Karin A. Orvis

The roles of task difficulty and prior videogame experience on performance and motivation in instructional videogames

Videogames are an increasingly popular instructional tool. This research investigated how various strategies for modifying task difficulty in instructional videogames impact learner performance and motivation. Further, the influence of prior videogame experience on these learning outcomes was examined, as well as the role prior experience played in determining the optimal approach for adjusting task difficulty. Participants completed a game-based training task under one of four task difficulty conditions: static, increasing, adaptive-low and adaptive-high. All participants completed an identical pre-training trial, 10 practice trials varying in difficulty level according to condition, and a final performance trial. Results demonstrate that learner performance and motivation significantly improved in all difficulty conditions. Further, prior videogame experience was found to significantly influence these learning outcomes and a three-way interaction was detected between performance, task difficulty condition, and experience. The results of this research provide information useful to instructional videogame developers and instructors utilizing videogames as instructional tools.

Conscientiousness and reactions to psychological contract breach: a longitudinal field study.

The authors examined the role of employee conscientiousness as a moderator of the relationships between psychological contract breach and employee behavioral and attitudinal reactions to the breach. They collected data from 106 newly hired employees within the 1st month of employment (Time 1), 3 months later (Time 2), and 8 months after Time 1 (Time 3) to observe the progression through contract development, breach, and reaction. Results suggest that conscientiousness is a significant moderator for 4 of the 5 contract breach-employee reaction relationships examined (turnover intentions, organizational loyalty, job satisfaction, and 1 of 2 facets of job performance). Specifically, employees who were lower in conscientiousness had more negative reactions to perceived breach with respect to turnover intentions, organizational loyalty, and job satisfaction. In contrast, employees who were higher in conscientiousness reduced their job performance to a greater degree in response to contract breach. Future research directions are discussed.

Power to the people: Using learner control to improve trainee reactions and learning in web-based instructional environments.

This experimental study investigated the mechanisms by which learner control influences learning in an e-learning environment. The authors hypothesized that learner control would enhance learning indirectly through its effect on trainee reactions and learner engagement (in particular, off-task attention), such that learners who were more satisfied with the training and devoted more cognitive resources toward the instructional content versus off-task thoughts would possess greater posttraining knowledge. The study also examined the role of individual differences (training motivation and goal orientation) in the prediction of these 2 mediating variables. A sample of 274 undergraduates completed an e-learning program, either with or without interactive, learner control tools. Results suggest that both training satisfaction and off-task attention predicted subsequent learning. Learner control had a positive impact on training satisfaction but was not related to off-task attention. The individual difference variables had a differential impact on the mediating variables. In particular, performance orientation was linked to off-task attention, whereas mastery orientation was found to indirectly influence satisfaction via its direct effect on training motivation. Implications for the design and further study of e-learning are discussed.

An Examination of the Role Individual Differences Play in Videogame-Based Training

Videogames are emerging as an increasingly popular training tool in the military. Given this trend, it is important to investigate factors that maximize the effectiveness of this training medium. The present research analyzed the impact of trainee attributes (i.e., prior videogame experience, videogame self-efficacy, and goal orientation) on game-based training outcomes. Participants completed a game–based tactics training exercise. The training exercise used Americas Army, a first-person-perspective videogame with a single-player section to introduce game-specific tasks, followed by a multiplayer section where participants form small teams to conduct collaborative missions. Prior to and after the training exercise, participants completed online questionnaires. Results suggest that the trainee attributes, as a set, had a positive impact on trainee motivation, trainee satisfaction, ease in using the training game interface, metacognitive strategies utilized during training, and time spent engaging in the training game. These findings have implications for instructors using videogames as training tools. Recommendations for future research in this area are provided.

E-nabled for E-Learning? The Moderating Role of Personality in Determining the Optimal Degree of Learner Control in an E-Learning Environment

This paper investigates the moderating role of specific Big Five personality traits on the relationship between learner control and training performance in an e-learning environment. Specifically, we examined the role of openness to experience, conscientiousness, and extraversion. Participants completed a video-based e-learning program with either a high or low level of learner control. Results demonstrated that the personality traits of openness to experience and extraversion moderated the relationship between learner control and training performance. Specifically, training performance was higher for trainees higher in openness and extraversion when they were in an environment with high learner control versus low learner control. Conversely, for trainees lower in these traits, performance was higher with low learner control versus high learner control. Future research and practical applications are discussed.

Are Soldiers Gamers? Videogame Usage among Soldiers and Implications for the Effective Use of Serious Videogames for Military Training

Videogames are increasingly being used for military training. One assumption is that the majority of soldiers play videogames regularly; however, research by Orvis, Horn, and Belanich (2009) found that only approximately 40% of U.S. Military Academy cadets reported moderate to heavy game-play. Given that cadets may be a special population, this research examines the frequency of videogame usage across the U.S. Army. Results indicate that fewer than 43% of over 10,000 soldiers surveyed play videogames at least weekly. Junior enlisted soldiers report the highest frequency (51–59%), whereas senior enlisted/officer ranks play much less (11–37%). Implications for utilizing serious videogames for military training are discussed.

Using adaptive difficulty to optimize videogame-based training performance: The moderating role of personality.

While videogames can easily be tailored to provide “adaptive training,” little research exists examining whether this benefit enhances training outcomes. The current study investigated three task difficulty manipulations and the moderating role of personality. Participants engaged in six 7-minute missions in a videogame-based training task. Openness to experience and neuroticism, but not conscientiousness, interacted with task difficulty condition such that trainees higher in these traits performed better over the course of training in the adaptive condition. These results suggest that adaptive training can result in the greatest performance improvement when the trainees personality is suited to the instructional environment.