Search Results (1,465)

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has emerged as an increasingly prevalent behavioral health concern among late adolescent university students, a vulnerable population with emotional distress due to the developmental changes and academic pressures. This research explored the direct correlations between IGD and Mental Health Disorder (MHD), such as depression, anxiety, and stress in Saudi Arabia (SA) with study discipline as a moderator. A total of 480 students participated in the developed self-structured questionnaire, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the obtained data. The results showed that IGD can exert a positive and significant association with all three aspects of MHD. Moreover, the PLS-SEM slope analysis indicated that study discipline can significantly moderate the link from IGD to both anxiety and depression, with university students in health, science, and engineering fields displaying higher symptoms of depression and anxiety as compared to their peers in humanities and social sciences. However, study discipline failed to moderate the link from IGD to stress. These findings can be interpreted through maladaptive coping mechanisms and behavioral addiction, whereby extreme IG can contribute to social withdrawal, reduce sleep quality, and worsen stress regulation, specifically during the late adolescence period. The results extend current research on IGD by emphasizing the disciplinary differences in mental health vulnerability and offering more empirical evidence from a Middle Eastern context. The study highlighted the urgent need for discipline-oriented mental health screening and targeted proactive interventions to deal with unsettled IG attitude within a higher education context. Full article

Background: This study aimed to examine whether a physical education program based on the ecological dynamics approach, implemented through small-sided games (SSG), produces greater improvements in motor skills, daily physical activity levels, and perceived physical fitness in middle school students. Methods: Forty-eight students were assigned to an SSG group (ecological dynamics lessons including small-sided games, n = 26) or a Control group (traditional lessons based on teacher-centered instruction and analytical exercises, n = 22). The intervention lasted 12 weeks, with two sessions per week. Motor performance was assessed using the standing broad jump, 5-standing broad jump, 20 m sprint, 10 × 5 m shuttle run, 5-0-5 agility test, and sit-and-reach test. Daily physical activity was evaluated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire—Short Form (IPAQ-SF), and perceived physical fitness was assessed using the Visual Analogue Fitness Perception Scale for Adolescents (FPVASA). Results: Significant group-by-time interactions were found in all motor tests. IPAQ-SF data revealed significant group-by-time interactions for vigorous and moderate physical activity. Perceived physical fitness showed significant group-by-time interactions for all items except flexibility. Conclusions: Physical education lessons structured according to the ecological dynamics approach and implemented through SSG-based protocols led to greater improvements than traditional methods. The dynamic and variable nature of SSG likely enhances neuromuscular stimulation, motor engagement, and motivation during physical education lessons. Full article

Background/Objectives: Periodontitis represents a significant global health burden, yet preventive health literacy remains critically low among emerging adults—a developmental stage where lifelong health behaviors crystallize. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the GUM (an acronym of Gum Understanding Mission) game, an interactive gamified digital tool incorporating AI-informed or manual feedback, for improving periodontitis literacy among tenth-semester Software Engineering students at the University of Guayaquil. Methods: In a controlled pre-test/post-test experiment, 50 participants were randomly assigned to either the GUM game intervention or a traditional lecture. Both groups completed identical knowledge assessments immediately before and after their respective 50-min instructional sessions. The GUM game featured adaptive questioning, immediate elaborated feedback, and comprehensive performance analytics, while the control group received instructor-led didactic instruction with a subsequent question-and-answer session. Results: The GUM group improved from a baseline of 21% to 94% correct responses, while the lecture group increased from 22% to 67% ($p<0.001$). Error reduction was 74% in the GUM group versus 45% in the control group. However, the study’s scope is currently limited to a single, digitally literate cohort, and knowledge retention over time was not assessed. Conclusions: These findings suggest that a self-directed, feedback-driven serious game can substantially outperform traditional methods in fostering periodontitis literacy within this population. Further research is needed across diverse populations with extended follow-up periods to assess knowledge retention and generalizability. Full article

Digital game-based learning environments (DGBLEs) are increasingly integrated into classrooms as learning tools, yet limited research exists regarding the impact of students’ discrete emotions on digital gameplay performance. This study examined the role of emotions and arousal in predicting performance outcomes during digital gameplay. Thirty-two grade 5 students (M_age = 10.99, 62.5% male) played four digital games (two math; two identically designed non-math). During gameplay, real-time heart rate and affective data were collected and analyzed using an interpretable machine learning approach (XGBoost). Results suggest that students performed better on non-math games, as compared to math games. Real-time anger was associated with lower performance, particularly in games, whereas other emotions and physiological measures were not significant predictors. This pilot investigation suggests that discrete emotions, particularly anger, may play a more important role in performance during math gameplay than in comparable non-math activities. The results highlight the importance of supporting emotional regulation during digital math learning, as unmanaged anger may impact performance. This study contributes to the growing literature on affective dynamics in digital game-based learning. Full article

