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Abstract This paper aims to reveal why smartphone game addicts cannot decrease their addictive behaviors. Social cognitive theory serves as a framework for interpreting the failure of decreased behavior with a three-stage process. Following this perspective, key drivers in each process are proposed to explain the underlying reasons. A longitudinal survey with 381 valid responses was conducted. Results indicate that addicts with intention to decrease playing games may attempt to suppress their playing thought. Then, intrusive thought of playing games and impulsive playing emerge in the first stage. The ubiquity feature of smartphone strengthens the positive influence of intrusive thought on impulsive playing. In the second self-judgment stage, addicts perceive a higher level of difficulty to decrease, which further leads to deficient self-efficacy. These maladaptive judgments reduce the reaction of decreased behavior. This study is one of the first ones to reveal key factors causing decrease failure in the context of smartphone game addiction. Implications are offered. Highlights • Intention to decrease smartphone game playing affects thought suppression. • Thought suppression affects intrusive thought and impulsive playing. • Ubiquity moderates the influence of intrusive thought. • Impulsive playing affects perceived difficulty and deficient self-efficacy. • Perceived difficulty and deficient self-efficacy affect decreased playing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Girls' uptake of physical science, technology, engineering and mathematics (PSTEM) degrees continues to be poor. Identifying and targeting interventions for girl groups that are likely to go into STEM degrees may be a possible solution. This paper, using a self-determination theory and self-socialisation framework, determines whether one girl group's, "geek girls", video gaming behaviour is associated with their choice of undergraduate degree by using two secondary datasets: a cross-sectional study of the Net Generation (n = 814) and the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) dataset (n = 7342). Chi-square analysis shows that girls who were currently studying a PSTEM degree were more likely to be gamers and engage in multiplayer gamers. Further, using logistic regressions, girls who were heavy gamers (>9 h/wk) at 13–14 years were found to be more likely to pursue a PSTEM degree but this was influenced by their socio-economic status. Similar associations with boys and PSTEM degrees were not found or were weak. Therefore, girls were self-socialising or self-determining their identity groups through gaming. This research can provide the basis for whether encouraging gaming in adolescent girls can help them onto PSTEM pathways. Highlights • Girls who are heavy gamers are more likely to study a physical STEM degree. • Playing multiplayer games is associated with studying a physical STEM degree. • The studying of physical STEM degrees is dependent on level of social deprivation. • Girls are 58 times less likely to do a physical STEM degree than no degree at all. • Levels of participation in video gaming can change for girls over a year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: 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. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Societal events – such as natural disasters, political shifts, or economic downturns – are time-varying and impact the learning potential of students in unique ways. These impacts are likely accentuated during the COVID-19 pandemic, which precipitated an abrupt and wholesale transition to online education. Unfortunately, the individual-level consequences of these events are difficult to determine because the extant literature focuses on single-occasion surveys that produce only group-level inferences. To better understand individual-level variability in stress and learning, intensive longitudinal data can be leveraged. The goal of the paper is to illustrate this by discussing three different techniques for the analysis of intensive longitudinal data: (1) regression analyses; (2) multilevel models; and (3) person-specific network models, (e.g., group iterative multiple model estimation; GIMME). For each technique, a brief background in the context of education research is provided, an illustrative analysis is presented using data from college students who completed a 75-day intensive longitudinal study of cognition, somatic symptoms, anxiety, and intellectual interests during the 2016 U.S. Presidential election – a period of heightened sociopolitical stress – and strengths and limitations are considered. The paper ends with recommendations for future research, especially for intensive longitudinal studies of online education during COVID-19. • Stressful societal events impact the learning and education of individuals. • Intensive longitudinal methods can reveal individual-level effects. • Regression analyses facilitate generalization but obscure individual-level effects. • Multilevel models offer within-person insights limited by between-person effects. • Person-specific networks reveal processes unique to individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gamified learning is a novel concept that according to recent studies, can increase student activity and improve learning outcomes. However, little is known about how different students experience and are engaged by it. We present a long-term study which identified distinct behavioral and performance patterns in participants taking a gamified college course. Our study lasted for three years, during which we deployed three consecutive instances of the course, each featuring improvements based on student feedback from the previous instances. To understand how different students behaved in our gamified experience, according to their daily performance, we performed cluster analysis and assessed student engagement in the last year using a formal instrument. We then did a cluster-wise analysis using different performance and behavioral measures, to further assess and characterize every cluster. To wit, we identified six different student clusters, each featuring different behaviors and performance levels. However, only four were present in the last year, which differed in terms of engagement with the course. In this paper we carefully describe each student cluster, explain how they evolved, and derive meaningful design lessons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online social support groups enable individuals to