewards; Self-esteem; Social presence | |||
| Open source software: A community of altruists | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1345-1354 | |
| Hoda Baytiyeh; Jay Pfaffman | |||
| To learn about what drives people to devote their time and expertise to
creating and supporting free/open source software, a survey with Likert-scaled
items measuring different types of motivations was sent to contributors of
several open source projects. Open-ended comments were used to illustrate the
Likert-scaled items and open-ended questions allowed respondents to express
their reasons for participating in these open source communities. Results
indicate that the open source contributors (n = 110, 38 paid to work on OSS
projects and 72 volunteers) are motivated primarily by a sense of altruism as
well as the desire to create and learn. Payment did not significantly impact
the reasons for contributing to OSS projects. The comments and open-ended
questions validated the findings and indicated that building a "Utopian"
community -- the desire to help for the greater good worldwide -- is one of the
most important motivators. Also, respondents revealed that they join and
persist as members of open source communities because they enjoy the freedom to
create and share free software, tools and knowledge with others inside and
outside the community. Keywords: Open source software; Motivations; Collaboration; Altruism; Factor analysis | |||
| Measurement development for cultural characteristics of mobile Internet users at the individual level | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1355-1368 | |
| Inseong Lee; Jinwoo Kim; Boreum Choi; Se-Joon Hong | |||
| Culture plays an important role in how an information technology is
developed and used. However, few studies attempt to identify the cultural
traits most relevant to the specific technology being examined. The main
purpose of this study is to develop measures for cultural characteristics of
individual users with a specific information technology, the mobile Internet.
We propose measures for four cultural characteristics important in the context
of the mobile Internet, which are expected to be widely used in the future. The
proposed measures were verified empirically through online surveys conducted in
seven countries. The results indicate that the measures have high validity and
reliability, as well as comparability among the seven countries. The paper ends
with a discussion of the study's limitations and implications. Keywords: Culture; Mobile Internet; Individualism; Uncertainty avoidance; Contextuality; Time perception | |||
| Construction of an instrument to measure student information and communication technology skills, experience and attitudes to e-learning | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1369-1376 | |
| Ann Wilkinson; Julia Roberts; Alison E. While | |||
| Over the past 20 years self-report measures of healthcare students'
information and communication technology skills have been developed with
limited validation. Furthermore, measures of student experience of e-learning
emerged but were not repeatedly used with diverse populations. A psychometric
approach with five phases was used to develop and test a new self-report
measure of skills and experience with information and communication technology
and attitudes to computers in education. Phase 1: Literature review and
identification of key items. Phase 2: Development and refinement of items with
expert panel (n = 16) and students (n = 3) to establish face and content
validity. Phase 3: Pilot testing of draft instrument with graduate
pre-registration nursing students (n = 60) to assess administration procedures
and acceptability of the instrument. Phase 4: Test-retest with further sample
of graduate pre-registration nursing students (n = 70) tested stability and
internal consistency. Phase 5: Main study with pre-registration nursing
students (n = 458), further testing of internal consistency. The instrument
proved to have moderate test-retest stability and the sub-scales had acceptable
internal consistency. When used with a larger, more diverse population the
psychometric properties were more variable. Further work is needed to refine
the instrument with specific reference to possible cultural and linguistic
response patterns and technological advances. Keywords: Instrument development; Scale validation; Test-retest; Nurse education; ICT skills; Attitudes | |||
| Motivations of Wikipedia content contributors | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1377-1383 | |
| Heng-Li Yang; Cheng-Yu Lai | |||
| Rapidly developing web technologies have increased the prevalence of
user-generated Internet content. Of the many websites with user-generated
content on the Internet, one of the most renowned is Wikipedia, which is the
largest multilingual free-content encyclopedia written by users
collaboratively. Nevertheless, although contributing to Wikipedia takes time
and knowledge, contributors are rarely compensated. As a result, there is a
need to understand why individuals share their knowledge in Wikipedia. The aim
of this study was to evaluate the effects of both conventional and self
concept-based motivation on individual willingness to share knowledge in
Wikipedia. After performing an online questionnaire survey, SEM was applied to
assess the proposed model and hypotheses. The analytical results showed that
internal self-concept motivation is the key motivation for knowledge sharing on
Wikipedia. Keywords: Motivation theory; Self-concept-based motivation; Knowledge-sharing; Wikipedia | |||
| Digital natives, better learners? Students' beliefs about how the Internet influenced their ability to learn | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1384-1391 | |
| Yifat Ben-David Kolikant | |||
| In the literature students are sometimes assumed to feel empowered with
respect to learning because of their familiarity with and access to ICT.
However, after interviewing 25 students from post-elementary schools, it was
found that the majority of the students, although they use the Internet and
other ICT for school purposes, believed that their generation is not as good at
learning as the pre-ICT generation. Several students explained the situation in
terms of the school's failure to build on their abilities. Nonetheless, the
majority believed that the Internet over-simplifies schoolwork (perceived
primarily as the traditional processing of textual sources), which in turn
diminishes learning abilities. These results carry important implications
regarding school, given that low self-efficacy might make students less likely
to apply themselves to learning. Keywords: Digital native; Schooling; Internet influence; Perceived self-efficacy | |||
| MySpace is your space? Examining self-presentation of MySpace users | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1392-1399 | |
| Kris Boyle; Thomas J. Johnson | |||
| The study examined the role of self-presentation on MySpace pages through
the information users post on their sites. MySpace users were more comfortable
with posting the broad pieces of information, like gender, race, zodiac sign,
and hometown. They were not as willing to present personal information like
income, whether they smoke or drank or groups they belonged to. Age and
motivations for creating a page were major predictors of how much information
people revealed about themselves. Keywords: MySpace; Self-presentation; Social network sites; Uses and gratifications | |||
| Differences among breast and prostate cancer online support groups | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1400-1404 | |
| Thomas O. Blank; Steven D. Schmidt; Stacey A. Vangsness; Anna Karina Monteiro; Paul V. Santagata | |||
| Online support resources have become viable alternatives to face-to-face
support groups for cancer patients. It is important to understand how
individuals make use of such online support resources and what, if any,
differences exist between groups. A content analysis was conducted on 3203
posted messages to prostate and breast cancer support sites on Google Groups
and WebMD. Overall, post-treatment survivors were the most common posters
followed by spouses; however, the proportion of posters varied by site. For
both groups, messages of support were most frequent. However the type of
support varied by cancer type. Support messages on the breast cancer sites were
mostly offers of emotional support. Conversely, messages of support on the
prostate cancer sites focused on informational support. Messages of emotional
well-being and medical-related comments were next most common on the breast
cancer sites, whereas medical issues and sexual intimacy were on the prostate
cancer sites. Overall, these findings identify several key differences in the
use and benefits of online support sites for breast and prostate cancer. Keywords: Support groups; Cancer; Medical; Content analysis; Emotional support; Informational support | |||
| Image and video disclosure of substance use on social media websites | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1405-1411 | |
| Elizabeth M. Morgan; Chareen Snelson; Patt Elison-Bowers | |||
| The present study examines young adults' use of social media websites, such
as MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube, to post public images and videos of
themselves depicting alcohol consumption, inebriated behavior, or recreational
marijuana use. A content analysis revealed that the majority of image and video
representations of alcohol consumption depicted females in social gatherings
while images and videos depicting marijuana use depicted solitary males. Videos
typically were viewed frequently and gained positive ratings. Among a sample of
college students, one-third of participants reported having posted a picture
depicting substance use on a social networking site, with 97% aware that others
engage in this phenomenon. Students' perceptions of alcohol-related postings
were generally positive or seen as a matter of individual choice while
marijuana-related postings were generally viewed more negatively. Keywords: Social networking; MySpace; Facebook; YouTube | |||
| Pragmatism, connectionism and the internet: A mind's perfect storm | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1412-1418 | |
| Michael Glassman; Min Ju Kang | |||
| This paper explores that natural relationships between Pragmatic theory of
knowing, the dynamic structuring of the mind and thinking suggested by
connectionist theory, and the way information is distributed and organized
through the world wide web (www). We suggest that these three "innovations" can
be brought together to offer a better understanding of the way the human mind
works. The internet and the information revolution may finally offer the
opportunity to use and develop inductive learning practices and information
based social inquiry in ways Pragmatic philosophers envisioned a hundred years
ago, while the recent rise of connectionist and cognitive architecture works
provides a concrete context for such developments. This confluence of process
represents the type of synergy that only history can offer. The information
revolution -- exemplified by both the rise of connectionism and the internet --
is the apotheosis of the Pragmatic revolution -- bringing together radical
empiricism and democratization of information in community practice. We offer
three important realizations in our understanding of how information is
organized and thinking progresses made possible by burgeoning virtual
communities on the internet -- open source thinking, scale-free networks, and
interrelationships in the development of blogs to illustrate our thesis. Keywords: Internet; Dewey; Connectionism; Democracy | |||
| Development and usability of an online CBT program for symptoms of moderate depression, anxiety, and stress in post-secondary students | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1419-1426 | |
| Shannon L. Currie; Patrick J. McGrath; Victor Day | |||
| Internet-based intervention programs can improve mental health outcomes, and
may offer a novel medium for reducing emotional distress in post-secondary
students. This paper describes the development and usability testing of a new
cognitive behavioral therapy-based program, "Feeling Better" designed to reduce
symptoms of emotional distress in post-secondary students. An iterative
qualitative usability testing approach was used to assess the program's
usability (i.e., ease of navigation, clarity, efficiency and acceptability).