This study examined associations between problematic Internet use, video game addiction, physical activity, perceived physical fitness, and psychological distress in pre-service teachers. A cross-sectional survey was completed by 404 education students from the University of La Laguna using validated measures (CERI, Vela Test, IPAQ-short, IFIS, GHQ-28). Descriptive, correlational, group-comparison, and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. The prevalence of video game addiction was low (4%), and problematic Internet use was rare (1%), although 25.3% showed moderate-risk Internet use. Within the small group of students with video game addiction, male students showed relatively higher risk scores; however, this was not significantly associated with physical or emotional well-being. Problematic Internet use was positively associated with psychological distress (r = 0.267, p < 0.001) and poorer physical health indicators. Perceived physical fitness was inversely associated with distress (r = −0.248, p < 0.001) and, together with problematic Internet use, emerged as the strongest predictors with clinically relevant distress (GHQ ≥ 13) in the logistic model. A focus group (n = 4) provided exploratory qualitative insights into participants’ perceptions of digital behaviours, particularly regarding perceived loss of control and its potential associations with academic, physical, and emotional well-being. Full article

Financial literacy is critical for individual well-being and sustainable economic development, yet significant gaps remain among Portuguese young adults. Using a two-phase design, this study combines a diagnostic assessment and multi-criteria decision analysis to identify and prioritise effective financial education strategies. In Phase 1, a diagnostic questionnaire administered to 172 first-year university students revealed pronounced deficiencies in core financial concepts. Only 29.1% correctly answered a question on compound interest, and almost half were unable to understand the concept of inflation. Additionally, 62.8% reported low exposure to financial education during compulsory schooling, and 59.9% strongly agreed that it should be included in the mandatory curriculum, indicating both unmet need and strong receptiveness. Phase 2 employed the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to evaluate five educational alternatives across four criteria. Engagement and motivation (0.32) and knowledge acquisition (0.31) were prioritised over behavioural impact (0.22) and accessibility (0.15). Based on expert assessments weighted by student preferences, in-person courses emerged as the most effective strategy (0.42), substantially outperforming online courses (0.22), videos and digital content (0.14), books (0.13), and games (0.10). The findings point to the need for policy-driven integration of structured, educator-led financial education within formal curricula, supported by approaches that prioritise active engagement and knowledge acquisition over convenience, with digital tools serving as complements rather than replacements. Full article

City-scale augmented reality (AR) learning paths are outdoor, multi-stop educational routes delivered through mobile devices in public space. This paper examines the Art Nouveau Path, a mobile AR game (MARG) route in Aveiro, Portugal, as a deployable learning service. The focus is on implementation requirements and traceability rather than learning outcomes. The analysis combined profiling of eight points of interest (POIs) and 36 tasks, group-session logs from 118 sessions, and teacher-facing evidence from a validation workshop (T1-VAL, N = 30) and on-site observation (T2-OBS, N = 24). Open-text responses were segmented into meaning units and coded with an eight-determinant taxonomy, with good intercoder reliability (Krippendorff’s alpha = 0.83). Logs and the post-path questionnaire (S2-POST, N = 439) were used only to describe enactment feasibility and data integrity. The strongest determinants concerned onboarding and legibility, marker robustness and recovery, and curriculum alignment, together with safety and fallback needs. These signals were translated into 18 testable requirements linked to six transfer artefacts for enactment, maintenance, incident handling, and fallback. Overall, the study provides an implementation-oriented specification to support auditability, replication, and transfer in city-scale AR learning services. Full article

Competence-oriented Education for Sustainable Development requires evidence that immersive and gamified learning experiences elicit sustainability-relevant change beyond short pre–post windows. This study examines the Art Nouveau Path, a location-based mobile augmented reality heritage game implemented in Aveiro, Portugal, using a four-wave repeated cross-sectional design with anonymous student samples: baseline (S1-PRE, N = 221), immediate post-activity (S2-POST, N = 439, validated n = 438), follow-up (S3-FU, N = 434), and distant follow-up (S4-DFU, N = 69, validated n = 67). Analyses were anchored in a shared 25-item GreenComp-based questionnaire (GCQuest) block targeting Embodying Sustainability Values (ESVs; scale of 1 to 6) and combined distribution-aware descriptives, nonparametric omnibus, and pairwise tests with Holm correction, and planned robustness checks including equal-n downsampling and alternative scoring. Results displayed a pronounced post-activity peak (S2-POST), partial attenuation at follow-up (S3-FU), and convergence toward baseline at distant follow-up (S4-DFU), accompanied by loss of the high-agreement tail. Item-level contrasts suggested that later-wave declines concentrated in effortful self-regulation and critical appraisal items, whereas value endorsement items were more stable. These findings indicate that field-deployable mobile AR heritage paths may generate strong proximal competence-aligned signals; nevertheless, durable enactment-oriented change is likely to require structured reinforcement and integration into broader curricular sequences. Full article