create specialized networks that provide access to a variety of resources. Although the efficacy of such communities has been studied, less understood are the structural mechanisms behind their emergence and the ways these mechanisms foster ties and may subsequently affect provision of support. This paper analyzes an online support group (OSG) for parents of children with ADD/ADHD over a one-year period, focusing on the interplay of structure and technology in the creation of the emergent support network. Findings highlight a dual network structure that supports a variety of relationships and levels of participation. Whereas a core group of members generates the initial content, the network becomes self-sustaining and supports a fluid membership between active and inactive members. Structurally, the network offers four types of support: direct, indirect, relational, and functional. Together, findings emphasize the interplay among technology, structure, and communication in advancing specialized channels of communication in a digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal investigation examined the relationships between school burnout, compulsive Internet use, and academic decrement related to middle school adolescents' Internet use. The study tracked 1301 students from the seventh to ninth grades. We applied a cross-lagged panel model for the longitudinal data at three time points. The results indicated that elevated school burnout was significantly associated with later compulsive Internet use and academic decrement across the three years. Compulsive Internet use also had a predictive effect on academic decrement. These recursive patterns imply that students may overuse the Internet as a means to avoid an exhaustive school load and lower their perceptions of their academic performance. Moreover, higher academic decrement in the seventh grade was linked to increased school burnout and compulsive Internet use in the eighth grade; however, the link was not duplicate from the eighth to ninth grades. Academic decrement played an important role in the early period of the middle school by feeding back to burnout and Internet use. Finally, compulsive Internet use showed a direct effect on burnout from the eighth to ninth grades, but not in the earlier period. While burnout seems to always lead to compulsive Internet use, overuse of the Internet might fuel students' school burnout only in the later period of middle school. This paper discusses different perspectives of Internet use to expand the understanding of Internet use by the digital native generation. • Analyzing longitudinal relations of school burnout, Internet use and achievement. • Elevated burnout predicted later compulsive Internet use, but not the reverse. • Overusing the Internet as a means to cope with exhaustive school load. • Excessive Internet use lowered students' perceptions of academic performance. • Vicious cycles centered around academic decrement in the beginning and faded later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the impact of digital media usage on psychiatric symptoms in an adolescent population utilizing a longitudinal cohort design. Using two waves of the GUI child cohort, age 13 (N = 7527) and age 17/18 (N = 6126), we used latent class analysis (LCA) to create latent groups centred around self-reported time spent online, and the self-reported behaviours children engaged with online. At both waves, the 4 class latent model suited best. We used the different symptoms scales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQ), self-reported, at age 17 as our outcome variable. Using linear regression analysis, we then examined the associations between our latent class model and psychiatric symptoms, using moderate usage as our reference group, with adjustments being made for baseline psychiatric symptoms, maternal education and pre-diagnosed mental disorder. For females, placement in the high usage group at 13 was associated with increased internalizing symptoms, whereas placement in the high usage group at 17 was associated with an increase in all symptoms. For males, placement in the high usage group at 17 was associated with increased emotional symptoms, and placement in the "low usage & behaviour engagement"group, a group showing low reported time online and low engagement in our measured online behaviours at 17, was associated with an increase in all symptoms. Finally for both sexes, placement in the "moderate usage, entertainment only" group at age 13, (a group reporting no school-based online engagement), was associated with increases in all symptoms except emotional symptoms. High digital media usage is associated with increased psychiatric symptoms in both males and females, with moderate usage associated with positive effects on symptoms compared to both our high usage, and low usage groups. • Using latent class modelling, this paper attempted to combine both time based and behavioural based digital meida useage into a single exposure and examine its associations with psychiatric symptoms. • Longitudnal assocations between age 13 digital media engagment and age 17 psychiatric symtoms show, for females, increased internalizing symptoms if placed in the "high usage" group, and for both genders, increases in widespread symptoms if placed in the "exclude education" group, a group indicitave of no behavioural engagament with education materials online. • Cross Sectionally, while adjusting for multiple confounders including age 13 usage and age 9 psychiatric symptoms, we found that placement in the "high usage" group was associated with widespread symptoms increases for females and internalizing symptom increases for males. Additionally, placment in the "low time and behaviour" group, was asociated with widespread symptom increases for males only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the light of demographic change, Active and Assisted Living (AAL) technologies promise to support older adults in their everyday lives and promote a self-determined lifestyle. However, empirical evidence for their effectiveness is fragmented and mixed. Thus, literature has called for more rigorous studies – including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) – to investigate the effectiveness of AAL technologies. In this paper, we present findings from a longitudinal RCT over 12 months (N = 150) evaluating an AAL technology that aims to support older adults' self-determination, social participation, and perceived safety. Results do not indicate significant effects on the measured outcomes. Based on