The role of self-determination theory in explaining teachers’ motivation to continue to use e-learning technology

Based on self-determination theory, this study proposes an extended information systems continuance theory in the context of teachers’ utilization of e-learning technology in connection with on-site courses. In the proposed model teachers’ extrinsic motivation (i.e. perceived usefulness), confirmation of pre-acceptance expectations and intrinsic motivation are predicted to be influenced by perceived autonomy, perceived competence and perceived relatedness. Even though information systems continuance theory has received quite extensive attention in prior research, this study is among the first to examine the effects of self-determination theory constructs in the context of teachers’ utilization of e-learning technology. The results show that extension of IS-continuance theory with constructs that represent users’ basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation can be useful for predicting their e-learning continuance intentions.     

How affective technologies can influence intimate interactions and improve social connectedness

Affective computing holds the promise of creating effortless, integrated, and automatic ways of communicating emotions within our intimate social network. This could augment awareness systems and connectedness devices, reducing loneliness and improving health and well-being. Through two experiments, we investigate the effects of quantity and automaticity of emotion communication on perceived intimacy in mediated settings. In the first experiment (N=48), we manipulated the number of communicated emoticons. Results show that increases in communicated emoticon quantity lead to strong increases in perceived intimacy. In the second experiment (N=34), we compare automatic and user-initiated communication of emoticons. Results show that user-initiated communication of emoticons is experienced as more intimate than automatic communication. These results are discussed in light of the interpersonal process model of intimacy and can help the design of applications aimed at improving social interactions through affective communication technology.     

E-learning in a low-status female profession: the role of motivation, anxiety and social support in the learning divide

Abstract   The literature seems to suggest that women may be at risk from being excluded from adult education programmes, which use e-learning, especially when they have low economic status. Based on a survey of 551 women, family day care providers, we conclude that there is a persistent divide in PC access and use, as well as in perceived PC skills according to age. Yet, this divide seems to run less along traditional lines, suggesting that personal factors play a more important role. Motivation and anxiety are two related but distinct personal factors that influence computer use and skills in this population. We also found that these factors are mediated by the family context: motivation is higher when (young) children are present in the family. Moreover, children may represent an important form of social support for women not yet using computers. This study concludes that the concerns about the gender gap in computer use may benefit from taking the scaffolding possibilities of the family into consideration and that there may be a case for growing optimism in the use of information and communication technology for adult learning in specific, gender-segregated professions with low status.     

Determinants of emoticon usage in mobile instant messaging: a construal level theory perspective

Mobile instant messaging is experiencing immense growth, and using emoticons has become a prevalent and highly popular means of communication. The small digital images are ubiquitous, from smartphone applications to social media, and people delight in sending them. Drawing from construal level theory, the aim of this research is to examine the underlying mechanism that drives the usage of emoticons and its usage enjoyment. People with experience using mobile instant messaging were recruited to participate in an online survey, resulting in 202 usable questionnaires. The research model was tested empirically. Covariance-based structural equation modelling was used to analyze the data. The findings highlight that the determinants of individual’s emoticon usage are driven by a dual-route path. One is the self-concept route, where self-image congruity between emoticons and individuals drives psychological ownership, which in turn influences word of mouth (WOM) intention and perceived enjoyment of emoticon use. The other is the utility route, driven by emoticons’ familiarity and perceived synchronicity. The findings reveal the importance of emoticon usage through a contextual lens that shows that a dual-route path has a prominent impact upon these digital-based communication behaviours, which provides important managerial implications.     

Emoticons and social interaction on the Internet: the importance of social context

The present study examines the influence of social context on the use of emoticons in Internet communication. Secondary school students (N = 158) responded to short internet chats. Social context (task-oriented vs. socio-emotional) and valence of the context (positive vs. negative) were manipulated in these chats. Participants were permitted to respond with text, emoticon or a combination of both. Results showed that participants used more emoticons in socio-emotional than in task-oriented social contexts. Furthermore, students used more positive emoticons in positive contexts and more negative emoticons in negative contexts. An interaction was found between valence and kind of context; in negative, task-oriented contexts subjects used the least emoticons. Results are related to research about the expression of emotions in face-to-face interaction.     

基于知识元模型的跨模态聊天卡通表情图像合成

传统的聊天卡通表情图像生成技术主要基于预定义的聊天卡通表情图像库,通过用户的语义描 述,进行“语义-视觉”跨模态检索,匹配合适的表情图像。但是,预定义表情图像库样本数量有限且是固定 形式的,在实际的聊天场景中常常出现表情图像的错误匹配或无合适匹配。针对此问题,聚焦于合成新的聊天 卡通表情图像而非检索,设计了一种基于知识元模型的跨模态聊天卡通表情图像合成方法,根据用户的语义描 述,即时合成对应的聊天卡通表情图像。通过表情知识元模型建立聊天卡通表情图像的内在语义逻辑关系,增 强聊天卡通表情图像合成的语义一致性。通过多生成器模型,从每个元知识点合成对应的局部图像,再经过联 合生成器整合为完整的卡通表情图像,极大地减少了训练样本需求。在公开的聊天卡通表情图像合成数据集的 测试中,该方法在语义一致性上取得了更好的结果,同时在图像质量上与现有的方法具有可比性。     