Background: Veterinarians are pivotal to wildlife health surveillance and game-meat safety, yet these topics receive limited emphasis in many veterinary curricula. Understanding students’ perceptions can inform targeted educational improvements. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, anonymous online survey among students enrolled in the Integrated Master’s in Veterinary Medicine at ICBAS-UP (Portugal). The questionnaire covered sociodemographic, meat and game-meat consumption, perceived appeal of working with game animals, and multi-select views on hunting, game-meat consumption and the veterinary role. We computed descriptive statistics and tested associations between categorical variables using Pearson’s Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests (Monte Carlo correction when appropriate). Results: Of the 391 eligible students, 152 responded (39%). The majority (76%) associated hunting with veterinary inspection of game meat and research in epidemiology and emerging diseases, and many (72%) recognized as core roles monitoring the health of game animals and the contribution to public health and environmental sustainability. Significant associations included: prior game-meat consumption with finding game animals appealing/interest in learning more; year of enrolment with recognising hunting as an economic activity and acknowledging veterinary inspection and public health contributions; and perceiving game animals as appealing with associating hunting with population control (all p < 0.05; Cramer’s V indicating weak–moderate effects). Conclusions: Students show awareness of veterinary roles in game-animal health and meat inspection, but interest in working with game animals is low and knowledge gaps persist (e.g., inspection of game meat). Findings support curricular integration of wildlife health, game-meat inspection and One Health. Multicenter studies and evaluation of educational interventions are warranted. Full article

Scalable production of interactive 3D assets is a key requirement for XR-based applications, yet the functional integration of GenAI-generated assets into game engines remains challenging for non-expert users. This article proposes and validates a Prompt-to-Trigger workflow that links GenAI-based asset ideation and generation with the implementation of basic interactive behaviors (triggers) in accessible XR platforms. The study adopted a qualitative and exploratory approach, using systematic observation throughout a two-stage development process. This process included an initial phase where 3D assets were generated and refined using tools such as Tripo AI and Meshy, followed by an optimization stage to ensure compatibility with Blender and XR environments like A-Frame and Godot, and subsequently, the creation of AI-powered activation scripts. The results show that GenAI’s current 3D outputs frequently exhibit topological inconsistencies and rigging errors that compromise performance and real-time interoperability, requiring cleanup and optimization before deployment. The Prompt-to-Trigger workflow formalizes this bridge, positioning AI assistance as a functional layer for iterative logic generation. The resulting model provides non-expert creators with structured, actionable framework to prototype complex XR experiences for applied domains like education and multimedia communication. Full article

Serious video games are digital games designed for purposes beyond entertainment, typically to support education, training, health interventions, or behaviour change. They combine game mechanics with psychological and pedagogical principles, such as feedback, repetition, goal-setting, and scaffolding, to create interactive environments that facilitate learning, skill development, and sustained engagement. In many cases, they are built to simulate realistic tasks or decision contexts, allowing users to practise skills, test strategies, and learn from consequences in a low-risk setting. Within cyberpsychology, serious video games are particularly valuable because they provide structured digital contexts for examining how technology shapes cognition, emotion, motivation, and behaviour. They enable researchers and practitioners to observe how users respond to digital rewards, challenges, social features, and immersive environments, as well as how these features influence outcomes such as self-efficacy, persistence, attention, and emotion regulation. As a result, serious video games operate at the intersection of psychological theory, human–technology interaction, and applied digital intervention design. This entry provides an overview of their development, theoretical foundations, applications, effectiveness, and associated ethical considerations. Full article

