As technology and sedentary lifestyles have become an integral part of children's lives, so too has the prevalence of childhood obesity. Although video games are often associated with influencing sedentary behaviors, active gaming is a new genre that requires children to become physically active while playing the games. In this inquiry I explored six fifth grade students' experiences participating in active gaming in physical education classes for 30 minutes, twice weekly, during an eight week (16 sessions) study. I used qualitative methods including interviews, journal entries, and observational field notes. Analysis of data revealed students have a "Persistence to Game" (P2G) when participating in active gaming during physical education. When students experience P2G I considered them to be at "play" demonstrating play-like attributes. Persistence to game includes eight elements. Although not all elements need to be present at the same time, when these elements interact, students experience flow. The discoveries of this study suggest active gaming can be an appropriate tool used in 21st century physical education classes that appeals and is desirable to students.

an autoethnographic exploration, this study aimed to determine how I (the researcher) could enhance the learning experience of tertiary jazz piano students while focusing on self-reflection. Vygotsky’s (1978) zone of proximal development and Csikszentmihalyi’s (1990) flow theory were used as the theoretical background of the study. Based on the zone of proximal development, I aimed to enhance the students’ learning during weekly piano lessons. Furthermore, based on flow, I intended to reflect on my own experiences while teaching. For the duration of the study, data collection took place at a South African university with four first-year undergraduate jazz piano students. During weekly lessons, a reflective journal was kept, recording personal flow experiences including an assessment rubric where students’ progress could be measured. Results were analysed and sorted under four elements of flow applicable to practical teaching – challenge/skill, clear goals, concentration on the task at hand and unambiguous feedback – including personal flow experiences. These flow dimensions served as a valuable guideline in adjusting teaching methods while teaching jazz. The personal flow experiences relates to Bakker’s (2005) emotional contagion theory where a teachers flow experience can cross over to a student, or a teachers mood can influence the students’ learning experiences. I found that reflecting on my own flow experiences enhances my confidence, motivation and concentration as a lecturer. Additionally, based on the zone of proximal development, aural/video imitation and scaffolding proved to be important concepts while teaching jazz piano. / Mini Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted

While the computer programing becomes a fundamental skill in the last century, it has been globally acknowledged that there is a decline in number of graduates in disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Many scholars have been addressing this lack of interest and studied student engagement with STEM through variety of engagement programs and activities. In this master thesis as an exploratory qualitative study, technology and programing are blended together in a workshop hosting students of age 12-13 towards the development of their enthusiasm and engagement with STEM. During the activity, students used Makey Makey toolkit and Scartch programming language by application of textiles as soft material to investigate how this combination impact the engagement, and in what ways soft materials influence it. The study results in the light of Flow theory showed that four attributes of attention, motivation, engagement and social interaction pursued in the workshop. Textiles, as a mediator by expanding the flow state boundaries make the activity softer to encourage students being engaged in it, particularly from a gender perspective.

Background: In the last couple years, the free to play sector in gaming has taken a rise compared to their pay to play counterparts, being able to generate up to 85% of all gaming revenue. More and more game developers have opted to change their game from a paid model to a free-to-play business model, with prominent cases being games like CS:GO and Overwatch. It all started with cosmetics and skins, but companies started to develop new ways to get players into the cycle of spending money in free-to-play games. Purpose: For this reason, the purpose of this study focuses on exploring how the purchase of microtransactions in free-to-play games impacts the way players experience flow. Similarly, we also aim to learn what happens after the initial purchase and how, by using money in this way, players can enhance the quality of their overall play time. Method: We conduct a qualitative study examining how microtransactions impact flow through conducting a set of 21 interviews with players from different platforms and games, 4 individual think aloud protocols, and various relevant reddit posts. Conclusion: Our findings build upon past research, illustrating how there are contrasting effects regarding how microtransactions impact flow. The results challenge previous flow literature, incorporating the novel view that microtransactions and the social context can also help trigger and destroy flow.

This study investigates how linear and nonlinear level designs inspire game flow in cooperative gameplay through a close reading analysis. The research focuses on It Takes Two, a highly successful cooperative game with compelling and unusual combination of game elements that enhance the cooperative experience. Employing a close reading methodology, the study examines the reciprocal relationship between game mechanics and game flow, considering elements such as cooperation mechanics, task structures, and guidance within levels. The analysis utilizes Sweetser and Wyeth's (2005) eight elements of flow to evaluate the game flow in cooperative scenes. By exploring the interaction patterns, mechanics design, and player experiences, the study offers insights into the impact of level design on cooperative gameplay in relationship with flow for designing engaging cooperative experiences. The findings contribute to the understanding of how different level designs shape game flow in cooperative games.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived outcomes of participation in a summer camp that included physical work and service as a major component. A qualitative data analysis approach was used. A convenience sample of 10 male adolescents and 10 parents were selected. The data was analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Data analysis was used to ascertain perceived outcomes from the program from both boys and their parents. Analysis of the data showed the emergence of a core theme of boys learning to work and enjoying work. Enjoying work was the term chosen to represent this core theme, and a theory of enjoying work was developed with seven salient attributes. These attributes were that the work was productive and taught skills, provided challenge, was intrinsically rewarding, made a difference for someone else, was done with others, was physical and done outdoors, and took place over an extended period of time.