Three cycles of participant feedback and feedback from counselling centre staff
was coded and used to iteratively modify the interface. Changes were both
structural (e.g., shortening sections) and stylistic (e.g., aesthetic
features), remodeling "Feeling Better" into a user-friendly platform ready to
be used and its effects evaluated in further studies. Keywords: Mental health; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Computer-assisted therapy; Students; Selfhelp approaches | |||
| Adopt, adapt, abandon: Understanding why some young adults start, and then stop, using instant messaging | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1427-1433 | |
| Jeremy Birnholtz | |||
| Instant messaging (IM) has become a popular and important mode of staying in
touch for teens and young adults. It allows for easy, frequent and lightweight
interaction that contributes to building and sustaining friendships, as well as
coordinating social activities. Despite the initial appeal of IM, however, some
have found it too distracting and have changed their usage or abandoned it. I
interviewed 21 former users of IM about their adoption, usage and eventual
abandonment of the technology. Results show that participants were initially
attracted to features of IM that enabled them to maximize their use of leisure
time via easy and frequent interaction with their friends, but that, in a
different usage context, these same features became distracting and annoying.
Participants adapted their behavior to avoid these drawbacks, but IM did not
support these adaptations effectively. In particular, IM did not allow for
control over interruptions, which became more important as their contact lists
grew and social time became scarce; and they ultimately abandoned the
technology. These results point to a need for understanding use beyond
adoption, and a theoretical and practical focus on understanding the adaptation
and changing utility that accompany long-term usage of technologies. Keywords: Instant messaging; Young adults; Adoption; Dropouts; Computer-mediated communication (CMC) | |||
| Assessing blog-user satisfaction using the expectation and disconfirmation approach | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1434-1444 | |
| Chung-Chi Hsieh; Pao-Li Kuo; Szu-Chi Yang; Shih-Han Lin | |||
| The growing popularity of blogs has drawn an increasing amount of attention
from corporations keen to expand market share and establish better customer
relationships. It is thus imperative to probe into why some blogs attract a
tremendous amount of interest and why they are sustainable. Although there are
a number of studies exploring the factors underlying popular or successful
blogs, few results have been reported from the integrated perspective of IS
success and marketing. By segregating blog quality into information quality and
system quality, this study investigates the linkage between blog quality and
blog-user satisfaction within the expectation-disconfirmation paradigm. It
establishes nine key constructs for blog-user satisfaction and tests the
relationships among them. The results of this study provide directions for
bloggers and system administrators to achieve higher levels of blog-user
satisfaction by developing multi-faceted strategies based on the reported
dimensions of blog quality. Keywords: Blog; Expectation-disconfirmation paradigm; Information quality; System quality | |||
| Expressive aesthetics to ease perceived community support: Exploring personal innovativeness and routinised behaviour as moderators in Tuenti | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1445-1457 | |
| Manuel J. Sanchez-Franco; José L. Roldán | |||
| The aim of this study is to investigate moderating effects of personal
innovativeness and routinised behaviour on relationships between expressive
aesthetics and perceived community support (PCS) in the domain of the social
network site Tuenti. Our research, therefore, contributes to the existing
literature by examining the heterogeneous influence of affective cues on the
sense of belongingness to a community, and emotional benefits from intense
bonds to close members.
A structural equation modeling, specifically partial least square (PLS), is proposed to assess the relationships between the constructs together with the predictive power of the model analysed. In particular, the research model is validated empirically using data from a field survey of the most popular computer-mediated SNS among the Spanish college student population, Tuenti. The results demonstrate that expressive aesthetics significantly predicts PCS. Likewise, the results provide strong support for the proposals that these effects (i.e., expressive aesthetics on PCS) will be moderated by personal innovativeness and routinised behaviour. The model and results can, consequently, be used to assess affective design aspects during the electronic interaction process. Keywords: Social network sites; Personal innovativeness; Routinised behaviour; Aesthetics; Perceived community support; Tuenti | |||
| Coping with information overload in email communication: Evaluation of a training intervention | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1458-1466 | |
| Roman Soucek; Klaus Moser | |||
| The present paper introduces three facets of information overload in email
communication: A large amount of incoming information, inefficient workflow,
and deficient communication quality. In order to cope with these facets of
information overload, a training intervention was developed and evaluated. Data
were collected from 90 employees on several evaluation levels within a
longitudinal evaluation design (one pretest double posttest design). The
results reveal that the training contributed to an increase in knowledge and
media competencies. We also found evidence for a transfer of training contents
to the workplace. Finally, strain diminished on several dimensions. In
particular, problems with media usage and work impairment decline
significantly, an effect that was stronger for those participants who face a
large amount of email at their workplaces. Keywords: Email communication; Information overload; Training intervention; Evaluation study | |||
| Policies and procedures to manage employee Internet abuse | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1467-1471 | |
| Kimberly Young | |||
| Industry analysts estimate that billions of dollars in lost revenue were
attributed to employee Internet abuse. Trends also suggest that lost job
productivity and corporate liability have emerged as new workplace concerns due
to growth of new online technologies and mobile computing. Such employee
Internet misuse creates new management dilemmas on how to respond to incidences
of such misuse as well poses network security risks and drains on network
bandwidth. Within an organization, it is imperative to ensure that employees
are using computing resources effectively and appropriately. Utilizing the
previous literature in the field, this paper proposed a revised framework to
manage employee Internet abuse. The former model proposed did not account for
new digital media and recommended screening applicants for Internet addiction,
using more of a clinical test than a job performance test. This new model
describes both prevention and intervention methods to address incidents of
online misuse in the workplace and refocuses hiring decisions into
post-employment training. It also examines the new hiring concerns with the new
iGeneration of college graduates and it examines how organizations should best
utilize acceptable Internet use policies with clear methods of Internet
monitoring to enforce that workers are complying with company policies. This
paper also talks about the potential benefits of rehabilitation approaches to
manage employees who abuse instead of terminating them to decrease job turnover
and improve job retention. Implications for current management practices are
also discussed. Keywords: Employee relations; Employee Internet abuse; Internet addiction; Risk management; Internet use policies; Employee monitoring | |||
| Group interaction styles in a virtual context: The effects on group outcomes | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1472-1480 | |
| Pilar González-Navarro; Virginia Orengo; Ana Zornoza; Pilar Ripoll; José M. Peiró | |||
| The influence of communication and information technologies (TICs) on group
functioning and group outcomes is an important topic. Interdependent group work
implies the need to communicate in order to share information and knowledge
related to the task. The importance of this group interaction in the group
functioning and outcomes stands out. In this sense, a line of investigation has
arisen to study the role of interaction styles in the relationship between
communication technology and group outcomes, as some functional or
dysfunctional outputs depend on group interaction styles. From this
perspective, the objective of this study is twofold: (1) to analyze the group
interaction styles in virtual teams over time, and (2) to analyze whether the
group virtuality level moderates the relationships between group interaction
style and group outcomes over time. Data was collected from a laboratory study
in which 44 groups of four members participated. Groups were randomly assigned
to communication contexts with different virtuality levels. The results
obtained have shown a differential role of group interaction style according to
the group virtuality level. Virtuality level plays a moderate role in the
relationships between passive group interaction style and objective and
subjective outcomes and between constructive interaction style and subjective
outcomes. Keywords: Group interaction styles; Virtual teams; Group outcomes; Communication media; Performance; Longitudinal study | |||
| The roles of self-concept clarity and psychological reactance in compliance with product and service recommendations | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1481-1487 | |