The effect of emoticons in simplex and complex task-oriented communication: An empirical study of instant messaging

Many studies have shed light on general computer-mediated communication, instant messaging (IM), and emotion or emoticons, but little is known specifically about the impacts of emoticons in task-oriented IM communication in the workplace. Therefore, the current study addresses this issue by conducting an exploratory experiment to (1) categorize workplace IM messages into coherent groups, (2) identify the most commonly used emoticons (emblems) for expressing positive, negative, and neutral emotions in the case company, (3) test the differences in the emotional effects of the received text messages with and without emoticons on the reader/s, and (4) examine the intention to use emoticons in IM in the workplace. The results showed that (1) negative emoticons could cause a negative effect in both simplex and complex task-oriented communication, (2) positive emoticons only created a positive effect in complex communication and for female employees in simplex communication, and (3) there is no significant difference between task-oriented messages with or without neutral emoticon. Furthermore, the intention of using emoticons was not statistically significant in terms of gender, but it has a higher tendency on female employees. The corresponding suggestions provided by this research may help increase our understanding on the effect of emoticon use in IM in the workplace.     

Exploring user behaviour of emoticon use among Chinese youth

The use of emoticons, particularly on smart mobile devices, has become increasingly popular among young people in recent years. The emoticon is not just a form of information transmission; it also represents a new way of life and a new trend among young people. The aim of this study was to understand the role of emoticons in the daily lives of Chinese young people, investigate how mediated communication has been improved by smart mobile devices and discover users’ preferred types of emoticon. First, a review of the literature on emoticons was conducted to explore the relationship between the evolution of the emoticon and young people’s everyday lives. Next, in-depth interviews were conducted, which yielded novel findings regarding emoticon use. Finally, a questionnaire was used to obtain data on emoticon use for statistical analysis. The findings revealed four key dimensions of emoticon use that were relevant to the research questions: accuracy, sociability, efficiency and enjoyment. These four dimensions help us to better understand the development of emoticons and their influence on the lifestyles of young people. The findings are expected to provide inspiration and suggest directions for improving the design of smart communication.     

基于统计数据的微博表情符分析及其在情绪分析中的应用

表情符作为一种新兴的网络语言,受到了越来越多的微博用户的青睐。微博中出现的表情符形象直观地表达了博主的情绪,对情绪分析起着至关重要的作用。首先对大量中文微博中表情符的使用特点、分布情况和情绪表达特点进行了统计分析。然后,人工选取具有代表性且情感倾向明确的表情符作为六类基本情绪的种子表情符。根据目标表情符和六类情绪的种子表情符在微博文本中的共现情况,为其建立六维情绪向量,并将其应用于微博情绪分析。在两个数据集上的实验结果表明,本文建立的表情符情绪向量有效地提高了微博情绪识别的精度。     

Presence in personalised e-learning – the impact of cognitive and emotional factors and the moderating role of gender

ABSTRACT

Digital technologies offer tremendous opportunities to develop flexible and personalised e-learning environments which are capable of delivering high-quality services. The success of these e-learning environments is linked to their ability to elicit subjective experiences of presence, through which e-learners feel individually ‘placed’ within a true, humanised education environment. We built an integrated model that situates cognitive processes (the e-learner’s perceived control, focused attention, mental imagery) and emotion at the core of presence formation, and considers the moderating role of gender. We tested the model with a large sample of students at a personalised e-learning environment. The results indicate that cognitive and emotional processes, all unleashed by external stimuli coming from the personalised e-learning environment, activate presence and that gender has a crucial moderating role for emotion-presence predictions.     

“Turn that frown upside-down”: A contextual account of emoticon usage on different virtual platforms

Evidence highlights the prevalent usage of emoticons within digital forms of textual communication and the impact on the recipient. However, little evidence demonstrates the interpersonal functions for the user and whether this varies as a product of virtual platform. This formed the basis for the current study in which participants (N = 92) provided open-ended accounts of their reasons for using emoticons across three virtual platforms (email, text message, and social networking site), and their general emoticon usage across these. Responses revealed a number of themes on reasons for emoticon usage. The first was; “aiding personal expression”, with sub-themes of; “establishing emotional tone”; and “to lighten the mood”. Other themes were “reducing ambiguity of discourse” and “appropriateness of context”. Overall, there was consistency across platforms, on both the personal and interpersonal functions which emoticons served. However, some disparity was identified as email platforms were deemed inappropriate for emoticon use, regardless of the fact that emoticons were recognised as important emotional aids for communication. Taken together these findings highlight the importance of emoticon usage for the user, through a contextual lens to recognise the influential factors upon these behaviours and the implications this has for digital text-based communication. In this regard, this contributes further conceptualisation of one aspect of hyperpersonal communication within virtual interactions, and how different platforms may permit these self-presentational efforts to a greater or lesser extent.     

