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1. Students’ needs satisfaction in a gamified math practice

   Gao, F.; Rogers, K.; Li, L.; Darke, A. (January 2023, Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference)

   E. Langran, P. Christensen (Ed.)

   Though many studies suggest the positive effects of gamification on participants’ learning and motivation, limited research has examined the basic psychological needs satisfaction in gamified learning. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), this study examined students’ actual competence, perceived competence, perceived autonomy, and perceived relatedness in a gamified math practice. The results showed that students had varied degree of needs satisfaction in perceived competence, perceived autonomy, and perceived relatedness. The implications and significance of the study provide practical teaching implementation suggestions and research insights for gamification research. 

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2. Faculty perceptions of and approaches towards engineering student motivation at Hispanic Serving Institutions

   Salgado, H; Kendall, M; Urquidi, Y; Coso Strong, A (July 2021, American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference)

   This research paper examines faculty perceptions of and approaches towards fostering students’ motivation to learn engineering at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). By aligning learning experiences with what motivates Hispanic or Latinx students, the resulting higher student motivation could increase the sense of belonging for underrepresented populations in engineering, ultimately improving student retention and persistence through meaningful instructional practices. Motivation to learn encompasses individuals' perspectives about themselves, the course material, the broader educational curriculum, and their role in their own learning [1]. Students’ motivation can be supported or hindered by their interactions with others, peers, and educators. As such, an educator’s teaching style is a critical part of this process [2]. Therefore, because of the link between a faculty member’s ability to foster student motivation and improved learning outcomes, this paper seeks to explore how engineering faculty approach student motivation in their course designs at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Humans are curious beings naturally drawn to exploration and learning. Self Determination Theory (SDT), popularized by Ryan and Deci, describes the interconnection of extrinsic (external) and intrinsic (internal) motivators, acknowledging the link between student’s physiological needs and their learning motivations [1], [3]. SDT proposes that students must experience the satisfaction of competence, autonomy, and relatedness for a high level of intrinsic motivation. Further, research indicates that appropriately structured, highly autonomy-supportive teaching styles that foster intrinsic motivation are associated with improved student outcomes [2]. However, further research is needed to observe how faculty prioritize students’ innate needs and how they seek to foster student motivation in tangible ways within their engineering classrooms. Therefore, this paper seeks to answer the following research question: What educational supports do engineering faculty at HSIs propose to embed in their curricula to increase their students’ intrinsic motivation? To answer this question, thirty-six engineering educators from thirteen two- and four-year HSIs from across the continental United States were introduced to the SDT and approaches for supporting students’ intrinsic motivation during a multi-institutional faculty development workshop series. Participants were asked to reflect on and prototype learning experiences that would promote intrinsic motivation and fulfill students’ needs for competence, relatedness, and autonomy to learn engineering [1]. Data were collected through a series of reflection worksheets where participants were asked to describe their target stakeholders, define a course redesign goal, and generate possible solutions while considering the impact of the redesign on student motivation. Qualitative analysis was used to explore participant responses. Analysis indicates that the participants were more likely to simultaneously address multiple motivational constructs when attempting to improve student motivation, rather than addressing them individually. Some of these approaches included the adoption of autonomy-supportive and structured teaching styles. As a result of this research, there is potential to influence future faculty development opportunities at HSIs and further explore intentional learning experiences that promote and foster intrinsic motivation in the engineering classroom. 

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3. Instructional Supports for Motivation Trajectories in Introductory College Engineering

   https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584221083662  

   Robinson, Kristy A.; Lira, Amalia Krystal; Walton, S. Patrick; Briedis, Daina; Linnenbrink-Garcia, Lisa (January 2022, AERA Open)

   Students, instructors, and policy makers are in need of research-based recommendations for supporting students’ motivation to pursue STEM fields. The present study addressed this need by examining relations between perceived motivational supports, year-long trajectories of expectancy for success and three task values, and grades among students ( N = 1,021) in a large, gateway engineering course. Results indicated that students with higher motivation at the beginning of the year tended to perceive their class as more motivationally supportive. Controlling for relations between initial motivation and perceptions, perceived instructional supports for mastery goals, autonomy, and competence predicted more positive trajectories of all three task values. Conversely, higher perceived instructor performance goals negatively predicted grades and the slopes of self-efficacy and interest value. Results contribute key understanding about the interconnectedness of individual motivation and climate perceptions, while indicating the importance students place on certain motivationally supportive practices in promoting students’ STEM motivation trajectories. 

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4. Understanding students’ perceived need satisfaction, enjoyment, and participation intention in a leaderboard-based math practice game

   https://doi.org/10.1177/20427530241251407  

   Gao, Fei; Rogers, Kimberly Cervello; Li, Lan (April 2024, E-Learning and Digital Media)

   Though many studies suggest the positive effects of leaderboard on participants’ learning and motivation, research also shows that not all students benefit from the use of leaderboard. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), this study examined how students’ actual competence, perceived competence, perceived autonomy, and perceived relatedness affected students’ enjoyment and intention for future participation in a leaderboard-based math practice game. The results showed that both perceived competence and perceived autonomy were closely related to students’ enjoyment and intention for future participation, while students’ actual competence and perceived relatedness were not related to their enjoyment or intention for future participation in such leaderboard-based math practice games. The findings of the study offer valuable insights and recommendations for both gamification research and practice. 

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5. How Can Game-Based Learning Affect Engineering Students’ Confidence?

   https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE56618.2022.9962463  

   Perez, Raul Frias; Chung, Sydney; Zastavker, Yevgeniya V.; Bennett, Victoria; Abdoun, Tarek; Harteveld, Casper (October 2022, 2022 Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference)

   This Work-in-Progress Research paper focuses on digital game-based learning (DGBL), which refers to the use of a virtual environment to support students’ learning. In this exploratory study, we examine how students engage with GeoExplorer, a digital game-based learning environment that simulates Cone-Penetration Testing (CPT), an on-site test used in geotechnical engineering to investigate soil properties that students typically don’t have access to. In GeoExplorer’s CPT activity, students participate in a virtual internship in which they examine several sites with varied types of soil. This paper investigates DGBL environments by leveraging Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to ask the following research questions: (1) How do "freedom" and autonomy within GeoExplorer encourage students’ new emergent learning strategies? and (2) How do emergent learning strategies in GeoExplorer support students’ confidence as they self-guide their learning? Ten open-ended semi-structured interviews were performed with civil engineering students from three U.S.-based institutions. The data are analyzed using narrative analysis and a grounded theory approach. Our preliminary findings indicate that, while GeoExplorer is intended as a complement to in-person learning, it serves both as a complement and supplement to the online learning that helps to engage students during the pandemic. Students share that a felt sense of "freedom" within GeoExplorer encourages them to engage in different emergent learning strategies, such as repetition and trial and error. Students also describe that these emergent learning strategies promote knowledge retention and understanding, and further support their confidence in performing CPT. Our preliminary findings provide opportunities for students to practice autonomy and develop competency – two out of three basic psychological needs in SDT – in their educational processes. 

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