| Gyudong Lee; Jaeeun Lee; Clive Sanford | |||
| This article investigates the effects of self-concept clarity (the extent to
which self-knowledge is clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent,
and temporally stable) and psychological reactance (the adoption of or
strengthening a view or attitude that is contrary to what was intended) on
compliance with product and service recommendations. Our empirical study of
choice tasks on digital cameras and computer security software reveals that
individuals' compliance to product and service recommendations is negatively
related to their strength of self-concept clarity. Perceived threats to freedom
are also negatively associated with compliance to recommendations when
individuals are faced with choices of products, however it has no significant
effect with software services such as computer security software. The
implications of these findings on product and service recommendations are
discussed. Keywords: Self-concept clarity; Psychological reactance; Product recommendation; Compliance; Purchase involvement | |||
| What are participants doing while filling in an online questionnaire: A paradata collection tool and an empirical study | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1488-1495 | |
| Stefan Stieger; Ulf-Dietrich Reips | |||
| The use of online questionnaires is rapidly increasing. Contrary to manifold
advantages, not much is known about user behavior that can be measured outside
the boundaries set by standard web technologies like HTML form elements. To
show how the lack of knowledge about the user setting in web studies can be
accounted for, we present a tool called UserActionTracer, with which it is
possible to collect more behavior information than with any other paradata
gathering tool, in order to (1) gather additional data unobtrusively from the
process of answering questions and (2) to visualize individual user behavior on
web pages. In an empirical study on a large web sample (N = 1046) we observed
and analysed online behaviors (e.g., clicking through). We found that only
10.5% of participants showed more than five single behaviors with highly
negative influence on data quality in the whole online questionnaire (out of
132 possible single behavior judgments). Furthermore, results were validated by
comparison with data from online address books. With the UserActionTracer it is
possible to gain further insight into the process of answering online
questionnaires. Keywords: Response behavior; Response latency; Response visualization; Non-reactive data; Online questionnaire; Paradata | |||
| Individual and team annotation effects on students' reading comprehension, critical thinking, and meta-cognitive skills | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1496-1507 | |
| Tristan E. Johnson; Thomas N. Archibald; Gershon Tenenbaum | |||
| Many students enter college without the needed skills to be successful.
Colleges and universities are seeking instructional interventions to address
these needs. Various classes are leveraging web-based social media to provide
new instructional technologies that will help students learn. This paper
reports on two studies related to the potential of online social annotation for
improving teaching and learning in second-semester Freshman English classes.
The approach, referred to as the Social Annotation Model-Learning System
(SAM-LS), combines various instructional strategies, team-based learning, and a
social annotation computer-supported collaborative learning tool, HyLighter, to
increase student engagement with selected essays and with classmates. SAM-LS
stimulates students to actively monitor their thoughts and compare them to both
peers and the instructor (or domain experts). Study 1 showed no significant
difference between the SAM-LS approach and a control; however, results appear
to be related to confounding factors. Study 2 showed that students achieve
better outcomes on measures of reading comprehension and meta-cognitive skill,
but not critical thinking, when SAM-LS activities include small team
collaborations. The two studies suggest future directions for research and
development of SAM-LS and the HyLighter tool. Keywords: Computer-supported collaborative learning; Web 2.0; Social annotation; Small group collaboration; Learning technology; Reading comprehension; Critical thinking; Meta-cognition | |||
| Revisiting the uncanny valley theory: Developing and validating an alternative to the Godspeed indices | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1508-1518 | |
| Chin-Chang Ho; Karl F. MacDorman | |||
| Mori (1970) proposed a hypothetical graph describing a nonlinear relation
between a character's degree of human likeness and the emotional response of
the human perceiver. However, the index construction of these variables could
result in their strong correlation, thus preventing rated characters from being
plotted accurately. Phase 1 of this study tested the indices of the Godspeed
questionnaire as measures of humanlike characters. The results indicate
significant and strong correlations among the relevant indices (Bartneck,
Kulic, Croft, & Zoghbi, 2009). Phase 2 of this study developed alternative
indices with nonsignificant correlations (p > .05) between the proposed
y-axis eeriness and x-axis perceived humanness (r = .02). The new humanness and
eeriness indices facilitate plotting relations among rated characters of
varying human likeness. Keywords: Affective appraisal; Embodied agents; Human-robot interaction; Psychometric scales; Social perception | |||
| Online mutual support in bereavement: An empirical examination | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1519-1525 | |
| Karolijne van der Houwen; Margaret Stroebe; Henk Schut; Wolfgang Stroebe; Jan van den Bout | |||
| Thus far, online mutual bereavement support has not been the subject of
rigorous empirical examination, despite the fact that this type of support is
rapidly growing. Assessment is needed, not only to establish whether there are
desirable effects, but also whether there could be negative side effects. This
study was designed to increase our understanding of the people who use online
mutual bereavement support and provide a preliminary examination of its
potential to ameliorate their suffering. Our findings show that people who are
currently using online mutual bereavement support are younger, less likely to
be part of a religious community, and more likely to have lost a child than
bereaved people who had never used this type of support. The former group also
shows worse mental health and reports lower levels of social support than
people who had stopped using online mutual bereavement support. There was no
indication that people who seek out online mutual bereavement support were more
likely to live in remote, rural areas than people who do not use this type of
support. Using this type of support did not predict changes in mental health
over time. Implications of these findings are discussed. Keywords: Bereavement; Grief; Mutual support; Internet | |||
| Perceived stress, sensation seeking, and college students' abuse of the Internet | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1526-1530 | |
| Rodrigo Velezmoro; Katharine Lacefield; Jonathan W. Roberti | |||
| College students (n = 140) were examined to test whether sensation seeking
and perceived stress would predict abuse of the Internet. Previous studies have
found that disinhibition, boredom susceptibility, and total sensation seeking
scores were related to Internet abuse (Chaney & Chang, 2005; Lin &
Tsai, 2001). Because stress has been documented to have a negative effect on
students (Pierceall & Keim, 2007), and may be linked to Internet use
(Lavoie & Pychyl, 2001), it was tested as a possible predictor of Internet
abuse. This study also analyzed abuse of the Internet for sexual purposes,
because sexuality is prevalent online, and college students are in an age of
sexual exploration. Results of stepwise regression analyses revealed that
disinhibition and total perceived stress were predictive of Internet abuse for
sexual purposes, and perceived hopelessness and boredom susceptibility were
predictive of Internet abuse for non-sexual purposes. Implications for students
and Internet abuse are discussed. Keywords: Perceived stress; Sensation seeking; Internet abuse; Internet addiction; College students; Internet usage patterns | |||
| Low self-directedness is a better predictor for problematic internet use than high neuroticism | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1531-1535 | |
| Christian Montag; Magdalena Jurkiewicz; Martin Reuter | |||
| The classification of internet addiction as a distinct diagnosis in the
upcoming DSM-V is currently under debate. Nevertheless, before this issue is
resolved, there are important related questions in the field of internet
addiction that are in need of an answer, e.g. which personality dimensions may
predispose towards problematic internet use. One such factor seems to be
neuroticism. However, a sole factor like neuroticism alone is not very useful
with respect to generating implications for behavior therapy and treatment of
afflicted patients, because it includes too many facets of negative personality
traits ranging from shyness to anxiety. Therefore, in this study we aimed to
measure the grade of problematic internet use with the internet addiction test
(IAT); moreover, we measured personality with Eysenck's Personality
Questionnaire (EPQ-R) and with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI).
In addition to the EPQ-R, the TCI provides further information with respect to
which facets of personality are associated with problematic internet use. In N
= 201 participants, we found that self-directedness is a better predictor than
neuroticism for problematic internet use. Moreover, the time spent online in
leisure activities was a significant predictor for a high IAT score.