complementary methods employed in the study (tracking of usage behavior, quantitative self-reports on user experience, qualitative interviews) and our practical experiences with the implementation of the WAALTeR project we critically reflect on this finding and explore possible explanations. This reflection reveals systematic challenges that exist not only in relation to the present study but also in relation to the evaluation of AAL technologies more generally. Based on these insights, we offer implications and directions for future research that aim to better understand and overcome challenges in evaluating the effectiveness of AAL technologies. • There is a lack of evidence for effects of AAL technologies in real-world settings. • Null findings from an RCT evaluating an AAL technology motivate a critical reflection. • How older adults engage with technology and its context can be highly diverse. • Sample diversity and other factors are methodological challenges for AAL research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies in the literature have shown positive psychophysical effects during or immediately after mindfulness meditation. However, the extent to which such positive effects are maintained in real-life, stressful contexts, remains unclear. This paper investigates the effects of an 8-week mindfulness-oriented meditation (MOM) program on the psychological and physiological responses evoked by immersive virtual environments (IVEs) that simulate emergency situations that may occur in life. Before and after the 8-week period, healthy MOM participants and a group of controls not involved in any meditation course were administered self-report measures of mindfulness and anxiety, and acted in the IVEs while a set of physiological parameters were recorded. Responses of MOM participants to the immersive virtual experiences were different from those of controls. MOM participants showed increased mindfulness and decreased anxiety levels. They also showed decreased heart rate and corrugator muscle activity while facing IVEs. We explain these results in terms of the awareness and acceptance components of mindfulness. More generally, the present experimental methods could also open up new lines of research that combine psychological and physiological indices with ecologically valid stimuli provided by IVEs in an effort to increase understanding of the impact of mindfulness meditation on realistic life situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National reports have documented deficiencies in the vertical alignment of mathematical learning in K-12 education. Many students fail to master requisite concepts before advancing to more complex ideas, leaving them ill-prepared to succeed in higher level Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) coursework. In this paper, we model elementary and middle school students’ performance in mathematics over time as a stochastic process to forecast their proficiency by the eighth grade. We conduct an extensive examination of tens of thousands of student records and extract useful information. We use this data to present a longitudinal analysis of student performance on the North Carolina End-of-Grade mathematics exam and use Markov chain models to probabilistically characterize the movement of students’ scores from one grade level to the next. This work is the first step in developing a framework to forecast individual students’ development of mathematical knowledge over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thanks to their conversational capabilities, smart speaker-based voice assistants are gaining attention for their potential to support the aging population, though the empirical evidence is still scarce. This paper aims to obtain empirical evidence on older adults' experiences with a voice assistant. We especially focused on how their perception and use change over time as they progress from novice to more experienced users through a longitudinal field deployment study. We deployed Google Home devices in the homes of twelve older adults aged 65 and above and studied their use for sixteen weeks. Results show that the benefits our participants perceived have incrementally changed from enjoying simplicity and convenience of operation in the early phase of the study to not worrying about making mistakes and building digital companionship as they got used to using it. Results also show that participants confronted several challenges that evolved from the unfamiliarity with a voice assistant in their first interactions to coping with the functional errors due to limited speech technology as they got used to using it. Based on the results, we discuss design implications that could foster better user experiences with a voice assistant among older adults. • This study investigated older adults' use of a voice assistant over time. • Perceived benefits in the early phase were simplicity and convenience of operation. • Benefits later changed to unworried of making mistakes and digital companionship. • Challenges were due to unfamiliarity with voice interaction and technical flaws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Virtual world technologies have been utilized in gaming for a number of years but only recently have they been applied as a serious tool for business. Many business applications have been identified, including the use of virtual worlds for team collaboration, training, and education, but a question remains about whether users will accept the premise that virtual worlds represent useful environments for engaging in business functions. We address this question by examining user reactions to virtual worlds. The first study looks at attitudes of users of the virtual world Second Life during three time periods (i.e., before exposure to the environment, after an information session and discussion of Second Life, and after use of the environment). Two variables, user acceptance of virtual world technologies and user self-efficacy, were examined as the primary dependent measures. Results show that while self-efficacy increases over time, user acceptance decreases in a highly correlated pattern. A second study investigates the underlying causes of the observed pattern of user acceptance using a content analysis of written reflections of user experiences. Both studies paint a detailed picture of user intentions and some of the reasons these intentions developed after use. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these results for business managers and researchers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research-based discussions about 21st-century skills are currently needed; 21st -century skills refer to skills that today's students are expected to possess for successful future careers. The ways students perceive these skills or what kind of dispositions they have in this regard are significant. This paper provides an overview of the development of pre-service teachers' perceived 21st-century skills and dispositions. The quantitative data was collected in three phases during 2014, 2015, and 2016 at three Finnish universities. The number of respondents at each measurement point varied from 209 to 267. Data were analysed using latent growth curve modeling. The study focuses on students' perceptions of three areas related to 21st-century skills: learning skills, collaboration dispositions, and skills to use ICT. The results show that the three areas evolved in different ways. Learning skills and collaboration dispositions show up as yearly assessments that remain at the same level, with small differences among respondents, unlike skills to use ICT with bigger yearly changes. The measured areas also appear as separate entities throughout the bachelor's studies, with small or non-significant correlations. These results reveal important new perspectives on how pre-service teachers perceive 21st-century skills and how perceptions evolve during teacher education. • 21st-century skills are an important element of teacher training. • Longitudinal studies focusing on the development of 21st-century skills are scarce. • The areas of 21st-century skills evolve in different ways during teacher education. • 21st-century skills areas appear as separate entities during bachelor's degree studies. • Strong differences within pre-service teachers' ICT skills exist throughout bachelor's degree studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports a quantitative investigation into the nuances of gender perspectives of E-Learning utility across the social categorisations of Generation X, Y, and Z in the current phenomena of accelerated usage of e-learning in the emerging multi-generational undergraduate cohorts: using multi-generational undergraduate cohorts (N = 611) taking a mandatory online course in a Business School curricular. Using multi-group partial least-squares analysis, the study shows differences exist in the utility of e-learning within gender and Generations of X, Y, and Z. These differences may not be apparent when examined at only the gender level, which has led other researchers to conclude the gender gap is narrowing. However, we establish that within gender and across generations in a developing country context, the gender divide is not narrowing at the same pace as found in other developed countries. To accelerate the implementation of e-learning in traditional (face-to-face) undergraduate programmes globally, there is the need to contextualise Course Development, Learner Support, Assessment, and User Characteristics factors along with the different genders, and across generations to improve Results Demonstrability and Student Overall Satisfaction of utility of e-learning. In developing countries, there is a need to enhance Institutional factors to strengthen the drive to e-learning. • E-learning in higher education continues to attract scholarly interest. • Understanding Utility essentials of multigenerational cohorts on e-learning is at an all-time High. • Perceived narrowing of the gender gap in e-learning is not obvious in a developing country case study. • Generations X, Y and Z cohorts across and within gender produce different Utility levels of e-learning. • Satisfaction differentials emanates from course design, delivery and learning environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A goal of any educational measure is to improve students' capability to retain teaching content. In this paper, we investigate the potential of gamification to foster knowledge retention using an action research approach. We present the results from a longitudinal study including 617 secondary and tertiary education students conducted over a period of two years. Various workshop designs that incorporated numerous gamification elements were compared with non-gamified workshop designs, tested and refined over time. The improved workshop designs led to increased levels of knowledge retention that exceeded the benchmark values from educational literature. We found that gamification exerts a positive impact on knowledge retention. We tested for the moderating effects of gender and age and found no effect of the former and inconsistent results for the latter. The steady increase in students' learning performance resulting from constant refinement of the workshops demonstrates the usefulness of incorporating gamification principles into educational activities. • Gamification has a positive effect on students' knowledge retention. • The positive effect of gamification is independent of age and gender. • Game elements can be used to tailor workshops to students' needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What challenges present themselves in the virtual team experiential learning environment for students and educators? More so, have these challenges morphed over time? This paper outlines a longitudinal content analysis of student experiences in an experiential learning activity (2007–2016). The Global Enterprise Experience (GEE) is designed to support integrated learning for business content and global competencies, including leadership skills, in a global virtual team (GVT) context. Students, in teams comprising eight diverse members, engage to achieve the development of a business plan. They, themselves, determine their use of communication technologies. This longitudinal study explores the challenges comprising a learner's experiences and, in so doing, implicitly explores the educator's role within a student-focussed approach. It contributes to literature focussing on the development of individuals' GVT competences, characterising the experience of this learning space. In this way, it offers pragmatic insight to educators regarding how to direct efforts to support learning. It concludes with suggestions for future research. • Cohorts each echo the experiences of previous cohorts, regardless of technology used. • Shifting technology usage patterns do not dilute global virtual team leadership needs. • Experiential learning in global virtual teams encompasses emotional experiences. • Educators should foster emotional understanding, resilience and confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]