Clyde A. Warden

Motivators that do not motivate: The case of Chinese EFL learners and the influence of culture on motivation

Language learning motivation plays an important role in both research and teaching, yet language learners are still largely understood in terms of North American and European cultural values. This research explored language learning motivation constructs in a Chinese cultural setting, where large numbers of students are required to study English. In Taiwan, 567 language learners responded to a survey concerning motivation orientation, expectancy, and self-evaluated skill. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to explore potential relationships within the framework of the process model. Expectancy was found to be an intervening construct between motivation orientations and self-evaluated skill. The strongest link to expectancy was the required motivation, with the integrative motivation playing no significant role. The context of these findings is discussed in relation to Chinese cultural and educational history and a proposed motivator— the Chinese Imperative. Implications for teaching practice are explained, including the need to reconsider motivation constructs within nonWestern cultural settings.

Synchronous learning best practices: An action research study

Low cost and significant advances in technology now allow instructors to create their own virtual learning environments. Creating social interactions within a virtual space that emulates the physical classroom remains challenging. While students are familiar with virtual worlds and video meetings, they are inexperienced as virtual learners. Over a nine year period we applied iterative cycles of action research through numerous large classes to systematically uncover attributes of success when executing synchronous learning in distributed environments. Findings show technology is not the source of problems; rather, difficulties emerge from human behaviors and their interactions with system features. We conclude with practical takeaway guidelines for video conferencing and immersive virtual environments and a model of nexus of control that elaborates software and classroom management attributes that can lead to successful execution.

Leveling up

Todays young gamers are tomorrows students who expect more immersion from their online learning experiences. Teachers and administrators, however, must ask are some students at a disadvantage in such a class and does gender play a role? We examine the degree to which gaming experience and gender influence sense of presence in a virtual world learning classroom. Feelings of presence are key to involvement in virtual worlds. Participants, 348 undergraduates, interacted within a custom designed virtual world classroom focusing business negotiation skills. Results reveal that while gaming experience gives a slight advantage, lack of previous software ownership and gender do not put learners at a disadvantage. This finding shows that non-gamers and females can equally participate in a virtual world classroom, relieving concerns of adoption. Display Omitted Students without gaming experience are not significantly disadvantaged when in virtual world instruction.Gender does not influence feelings of presence in a virtual world classroom.Experience of software ownership does not influence feelings of presence.Teachers can confidently implement virtual world learning environments without concern.

Efficacies of 3D Immersive Virtual World Classrooms

Virtual 3D immersive virtual environments are no longer novel, with current college freshmen having grown up with virtual gaming environments. Implementing virtual world classrooms, complete with student and teacher avatars, is increasingly achievable by individual teachers. Virtual world classrooms match the effectiveness of traditional classrooms while brining an up-to-date element into the class and satisfying increasing demands for distance learning. Hotel tourism management is a good example of how virtual worlds can give students opportunities not possible in the physical classroom—allowing students to receive both lectures and perform simulations. The question addressed in this study is what are the personal experiences of mainstream students and teachers when attempting to execute and participate in such a virtual world class? Using an action research approach, we developed a rich description of student and teacher efficacy toward a virtual world 3D immersive classroom. Findings describe four main categories of student reactions: Dialogue, Convenience, Technology, and Motivation. Content analysis describes the positive and negative experiences as well as feelings that make up these categories. The specific benefits and challenges of a virtual world classroom are described, informing teachers considering adopting a virtual world classroom.

Validation of a Measure of Chinese Outpatients’ Satisfaction in the Taiwan Setting

The medical services market is rapidly expanding around the world, following the experience of the industrialized Western economies. Cultural differences make existing assumptions about health care quality risky to export, leading to an increasing interest in understanding patient satisfaction with care within non-Western contexts. Within the Greater China region, both Western and traditional Chinese medicine coexist, yet there is a lack of research instruments that include distinct values of Chinese patients. This article reports the development of a measure of Chinese patient satisfaction with outpatient care. We describe the foundation of the scale in a qualitative report that includes 8 dimensions of Chinese patient satisfaction. A sample of 400 Chinese patients completed the final instrument. A quantitative analytical procedure leads to a 6-dimension and 27-item instrument to measure Chinese patients’ satisfaction with outpatient care. Our proposed instrument has good internal consistency supporting the use of the instrument in contexts where Chinese patients are being treated.

Vital Interface Components’ Relative Importance in Online Shopping Tasks

Empirical exploration of how online consumers interpret and value the marketing communication embedded in shopping interface components has the potential to advance knowledge of online consumer behavior and to inform design decisions concerning consumer-oriented Web sites. To date, little research has been completed regarding how interface components hinder or aid consumer perceptions of the online marketing message. This research investigates the relative importance of online shopping interface components for online consumer shopping tasks and the role they play within the context of the Elaboration Likelihood Model’s central and peripheral routes of persuasion. The components convenience, access to information, and trust were implemented in an online shopping task. Specific preferences of respondents for each component were found to differ depending on three market segments: time savers, information seekers, and general surfers. A descriptive model of Web-based marketing components is presented.