Implications for behavior therapy are discussed. Keywords: Internet addiction; Self-directedness; Neuroticism; Problematic internet use; Personality research; TCI | |||
| Flaming on YouTube | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1536-1546 | |
| Peter J. Moor; Ard Heuvelman; Ria Verleur | |||
| In this explorative study, flaming on YouTube was studied using surveys of
YouTube users. Flaming is defined as displaying hostility by insulting,
swearing or using otherwise offensive language. Three general conclusions were
drawn. First, although many users said that they themselves do not flame,
flaming appears to be very common on YouTube. Second, views on flaming varied
but were more often negative than positive. Some people refrain from uploading
videos as a result of flaming, but most users do not think of flaming as a
problem for themselves. Third, several explanations of flaming were found to be
plausible, among which were perceived flaming norms and the reduced awareness
of other people's feelings. Although some YouTube users flame for
entertainment, flaming is more often intended to express disagreement or as a
response to a perceived offense by others. Keywords: Internet; Interpersonal communication; Flaming | |||
| Customization, immersion satisfaction, and online gamer loyalty | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1547-1554 | |
| Ching-I Teng | |||
| Software designers often attempt to increase the customizability of their
products to facilitate human-computer interaction and improve user response.
However, exactly how customizability affects online gaming is unclear. This
study posits that customization enhances gamer immersion satisfaction and
loyalty. The study sample consists of 865 online gamers who provided valid
responses to an online survey.
Three models are compared using structural equation modeling: a partial mediator model, in which customization increases gamer loyalty directly and indirectly via enhanced immersion satisfaction; a full mediator model, in which immersion satisfaction fully mediates how customization influences loyalty; and an independent variable model, in which customization and immersion satisfaction are independent variables impacting gamer loyalty. The results of this study demonstrate that the partial mediator model significantly outperforms the other two models, suggesting that online game providers that increase customization and satisfy gamer needs regarding immersion can better foster gamer loyalty. Keywords: Customization; Immersion satisfaction; Gamer loyalty; Online game | |||
| Influences of data filtering on human-computer interaction by gaze-contingent display and eye-tracking applications | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1555-1563 | |
| Giacomo Veneri; Pamela Federighi; Francesca Rosini; Antonio Federico; Alessandra Rufa | |||
| We describe an interactive gaze-contingent display (GCD) applied to clinical
applications; the system uses a simple texture hole to inhibit peripheral
vision, to test and stress overt mechanisms of visual searching in normal
subjects. The correct use of GCD in vision research is affected by tremor of
the hole, due to system noise, nystagmus, eye blinking, calibration and subject
reactivity. These issues compromise the execution of task. In order to obtain a
stable GCD hole, we implemented a predictive gaze-contingent display (PGCD),
fitting through dispersion of fixations and modulating a filter. The paper
describes the PGCD and compare it with the common technique, providing evidence
that humans fit exploration based on the characteristics of the computer
system; in particular we found significant difference applying PGCD or a simple
finite impulse response filter. We suggest that a correct human-computer
interaction applied to neuropsychological context must be developed taking in
consideration both technical point of view and human behavior. Keywords: Eye movements; Gaze-contingent displays; Filter; Attentive displays; Eye-tracking | |||
| MMORPGS and cognitive performance: A study with 1280 Brazilian high school students | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1564-1573 | |
| Bruno Campello de Souza; Leonardo Xavier de Lima e Silva; Antonio Roazzi | |||
| The present paper attempts to empirically study the cognitive impacts of
Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) in uncontrolled
contexts in light of the Cognitive Mediation Networks Theory, a new model of
human intelligence that aims to explain cognition as the result of brain
activity combined with the information-processing done by external structures
such as tools, social groups and culture. A sample of 1280 students Brazilian
high school students answered a form inquiring about socio-demographic
information plus the use of computer games, and also was submitted to a short
knowledge exam and a mini psychometric test. The findings indicated that, due
to their underlying structure and sociocultural nature, MMORPGs are associated
to a greater level of insertion into the Digital Age, higher levels of
logical-numerical performance, and better scholastic ability. Finally,
suggestions are made for future studies on the subject. Keywords: MMORPG; Cognition; Mediation | |||
| Altruistic traits and organizational conditions in helping online | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1574-1580 | |
| Gyudong Lee; Won Jun Lee | |||
| Helping is more likely to occur when potential helpers can clearly
understand the help-seeker's needs and when they can freely choose whether to
help or not. Information systems such as electronic bulletin boards, web
communities, and knowledge management systems all satisfy these conditions. In
order to explain helping behaviors in the workplace, we employ the personality
traits of altruism and job autonomy, as well as the characteristics of the
information systems used by employees in organizations. In this study, we
conducted a survey of business persons who use information systems in the
workplace. The results of our study indicate that altruism and job autonomy
have both the main and interaction effects on the willingness to help others
through information systems. With regard to the effects of the characteristics
of information systems, the media richness of information systems exerts a
positive impact on willingness to help. On the contrary, the size of the user
group affects the willingness to help negatively, which reflects the bystander
effect in the offline world. Implications for both researchers and
practitioners are discussed. Keywords: Helping in organizations; Knowledge management; Knowledge sharing; Information providing | |||
| An analysis of multiple factors of cyberbullying among junior high school students in Taiwan | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1581-1590 | |
| Yun-yin Huang; Chien Chou | |||
| Cyberbullying, as a serious kind of repeated, intentional, and harmful
aggressive behavior, cannot be ignored. In light of the limited studies and
inconsistent findings on the matter, this study explores cyberbullying's
frequency and other factors (gender, academic achievement, types of
technologies used, and anonymity) relevant to both the issue itself and the
East Asian context. The interrelationship of different roles (bullies, victims,
and bystanders) in cyberbullying is also examined. A survey was conducted with
545 Taiwan junior high school students. The results indicate that male students
were more likely to bully others in cyberspace and that cyberbullying was not
affected by one's level of academic achievement. Regarding the various
technologies and various country-specific cyberbullying forms pertinent to
technology users, instant messenger (IM) users experienced significantly more
cyberbullying than users of other technologies. The survey results also
indicate that the anonymity of cyberbullying was not a pertinent factor. The
study found that the dominant attitude toward cyberbullying was indifference,
raising alarms about the lack of cyberbullying prevention. Peers, who were the
people most teenagers would likely turn to when experiencing cyberbullying,
usually took no action because of their tendency to avoid conflicts and to
maintain group harmony. In its interpretation of the findings, this study
emphasizes Taiwan's context, including Confucian philosophy. Keywords: Cyberbullying; Technology; Anonymity; Academic achievement; Peer support; Instant messenger | |||
| Predicting adolescents' use of social networking sites from an extended theory of planned behaviour perspective | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1591-1597 | |
| Rosland K. Baker; Katherine M. White | |||
| The popularity of social networking sites (SNSs) among adolescents has grown
exponentially, with little accompanying research to understand the influences
on adolescent engagement with this technology. The current study tested the
validity of an extended theory of planned behaviour model (TPB), incorporating
the additions of group norm and self-esteem influences, to predict frequent SNS
use. Adolescents (N = 160) completed measures assessing the standard TPB
constructs of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control (PBC),
and intention, as well as group norm and self-esteem. One week later,
participants reported their SNS use during the previous week. Support was found
for the standard TPB variables of attitude and PBC, as well as group norm, in
predicting intentions to use SNS frequently, with intention, in turn,
predicting behaviour. These findings provide an understanding of the factors
influencing frequent engagement in what is emerging as a primary tool for
adolescent socialisation. Keywords: Social networking sites; Theory of planned behaviour; Adolescents; Group norm | |||
| Perceived job effectiveness in coopetition: A survey of virtual teams within business organizations | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1598-1606 | |
| Chieh-Peng Lin; Yi-Ju Wang; Yuan-Hui Tsai; Yu-Fang Hsu | |||
| This study establishes a model by drawing from key postulates and findings
under coopetition to explain the formation of perceived job effectiveness in
team collaboration. In the proposed model, perceived job effectiveness is
influenced directly by knowledge sharing, cooperative attitude, and competitive
conflict, while knowledge sharing is influenced by cooperative attitude and
competitive conflict. Accordingly, perceived job effectiveness is influenced
indirectly by shared value, perceived trust and perceived benefit via the
mediation of cooperative attitude and competitive conflict. Empirical testing
of this model, by investigating personnel in information technology (IT)
organizations, confirms the applicability of coopetition in virtual teams. The
test results indicate that all the model paths except one (linking shared
vision and competitive conflict) are significant. Finally, managerial
implications and limitations of the research are provided. Keywords: Cooperation; Competition; Coopetition; Knowledge sharing; Perceived job effectiveness | |||
| The impact of perceived risk, intangibility and consumer characteristics on online game playing | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1607-1613 | |
| Lily Shui-Lien Chen | |||
| Online game is the most popular entertainment application in the virtual
world and online gamers demonstrate high attachment to playing online games.