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Brand loyalty in a gaming context takes many forms, including conscious selection of brand, intention of game continuation, positive word of mouth, recommendation, or even active recruitment. As games can be played multiple times, player loyalty is essential to fostering an on-going relationship between brand and consumer. This study focuses on the theory of self-congruity, the congruence between one’s self-concept and one’s perception of a brand’s personality, and its impact on brand loyalty in the gaming industry, a market that has grown exponentially in recent years. Through 31 in-depth interviews, the initial qualitative research explores self-congruity (actual, ideal, social, and ideal social) and its relationship to the gaming environment and how that impacts brand loyalty. The findings of the first study demonstrated: 1. congruity between the player and game character, rather than the game itself, 2. the deeply personal approach to character design, and 3. the feeling of immersion in the game’s narrative. Based on the initial study findings, the second study was developed to incorporate flow theory that describes the nature of feeling fully immersed within the game. A conceptual model was created to integrate self-congruity and flow theories and their impact on brand loyalty. The model was then tested through 512 respondents of a self-reported survey. Results supported prior researchers’ findings, such as the relationships between player-character identification and flow as well as flow and loyalty. Yet, we found that ideal congruity may be a stronger indicator of loyalty as mediated through flow, while actual congruity may in fact inhibit the relationship. The results of this research provide a theoretical contribution by adding self-congruity theory to the flow and loyalty body of knowledge in the gaming space. Furthermore, the self-congruity measurement model provides an alternative measurement method to the previous player-character identification model. From a managerial perspective, the study results support an approach to game design that encourages character design suited to players’ ideal selves rather than mimicking their actual, “real world” selves. / Business Administration/Marketing

The driver-specific data from a naturalistic driving study provides car-following events in real-world driving situations, while additionally providing a wealth of information about the participating drivers. Reducing a naturalistic database into finite car-following events requires significant data reduction, validation, and calibration, often using manual procedures. The data collection performed herein included: the identification of commuting routes used by multiple drivers, the extraction of data along those routes, the identification of potential car-following events from the dataset, the visual validation of each car-following event, and the extraction of pertinent information from the database during each event identified. This thesis applies the developed process to generate car-following events from the 100-Car Study database, and applies the dataset to analyze four car-following models. The Gipps model was found to perform best for drivers with greater amounts of data in congested driving conditions, while the Rakha-Pasumarthy-Adjerid (RPA) model was best for drivers in uncongested conditions. The Gipps model was found to generate the lowest error value in aggregate, with the RPA model error 21 percent greater, and the Gaxis-Herman-Rothery model (GHR) and the Intelligent Driver Model (IDM) errors 143 percent and 86 percent greater, respectively. Additionally, the RPA model provides the flexibility for a driver to change vehicles without the need to recalibrate parameter values for that driver, and can also capture changes in roadway surface type and condition. With the error values close between the RPA and Gipps models, the additional advantages of the RPA model make it the recommended choice for simulation. / Master of Science

This study applied components of Csikszentmhalyi’s flow theory to the Web-based Training (WBT) environment. Specifically considered were how the equivalence of a learner’s perceived challenges and skills for an activity can effectively predict the emergence of flow in the WBT environment. Also considered was the ability of flow dimensions — defined in flow theory — to predict and model the occurrence of flow during WBT activities. Over a period of about one hour, students (n=43) from a southwestern US university engaged in WBT learning activities pertaining to on-line coursework or self-study. A special Web-based software installed on the students’ computers sporadically reminded them to complete a series of on-line questionnaires which collected data on their flow experience, learning activities, and flow dimensions. The data collection method employed by this study is effectively an electronic, Web-enabled version of, and functionally equivalent to, the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) used in other flow studies. This study employed questionnaires used in prior flow studies to collect data regarding respondents’ flow experiences and flow dimensions, and developed an on-line instrument to collect data on students’ learning experiences based on instructional events found in computer-based lessons from Gagné. Significant findings (p<.05) from this study suggest that, in the WBT environment studied, as the relative level of challenge and skill of a learning activity increases, so does the level of flow experienced by the individual. This study also found that flow dimensions are good predictors of flow experience. The results of this study should have important implications for WBT users and instructional designers. Since flow is a positive experience that most individuals wish to repeat, understanding how to facilitate the occurrence of flow, from both the WBT user’s and instructional designer’s perspective, is likely to be beneficial to the rapidly emerging field of WBT.