Objective: To investigate the effects of virtual reality (VR) technology on pain and anxiety in hospitalized pediatric patients undergoing Peripheral Venous Catheterization. Methods: This study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Between July and December 2024, eligible pediatric inpatients aged 5–14 years from the Chegu Branch of Wuhan Union Hospital were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. The control group received routine care during peripheral venous catheterization, including health education and psychological comfort. The intervention group, in addition to routine care, used VR headsets to watch age-appropriate game videos, with each VR session lasting 10–15 min. The primary outcome measure was patient-reported pain levels, with anxiety as a key secondary outcome. Secondary outcome measures included catheterization time, heart rate, patient satisfaction with nursing procedures, and usability evaluation of the VR equipment. Results: A total of 80 pediatric patients were enrolled, with 40 in the VR group (mean age 8.05 ± 2.60 years) and 40 in the control group (mean age 8.63 ± 2.50 years). Generalized estimating equation (GEE) analysis showed a significant interaction effect between group and time for pain (Wald χ² = 7.091, p = 0.029), while no significant interaction was found for anxiety (Wald χ² = 0.971, p = 0.615). Before peripheral venous catheterization, there was no significant difference in pain and anxiety scores between the two groups of pediatric patients (p > 0.05). Patients in the VR group reported significantly reduced pain (β = −0.78; 95% CI, −1.40 to −0.15; p = 0.015) during catheterization, and overall anxiety scores were also lower in the VR group (β = −0.43; 95% CI, −0.77 to −0.08; p = 0.016), although the group by time interaction for anxiety was not significant. The intervention group also demonstrated a lower peak heart rate (107.67 ± 16.25 beats/min vs. 115.25 ± 29.53 beats/min; p = 0.047) and a shorter procedure duration [110 (100, 120) seconds vs. 120 (110, 123.5) seconds; p < 0.001]. Operator satisfaction with the nursing procedure was also significantly higher in the intervention group (95.0% vs. 72.5%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: VR significantly reduces pain and anxiety in hospitalized pediatric patients during peripheral venous catheterization. Full article

This study investigates the relationship between creative personality and academic achievement in first-year secondary education students, as well as the predictive capacity of creative personality on performance across different subject areas. The sample comprised 125 students who completed Garaigordobil’s Creative Personality Scale, and their academic grades were collected as performance indicators. Academic achievement was analyzed by distinguishing between STEM subjects (biology, technology, and mathematics) and non-STEM subjects (Spanish language, geography, arts, physical education, French, and English). The findings saw a positive association between creative personality and academic achievement in both STEM and non-STEM domains. Moreover, statistically significant sex differences emerged: female students obtained higher scores than male students on creative personality traits associated with problem identification and problem solving, as well as on dimensions related to enjoyment of diverse games and openness to new experiences. These results underscore the relevance of creative personality as a determinant of academic achievement across both scientific and non-scientific areas. They also highlight the importance of fostering creativity as an educational strategy aligned with sustainability goals. This study offers practical implications for the design of evidence-based psycho-pedagogical interventions that incorporate creativity as a means to promote responsible, equitable, and sustainable learning. Full article

International students at English-medium universities in Australia whose first language is not English often struggle with language learning due to challenges sustaining motivation and managing anxiety, while simultaneously needing to strengthen their English skills to succeed academically and fully engage in university life. Although serious games are increasingly used in second-language education, many are not explicitly grounded in established pedagogical strategy frameworks, and grammar-focused serious board games remain underrepresented. In response, this study designed a strategy-embedded serious board game (The Pyramid of Time) that integrates Oxford’s indirect Language Learning Strategies to support grammar-focused practice. Following a Design Thinking process informed by desk-based evidence and refined through two rounds of playtesting, the final prototype was evaluated in a single-session, between-subjects quasi-experiment with 64 international L2 English students studying in Australian English-medium universities, comparing a collaborative board-game condition with an individual textbook self-study condition. Outcomes were assessed using pre- and post-measures of grammar test performance, language learning motivation, and grammar-learning anxiety. The strategy-embedded, collaborative game-based condition showed larger short-term gains in grammar test performance and more favourable changes in motivation and anxiety than the individual textbook self-study condition. An exploratory bootstrapped mediation analysis was consistent with an indirect pattern in which anxiety reduction related to grammar gains primarily via increased motivation, although evidence was modest. Findings provide initial support for theory-informed, strategy-embedded game-based instruction as a promising approach for grammar-focused practice that also improves learners’ short-term motivational and affective experiences. These results should be interpreted in light of differences in instructional format, collaborative structure, and time-on-task across conditions. Full article

The rapid expansion of digital and technology-enhanced assessments has enabled the capture of far more than final responses or total scores. As learners navigate traditional formats, such as multiple-choice, short-answer, and performance tasks, digital delivery platforms routinely capture response times, response revisions, navigation patterns, and item-level metadata. More advanced formats, including interactive simulations, scenario-based tasks, and game-based assessments, further record fine-grained actions such as mouse clicks, keystrokes, hint requests, sequence of operations, and decision pathways. These increasingly rich data streams provide a multidimensional view of test-taker behavior, offering evidence about cognitive processes, strategy use, persistence, and motivation that goes beyond what correctness alone can reveal. Assessment analytics refers to the systematic collection, integration, and analysis of such data generated during the assessment process. In practice, this emerging field combines principles from psychometrics, learning analytics, data science, and human-computer interaction to evaluate the quality, validity, and fairness of assessments in digital environments. The ultimate goal of assessment analytics is to produce actionable evidence about how assessments measure what they intend to measure in contemporary, technology-rich educational contexts. Full article