Previous studies have linked to the numerous negative outcomes in playing
online games. The factors contribute to the negative consequences on using
online game have been relatively neglected. The purpose of this study is to
explore the impact of perceived risk, intangibility, gender and age
(adolescent/adult) difference on online game playing consequences and
intentions. Past usage frequency is also made to look into the influence
additional purchase intention. A total of 1418 useful questionnaires (including
1018 from public interview and 400 from online questionnaire feedback) were
collected for final data analysis. The results demonstrated the important roles
that time risk, psychological risk, financial risk, physical intangibility,
mental intangibility and generality play on the negative consequences
associated with online game playing. The results also indicated that male and
adolescent individuals spent much more time on online game and intented to act
the entertainment more than females and adults did. Finally, past online game
playing frequency was showed to be a positive predictor of future online game
playing intention. Keywords: Online game; Perceived risk; Intangibility; Behavioral intention | |||
| Do males and females think in the same way? An empirical investigation on the gender differences in Web advertising evaluation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1614-1624 | |
| Yongqiang Sun; Kai H. Lim; Chunping Jiang; Jerry Zeyu Peng; Xiaojian Chen | |||
| Informativeness and entertainment are regarded as two types of advertising
value that can influence consumers' attitudes toward Web advertising. Despite
of many studies on these two factors, there are two research gaps in extant
literature. First, the effects of informativeness and entertainment on attitude
are considered separately, yet their interaction effect is neglected. Second,
the role of individual characteristics (e.g., gender) in the advertising
evaluation process is far from clear. To address these two issues, a laboratory
experiment was conducted to investigate the interaction effect between
informativeness and entertainment, and also the moderating role of gender. The
results indicate that informativeness can help form a more positive attitude
for males than for females, and entertainment can lead to a more positive
attitude for females than for males. It is also found that there is a three-way
interaction among informativeness, entertainment, and gender. More
specifically, the interaction effect between informativeness and entertainment
is significant for females, but insignificant for males. Results, research
contributions, and limitations are discussed, and implications for future
studies are suggested. Keywords: Web advertising; Advertising value model; Gender difference; Synergy effect | |||
| Color red in web-based knowledge testing | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1625-1631 | |
| Timo Gnambs; Markus Appel; Bernad Batinic | |||
| Computer- and web-based testing procedures are increasingly popular for the
assessment of cognitive abilities and knowledge. This paper identified color
red as a critical context factor that may influence the results. Two studies
showed that color red may harm the performance in web-based tests of general
knowledge. In Study 1 (N = 131) a red (vs. green) progress bar impeded the
performance in a knowledge test, but only for the male participants. In Study 2
(N = 190) the color of the survey's forward-button was manipulated (red vs.
blue vs. mixed color) which led to a replication of the gender-dependent color
effect. Evolutionary psychology and stereotype threat research explain why red
impedes the activation of knowledge among men, but not among women. Keywords: Color; General knowledge; Red; Web-based testing; Gender | |||
| Motivational factors that influence the acceptance of Moodle using TAM | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1632-1640 | |
| R. Arteaga Sánchez; A. Duarte Hueros | |||
| Moodle and other virtual teaching platforms have bolstered the ability and
motivation of universities to support distance learning.
The aim of our study is to improve understanding of the motivational factors behind student satisfaction, or dissatisfaction, with the Web-based learning platform, Moodle. Our study extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to include technical support and perceived self-efficacy, with the expectation that they influence usage of Moodle. We surveyed 226 students of the Business Administration and Management (LADE) and Infant and Primary School Teaching degree courses of the University of Huelva. The data showed that technical support has a direct effect on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Moodle usage was also directly influenced by perceived ease of use and attitude. The results reveal the importance of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness on attitude. Keywords: Moodle; Technology Acceptance Model (TAM); E-learning | |||
| "It doesn't matter what you are!" Explaining social effects of agents and avatars | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1641-1650 | |
| Astrid M. von der Pütten; Nicole C. Krämer; Jonathan Gratch; Sin-Hwa Kang | |||
| Empirical studies have repeatedly shown that autonomous artificial entities,
so-called embodied conversational agents, elicit social behavior on the part of
the human interlocutor. Various theoretical approaches have tried to explain
this phenomenon: According to the Threshold Model of Social Influence
(Blascovich et al., 2002), the social influence of real persons who are
represented by avatars will always be high, whereas the influence of an
artificial entity depends on the realism of its behavior. Conversely, the
Ethopoeia concept (Nass & Moon, 2000) predicts that automatic social
reactions are triggered by situations as soon as they include social cues. The
presented study evaluates whether participants' belief in interacting with
either an avatar (a virtual representation of a human) or an agent (autonomous
virtual person) lead to different social effects. We used a 2 × 2 design
with two levels of agency (agent or avatar) and two levels of behavioral
realism (showing feedback behavior versus showing no behavior). We found that
the belief of interacting with either an avatar or an agent barely resulted in
differences with regard to the evaluation of the virtual character or
behavioral reactions, whereas higher behavioral realism affected both. It is
discussed to what extent the results thus support the Ethopoeia concept. Keywords: Virtual agents; Avatars; Social presence; Experimental study; Behavioral realism; Media equation | |||
| To control or not to control? Parenting behaviours and adolescent online aggression | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1651-1656 | |
| Danielle M. Law; Jennifer D. Shapka; Brent F. Olson | |||
| Non-empirical publications have espoused the importance of
monitoring/controlling children's online and computer activities through
monitoring software; however, no empirical research has verified whether this
is a viable means for promoting responsible and safe internet use. This study
examined the association between parenting behaviours and adolescent online
aggression. The sample included 733 adolescents (451 females), between 10 and
18 years, from Western Canada. Participants completed a questionnaire that
included questions on internet aggression, and parenting. The parenting
questions were modified from Stattin and Kerr's (2000) questionnaire to better
suit the online environment. Results from the univariate least squares factor
analysis revealed two distinct factors: (1) Parent Solicitation (parents ask
where child is going on the internet), (2) Child Disclosure (child naturally
tells parents what they are doing). Hierarchical Linear Regression analysis
revealed that having a computer in the bedroom increased the likelihood of
engaging in online aggression and that adolescent self-disclosure of online
behaviours (and not controlling or monitoring online activities) was negatively
associated with online aggression. These findings emphasize the importance of
establishing good communication between parents and adolescents rather than
investing money on monitoring software and on controlling adolescent internet
use. Keywords: Internet aggression; Parenting; Child and adolescent development | |||
| Personal journal bloggers: Profiles of disclosiveness | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1657-1666 | |
| Erin E. Hollenbaugh | |||
| Personal journal blogs, which are primarily about bloggers' selves and inner
states, are often characterized by high amounts of self-disclosure. This study
employed the uses and gratifications perspective to reveal the characteristics
of disclosive personal journal bloggers. Path analyses of data from an online
survey revealed that the most disclosive bloggers were women who were generally
disclosive in their offline lives as well. Disclosive bloggers were typically
motivated to blog to archive and organize their thoughts, much as one would
expect for an online diary. Target audience was a stronger predictor of
disclosiveness than the potential audience. The theoretical and practical
implications of study results are discussed, along with potential directions
for future research. Keywords: Communication; Self-disclosure; Individual differences; Motivation; Online social networks; Computer-mediated communication | |||
| Emotion encoding and interpretation in computer-mediated communication: Reasons for use | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1667-1673 | |
| Monica A. Riordan; Roger J. Kreuz | |||
| As computer-mediated communication (CMC) is increasingly used to build and
maintain relationships, the examination of channel choice for the development
of these social ties becomes important to study. Using free response data from
Riordan and Kreuz (submitted for publication), we examine reasons for choosing
among face-to-face, asynchronous email, or synchronous instant message channels
to transmit negatively or positively valenced emotional information. The most
common reason for choosing face-to-face over channels of CMC was the ability to
use more nonverbal cues. The most common reason for choosing a CMC channel over
face-to-face was to shield oneself from the message recipient. Face-to-face was
deemed more effective, more personal, more comfortable, and less permanent than
CMC channels. Reasons differed significantly by valence and channel. We suggest
that better knowledge of why people choose certain channels for different types
of socio-emotional communication can help develop more comprehensive theories
of CMC that account for different attributes of each channel in information
transmission. Keywords: Computer-mediated; Emotion; Face-to-face; Email; Instant messenger | |||
| Age differences in perceptions of online community participation among non-users: An extension of the Technology Acceptance Model | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1674-1684 | |
| Jae Eun Chung; Namkee Park; Hua Wang; Janet Fulk; Margaret McLaughlin | |||
| This study examined age differences in perceptions of online communities
held by people who were not yet participating in these relatively new social
spaces. Using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), we investigated the
factors that affect future intention to participate in online communities. Our
results supported the proposition that perceived usefulness positively affects
behavioral intention, yet it was determined that perceived ease of use was not
a significant predictor of perceived usefulness. The study also discovered
negative relationships between age and Internet self-efficacy and the perceived
quality of online community websites. However, the moderating role of age was
not found. The findings suggest that the relationships among perceived ease of
use, perceived usefulness, and intention to participate in online communities
do not change with age. Theoretical and practical implications and limitations
were discussed. Keywords: Online community; Technology Acceptance Model; Generation gap; Older adults | |||
| Content information desired by Chinese users for effective use of information appliances | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1685-1693 | |
| Yinni Guo; Gavriel Salvendy; Robert W. Proctor | |||
| Many studies have been conducted to determine how to present information on
mobile phones in such a way as to enhance usability, but those studies have not
considered what information users need for effective decision making. To
investigate what users want from mobile phones, we carried out a content
preparation study. A questionnaire was constructed based on prior results from
website content research, traditional usability studies on consumer
electronics, and extensive study on various types of mobile phones; it was
completed by 375 Chinese industrial participants. The statistical results
revealed nine major factors of mobile phone content: information relating to
input/search, functions, operation, multimedia functions, stored files, phone
calls, help/service, accessory functions, and messages. Also, users of
different ages and genders evidenced different requirements for mobile phone
content, especially concerning accessory and multimedia functions. This study
suggests guidelines for mobile phone designers targeted at the Chinese market
and provides a base for content study of other information appliances. Keywords: Content preparation; Mobile phone; Survey; Factor analysis; Information appliance | |||
| Cyber patients surfing the medical web: Computer-mediated medical knowledge and perceived benefits | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1694-1700 | |
| Gül Seçkin | |||
| Information and communication technologies have introduced new and
impressive tools for information sharing and building computer-mediated
knowledge repositories in a global context. Clinicians and researchers pay
particular attention to technology as a promising tool to empower patients
through self-health care management skills and to improve health care
communication with providers. This represents a significant step in modern
medicine of computer-integrated patient self-health care. This paper aims to
examine perceived informational and decisional benefits of computer-mediated
health and medical information, more specifically of cancer web-sites, and
presents the results of two separate statistical models of perceived benefits.
Multivariate hierarchical regression analyses showed that the frequency and
time spent visiting medical web-sites are significant predictors of perceived
benefits of computer-mediated knowledge. The results also indicated that
computer-mediated medical information empowers health consumers to make
informed decisions for their health care. The discussion section of the paper
contextualizes the findings within the current sociomedical trends of
self-health care and partnership with health providers. It is important to
understand the perceived benefits of using computer-mediated medical knowledge,
so that information and communication technologies can be targeted to educate
patients to make informed decisions and to develop patient self-health-care
management competencies. Keywords: Computer; Internet; Health; Patient; Information; Decision | |||
| Knowledge and information awareness for initiating transactive memory system processes of computer-supported collaborating ad hoc groups | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1701-1709 | |
| Mareike Schreiber; Tanja Engelmann | |||
| This paper presents an innovative approach for initiating processes of a
transactive memory system in newly formed groups of experts collaborating
computer-supported in a complex problem-solving task. Our empirical study
compared 15 experimental and 15 control groups, each consisting of triads. In
the experimental condition, the triads were provided with a tool for fostering
knowledge and information awareness, that is, being informed about the
knowledge and the underlying information of the collaboration partners in form
of digital concept maps. In the control condition, the groups had no access to
this tool. Results confirmed the potential of the tool to initiate processes of
a transactive memory system: shared agreement of the knowledge of the other
group members' knowledge proved to influence group performance positively. In
addition, previous findings of the tool's potential to establish knowledge and
information awareness and to augment group performance could be replicated.
However, the postulated mediating effect of processes of a transactive memory
system concerning the impact of knowledge and information awareness on group
performance did not reach statistical significance. Aspects for future studies
and implications of these findings regarding their practical implementation,
for example, in teams of organizations, are discussed. Keywords: Knowledge and information awareness; Transactive memory system; Computer-supported collaboration | |||
| Older adults talk technology: Technology usage and attitudes | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1710-1721 | |
| Tracy L. Mitzner; Julie B. Boron; Cara Bailey Fausset; Anne E. Adams; Neil Charness; Sara J. Czaja; Katinka Dijkstra; Arthur D. Fisk; Wendy A. Rogers; Joseph Sharit | |||
| Older adults (n = 113) participated in focus groups discussing their use of
and attitudes about technology in the context of their home, work, and
healthcare. Participants reported using a wide variety of technology items,
particularly in their homes. Positive attitudes (i.e., likes) outnumbered
negative attitudes (i.e., dislikes), suggesting that older adults perceive the
benefits of technology use to outweigh the costs of such use. Positive
attitudes were most frequently related to how the technology supported
activities, enhanced convenience, and contained useful features. Negative
attitudes were most frequently associated with technology creating
inconveniences, unhelpful features, as well as security and reliability
concerns. Given that older adults reported more positive than negative
attitudes about the technologies they use, these results contradict stereotypes
that older adults are afraid or unwilling to use technology. These findings
also highlight the importance of perceived benefits of use and ease of use for
models of technology acceptance. Emphasizing the benefits of technology in
education and training programs may increase future technology adoption. Keywords: Technology; Older adults; Work; Healthcare; Home | |||
| Why shy people use instant messaging: Loneliness and other motives | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1722-1726 | |
| C. Albert Bardi; Michael F. Brady | |||
| Existing research suggests shy people may satisfy their affiliation needs
through computerized forms of communication such as instant messaging (IM).
Fifty-five undergraduates completed an IM use index, the Cheek and Buss (1981)
shyness scale and a motives for IM use scale developed for this study. It was
found that the strongest motives for IM use were to increase personal contact
as opposed to gain social ease or to decrease loneliness. While a direct
association between shyness and IM use intensity was not found, shyness was
associated with using IM to decrease loneliness in comparison to other motives.
It was concluded that shyer people have multiple motives for using IM, but that
decreasing loneliness is particularly important for them. Future research could
examine how IM and other computerized communications compare to face-to-face
interactions between shy and non-shy people. Keywords: Shyness; Loneliness; Instant messaging; Computer-mediated communication | |||
| The effects of scaffolding metacognitive activities in small groups | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1727-1738 | |
| Inge Molenaar; Carla A. M. van Boxtel; Peter J. C. Sleegers | |||
| This study examined the effects of scaffolds on triads' metacognitive
activities in complex open learning environments. In an experimental design,
two experimental groups receiving scaffolds were compared with a control group.
The experimental groups differed in the form of scaffolding messages used:
structuring scaffolds vs. problematizing scaffolds. We analyzed the effects of
scaffolding and the different forms of scaffolds on the amount of metacognitive
activities of triads on the interpersonal plane. The results show that
scaffolding has a significant effect on stimulating metacognitive activities;
triads receiving scaffolds performed significantly more metacognitive
activities on the interpersonal plane. Additionally, scaffolding also has a
significant development effect; triads continue to show more metacognitive
activities after the scaffolding is ceased. Finally, no significant differences
between the two forms of scaffolding were found: triads receiving
problematizing scaffolds did not showed more metacognitive activities during or
after the scaffolding compared to triads receiving structuring scaffolds. Keywords: Metacognitive activities; Scaffolding; Complex open learning environments; Virtual agents; Elementary education | |||
| It won't happen to me: Promoting secure behaviour among internet users | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1739-1747 | |
| Nicola Davinson; Elizabeth Sillence | |||
| Fraudulent activity on the Internet, in particular the practice known as
'Phishing', is on the increase. Although a number of technology focussed
counter measures have been explored user behaviour remains fundamental to
increased online security. Encouraging users to engage in secure online
behaviour is difficult with a number of different barriers to change. Guided by
a model adapted from health psychology this paper reports on a study designed
to encourage secure behaviour online. The study aimed to investigate the
effects of education via a training program and the effects of risk level
manipulation on subsequent self-reported behaviour online. The training program
'Anti-Phishing Phil' informed users of the common types of phishing threats and
how to identify them whilst the risk level manipulation randomly allocated
participants to either high risk or low risk of becoming a victim of online
fraud. Sixty-four participants took part in the study, which comprised of 9
males and 55 females with an age range of 18-43 years. Participants were
randomly allocated to one of four experimental groups. High threat information
and/or the provision of phishing education were expected to increase
self-reports of secure behaviour. Secure behaviour was measured at three
stages, a baseline measure stage, an intention measure stage, and a 7-day
follow-up measure stage. The results showed that offering a seemingly tailored
risk message increased users' intentions to act in a secure manner online
regardless of whether the risk message indicated they were at high or low risk
of fraud. There was no effect of the training programme on secure behaviour in
general. The findings are discussed in relation to the model of behaviour
change, information provision and the transferability of training. Keywords: Security; Risk perception; Risk information; Training; Phishing; Internet | |||
| Beauty or realism: The dimensions of skin from cognitive sciences to computer graphics | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1748-1752 | |
| François Giard; Matthieu J. Guitton | |||
| As the most visible interface between the individual and the others, the
skin is a key element of visually-carried inter-individual social information,
since skin displays a wide array of information regarding gender, age, or
health status. Adequate skin perception is central in individual identification
and social interactions. This topic elicited marked interest in artists since
the first development of visual arts in Antiquity. Often performed in order to
identify the biological correlates of attractiveness, psychological research on
skin perception made a jump forward with the development of virtual image
synthesis. Here, we investigate how advances in both computer graphics and the
psychology of skin perception may be turned to use in real-time virtual worlds.
We propose a model of skin perception based both on purely physical dimensions
such as color, texture, and symmetry, and on dimensions carrying
socially-oriented information, such as perceived youth (information regarding
putative fertility), markers of sexual dimorphism (information regarding
hormonal status), and level of oxygenation (information regarding health
status). It appears that for almost all of the dimensions of skin, maximal
attractiveness and realism are the two opposite extremities of a single
perceptive continuum. Keywords: Avatar; Human-machine interactions; Uncanny valley; Skin perception; Synthesized skin; Virtual settings | |||
| The moderating effects of gender on e-commerce systems adoption factors: An empirical investigation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1753-1760 | |
| Yujong Hwang | |||
| For e-commerce designers and human-computer interaction researchers,
electronic commerce (e-commerce) systems adoption factors and the moderating
effects of gender are important topics. Even though there are research
endeavors to explain e-commerce systems adoption, one of the main questions to
be answered is regarding the normative and affective factors based on the
theory of reasoned action and self-determination theory. In this paper, social
norms, perceived enjoyment, and their relationships to intention to adopt an
e-commerce system are tested (n = 322). Furthermore, the moderating effects of
gender are tested based on the sociolinguistic literature. As expected, the
influence of social norms is stronger in the female group while the influence
of enjoyment is stronger in the male group. Theoretical and practical
implications of these findings are discussed in the paper. Keywords: E-commerce; Social norms; Perceived enjoyment; Gender; Technology adoption | |||
| CASA, WASA, and the dimensions of us | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1761-1771 | |
| Pamela Karr-Wisniewski; Michael Prietula | |||
| In this paper we replicate and extend the work of the Computers are Social
Actors (CASA) researchers who repeatedly found evidence that humans treat
computers with typical social norms as if they were humans. We performed a
between-subjects 2 × 2 factorial experiment to test our hypotheses as
well as an exploratory factor analysis to further refine and validate a
construct which measures politeness. We retest the CASA hypothesis and found
that our new hypothesis -- Websites are Social Actors (WASA) reduces the CASA
effect in contexts where individuals form a social attachment to websites
instead of computers. We found evidence that suggests humans can exhibit
politeness toward websites and literally (not virtually) treat them as social
actors. Finally, we tease out the elements of politeness as a construct and
identify the key items in the instrument for data reduction, and initiate
efforts towards establishing reliability and construct validity. As we shall
see, the results of an exploratory factor analysis are quite consistent to
recent research in social cognition, and suggest that the politeness construct
may be tapping similar and fundamental components of how humans engage with
others in their social world. Keywords: Computers are Social Actors (CASA); Politeness; Human-computer interaction; Websites | |||
| Cross-modal compensation between name and visual aspect in socially active avatars | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1772-1776 | |
| Matthieu J. Guitton | |||
| Avatars serve for humans immersed in virtual settings as the interface
between real and virtual worlds. The avatar-creation process involves numerous
choices, including choice of visual representation, and choices to imbue the
character with personality. Here, we hypothesised that these choices are not
independent, and that a cross-modal talk may occur between the different
components of the avatar identity. Specifically, we investigated whether name
properties may be affected by the visual aspect (human vs. non-human) of the
avatar. We analyzed names structure of players characters from the popular
massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft,
which display both human and non-human avatars. We selected 1261 names of
characters actively engaged in the in-game and out-game social networks.
Analysis of the names revealed that female names presented more variability
than male names, and contained systematically more vowels than male names.
However, the strategy used to enrich the vowel composition of female names
differed between human-like and non-human characters, suggesting that a lesser
proximity with human regular appearance was compensated by an increase of
"feminization" of the name. Altogether, our results suggest that a cross-modal
compensation occurs between name and visual aspect in the creation of socially
active avatars. Keywords: Avatar; Embodiment; Gender effect; Name; Social interactions; Virtual human | |||
| The impact of goods-classification and landmarks for spatial knowledge and goods-finding in the elderly within a 3D virtual store | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1777-1786 | |
| Cheng-Li Liu | |||
| Online shopping has become quite popular since its first arrival on the
internet. Although numerous studies have been performed to investigate various
issues related to the internet store, some research issues relating to the
spatial cognition of the elderly (the fastest growing internet group) when
exploring a 3D virtual store still await further empirical investigation. The
objective of this study was to examine how elderly users acquire spatial
knowledge in an on-screen virtual store. Specifically, the impact of different
types of landmarks on the acquisition of spatial knowledge was examined. In
addition, in this study, goods-classification was seen as an implicit landmark
associated with the acquisition of spatial knowledge. Therefore, it is worth
observing the impact during the location of the goods and examining the
combined effect with landmarks. The experimental results indicated that
landmarks are important for the elderly as they attempt to locate goods within
a 3D virtual store, no matter what types are used. However, landmarks are not
the only resources for constructing spatial knowledge in a 3D virtual store;
the classification of goods is also a good resource and may be more important
than landmarks. In addition, the combined effect of goods-classification and
landmarks in a 2D image would be best for the elderly in terms of acquired
spatial cognition and the location of goods within a 3D virtual store. Keywords: 3D virtual store; Goods-finding; Goods-classification; Landmarks; Route knowledge; Survey knowledge | |||
| The effects of interactive brand placements in online games on children's cognitive, affective, and conative brand responses | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1787-1794 | |
| Eva A. van Reijmersdal; Jeroen Jansz; Oscar Peters; Guda van Noort | |||
| This study investigated how persuasive messages integrated in an online game
affects children's cognitive, affective, and conative responses to the brand,
as well as their attitude toward the game itself. An experiment conducted among
2453 girls between the ages of 11 and 17 demonstrated that confrontation with
interactive brand placement in the game resulted in more positive attitudes
toward the game, higher top of mind awareness of the brand, more positive brand
images, and more favorable behavioral intentions. In addition, consistent with
persuasion literature and theories on child development, this study showed that
there was a three-way interaction effect between exposure to the brand
placement, age, and prior brand use for behavioral intentions. The youngest
girls who had no prior experience with the brand were more strongly influenced
by the brand placement than the oldest girls who had no prior brand experience. Keywords: Brand placement; In-game advertising; Online games; Interactivity | |||
| A proposed model for evaluating the success of WebCT course content management system | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1795-1805 | |
| Tella Adeyinka; S. Mutula | |||
| WebCT is an online course management system which is accessed through the
portal. It has a wide range of tools which support teaching and learning and
enable online delivery of lecture notes, representations, surveys and quizzes,
coursework, discussion boards and much more. Evaluation of WebCT systems
success or effectiveness is a fundamental challenge to education institutions.
A review of previous e-learning research suggests a focused evaluation
approach, thus offering limited discussion of comprehensive views of WebCT
systems success or systematic and practical guidance to its evaluations. Based
on a prevalent information systems success model, this paper proposes and
describes a revised model for evaluating WebCT systems success in educational
settings. The study findings suggest that content quality, system quality,
support service quality, teaching and learning quality, self-regulated
learning, intention to use/use, user satisfaction and net benefits are
important factors for evaluating the success of WebCT CCMS. Implications of the
proposed model for theory and practice were illustrated. In addition, future
research directions that extend the reported study are also preferred. Keywords: E-learning; WebCT; Course content management system; Information system success; Information communication technology (ICT); Botswana | |||
| Cues in computer-mediated communication: A corpus analysis | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1806-1817 | |
| Monica A. Riordan; Roger J. Kreuz | |||
| An analysis of five contemporary corpora examines the use of several
different cues in four channels of computer-mediated communication. With an
in-depth corpus analysis, we show that a wealth of cues is available in online
communication, and that these cues are often matched with words that have
particular functions and/or semantic meanings. Using the Linguistic Inquiry and
Word Count text analysis software (Pennebaker et al., 2007), we found the two
largest categories represented by cue-laden words involved affect and cognitive
mechanisms, suggesting that cues are largely used to indicate emotion or to
disambiguate a message. We argue that learning the meaning of these cues is
central to learning how people communicate nonverbally while online. Keywords: Nonverbal; Email; Chat; Blogs; Cues; Online communication | |||
| Changes in adolescent online social networking behaviors from 2006 to 2009 | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1818-1821 | |
| Justin W. Patchin; Sameer Hinduja | |||
| As online social networking has become an immersive and pervasive
phenomenon, traditional considerations and expectations of personal privacy
have been drastically altered. This paradigmatic change has led to adolescents
possibly making themselves vulnerable to embarrassment, censure, damage to
one's name or reputation, or even victimization by others because of unwise
postings or revelations online. The current study sought to determine the
extent to which adolescent information disclosure on MySpace.com has changed
between 2006 and 2009. We found significant changes in the nature of personal
content made publicly available across the two time points and a trend in which
teens are being increasingly more selective and discrete when it comes to what
they share and with whom they share it. Keywords: Social networking; MySpace; Internet; Cyberspace; Computer-mediated communication; Adolescence | |||
| Investigating aspects of an emerging digital ethnicity: Development of the Digital Ethnicity Scale (DES) | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1822-1830 | |
| Nan B. Adams; Thomas A. DeVaney; Wilma S. Longstreet | |||
| The Digital Ethnicity Scale (DES), utilizing Longstreet (1978) model of the
aspects of ethnicity, was developed to describe the impact human interaction
with digital communication technologies is having on cultural development.
Longstreet's definition of ethnicity focuses on cultural development during the
earliest stages of human development, prior to the onset of children's abstract
thinking. The ultimate goal for the development of the Digital Ethnicity Scale
is to describe those aspects of digital ethnicity and collect these
descriptions along with demographic data to achieve profiles of various digital
ethnicities. These digital ethnic profiles may provide insight into the social
and educational needs of rapidly changing societal groupings with hopes of
providing guidance for future practice. A 5-phase development process,
including the development and validation of both Likert-type items and semantic
differentials, was conducted with more than 2000 respondents. Both theoretical
and practical results of this inquiry are presented. Keywords: Socio-cultural patterns; Cultural context; Social development | |||
| Symmetry and aesthetics in website design: It's a man's business | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1831-1837 | |
| Alexandre N. Tuch; Javier A. Bargas-Avila; Klaus Opwis | |||
| In recent years the aesthetic appearance of user-interfaces has become a
topic of increasing interest in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI).
At the same time, it is well known that there are gender-specific effects in
HCI. The present study investigates the effect of web page symmetry by taking
gender differences into account. A total of 60 people (30 male, 30 female)
participated in a laboratory experiment, where 20 website start-pages had to be
rated regarding symmetry, intuitive beauty, classical and expressive
aesthetics. Results show that vertical symmetry is an important factor in
aesthetic website design. It has an impact on intuitive straightforward beauty
appraisals and on classical and expressive aesthetics judgments. Asymmetrically
designed web pages were considered to be less beautiful and achieved lower
scores on the classical and expressive dimensions. Moreover, the study
indicates that the symmetry effect only occurs among male participants: only
men react unfavorably to asymmetrically designed websites, whereas women's
judgments are not influenced by symmetry. These findings should be taken into
consideration by website designers, especially when they aim to design for
target audience consisting of a majority of a certain gender. Keywords: Web design; Gender effects; Classical aesthetics; Expressive aesthetics; HCI | |||
| Psychometric properties of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1838-1845 | |
| Kevin J. Kelley; Elon M. Gruber | |||
| Several instruments have been designed to measure problems associated with
excessive, compulsive, or addictive use of the Internet. One such instrument,
the 18-item Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire, was recently published with
data supporting a three subscale model (Demetrovics et al., 2008). These
researches utilized an online format with a sample taken from the general
population of Hungary. We utilized an American college student sample and a
paper and pencil format to perform a confirmatory factor analysis of the PIUQ.
In addition, we examined the reliability and construct validity of the PIUQ by
examining the scales' relationship with several indices of psychological and
physical health. CFA results indicate a barely adequate and not completely
problem free three factor model for the PIUQ (χ² = 477.40; root mean
square error = .097; comparative fit index = .831; Tucker Lewis coefficient =
.804). Cronbach's α for the total scale was .91 while the Cronbach's
α for each subscale were .81, .77, and .79. Construct validity for the
model is demonstrated with significant correlations between the subscales and
several indices of psychological and physical health. Suggestions for further
research are provided. Keywords: Problematic Internet use; Internet addiction; Health; Methodology | |||
| Understanding factors affecting perceived sociability of social software | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1846-1861 | |
| Qin Gao; Yusen Dai; Zao Fan; Ruogu Kang | |||
| Sociability is considered to be important to the success of social software.
The goal of the current study is to identify factors that affect the users'
perception of the sociability of social software and to examine the impact of
sociability on the users' attitude and behavior intentions. In a pilot study,
35 web users were interviewed to gain understanding of how they use social
software to supplement their social life and to explore the possible factors
that influence the users' utilization of social software. In the first study, a
questionnaire was developed, and 163 valid responses were collected. From the
factor analysis results, seven important factors for social software design
emerged, which accounts for 63.3% of the total variance. In the second study,
246 participants were asked to evaluate one of ten popular social applications
with respect to the seven factors, their perceived sociability, and their
attitudes and intention regarding the use of the applications. Results show
that sociability is influenced by social climate, benefits and purposes,
people, interaction richness, self-presentation, and support for formal
interaction. System competency is not a sociability factor, but it
significantly influences the user's experience. Sociability and system
competency, when combined, can predict 43% of users' attitude towards social
software and 51% of their intentions to use social software. Keywords: Sociability; Computer-mediated communication; Social software | |||
| Falling in love with online games: The uses and gratifications perspective | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 1862-1871 | |
| Jen-Her Wu; Shu-Ching Wang; Ho-Huang Tsai | |||
| Playing online games is experience-oriented but few studies have explored
the user's initial (trial) reaction to game playing and how this further
influences a player's behavior. Drawing upon the Uses and Gratifications
theory, we investigated players' multiple gratifications for playing (i.e.
achievement, enjoyment and social interaction) and their experience with the
service mechanisms offered after they had played an online game. This study
explores the important antecedents of players' proactive "stickiness" to a
specific online game and examines the relationships among these antecedents.
The results show that both the gratifications and service mechanisms
significantly affect a player's continued motivation to play, which is crucial
to a player's proactive stickiness to an online game. Keywords: Proactive stickiness; Uses and Gratifications theory; Service mechanisms; Presence; Continuance motivation; Online games | |||
| Corrigendum to "Causal knowledge-based design of EDI controls: An explorative study" [Comput. Hum. Behav. 23 (2007) 628-663] | | BIB | Full-Text | 1872 | |
| Kun Chang Lee; Sangjae Lee | |||