A longitudinal study of emoticon use in text messaging from smartphones

Our goal in the present study was to understand how emoticons are used in text messaging and, in particular, how genders differed in the frequency and variety of emoticons used via this medium. Previous research has found small and sundry differences in emotive expression online suggesting that technology has closed the gender gap. However, the data collected in these studies were public. In this study, we collected real portions of private communications data from individuals’ smartphones over a 6-month period. SMS messages, in general, were not used very much overall, with only 4% of all messages containing at least one emoticon. Still, differences between genders manifested in the amount and variety of emoticons used. Females sent more messages with emoticons; however, surprisingly, males used a more diverse range of emoticons.     

Surveying instructor and learner attitudes toward e-learning

The trend of using e-learning as a learning and/or teaching tool is now rapidly expanding into education. Although e-learning environments are popular, there is minimal research on instructors’ and learners’ attitudes toward these kinds of learning environments. The purpose of this study is to explore instructors’ and learners’ attitudes toward e-learning usage. Accordingly, 30 instructors and 168 college students are asked to answer two different questionnaires for investigating their perceptions. After statistical analysis, the results demonstrate that instructors have very positive perceptions toward using e-learning as a teaching assisted tool. Furthermore, behavioral intention to use e-learning is influenced by perceived usefulness and self-efficacy. Regarding to learners’ attitudes, self-paced, teacher-led, and multimedia instruction are major factors to affect learners’ attitudes toward e-learning as an effective learning tool. Based on the findings, this research proposes guidelines for developing e-learning environments.     

The role of self-determination theory in explaining teachers’ motivation to continue to use e-learning technology

Based on self-determination theory, this study proposes an extended information systems continuance theory in the context of teachers’ utilization of e-learning technology in connection with on-site courses. In the proposed model teachers’ extrinsic motivation (i.e. perceived usefulness), confirmation of pre-acceptance expectations and intrinsic motivation are predicted to be influenced by perceived autonomy, perceived competence and perceived relatedness. Even though information systems continuance theory has received quite extensive attention in prior research, this study is among the first to examine the effects of self-determination theory constructs in the context of teachers’ utilization of e-learning technology. The results show that extension of IS-continuance theory with constructs that represent users’ basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation can be useful for predicting their e-learning continuance intentions.     

An interactional view of social presence: Making the virtual other “real”

In IS research, social presence is generally defined as the perceived capacity of a communication medium to convey contextual cues normally available in face‐to‐face settings. However, theorizing social presence as a property of the technology has been challenged for decades. The objective of this paper is to develop a more contemporary, interactional view of social presence. To this end, this paper develops a new conceptualization of how participants form the sense that each other is present. We characterize the development of this sense as a skilful accomplishment that entails interactants' joint construction of each other as “real.” Viewing social presence as contingent on social practice, we seek to answer the following research question: “How is social presence accomplished in virtual environments?” To explicate how virtual others are perceived as becoming socially present, that is, emotionally and psychologically “real” to someone interacting with them, we draw from Goffman's work, particularly his concepts of involvement and involvement obligation. Detailing two examples of social interaction in the virtual world Second Life, our analysis highlights the key role that this moral obligation, intrinsic to everyday social interaction, plays in virtual others becoming perceived as psychoemotionally “there.” By outlining a model of how the sense of a virtual other as “real” is produced in and through social interaction, our work contributes a sociological perspective to the construct of social presence and underscores some of the material and social conditions necessary for users to perceive virtual others as present.     

ERP correlates of masked affective priming with emoticons

Emoticons seem to enrich computer-mediated communication by improving enjoyment, perceived richness and usefulness of information (Huang, Yen, & Zhang, 2008). Despite their extensive use over the last decades, the way emoticons affect subsequent emotional/cognitive processing is not fully understood. Here we conducted a masked priming experiment that explored the time course of the masked affective priming effect while recording event-related potentials. Type of prime (emoticon vs. word) and prime valence (positive vs. negative) were manipulated to assess their influence in the processing of positive/negative target words. Results showed a masked affective priming effect in early (N2) and late temporal windows (LPC). This effect was observed in early components for negative target words and in later components for positive target words. Furthermore, it was restricted to those targets preceded by emoticon primes. Thus, the processing of emoticons seems to be privileged when compared with the words to which they refer.     

Gender issues in technology use: Perceived social support,computer self-efficacy and value beliefs,and computer use beyond school

In this study, we examined relations between outside school computer experiences, perceived social support for using computers, and self-efficacy and value beliefs about computer learning for 340 Greek elementary school boys and girls. Participants responded to a questionnaire about their access to computer use outside school (e.g. frequency of use and nature of activities), perceived parental and peer support, and computer self-efficacy and value beliefs. Although almost all students used computers outside school, there were significant gender differences in frequency and type of computer use. Also, boys reported more perceived support from their parents and peers to use computers and more positive computer self-efficacy and value beliefs than girls. Parental support and, to a lesser extent, peer support were the factors more strongly associated with boys’ and girls’ computer self-efficacy and value beliefs, while home computer access was not related to students’ motivation. Our findings highlight the role of socialization in the gender gap in computing and the need for research and educational interventions that focus on the social practices that communicate gendered expectations to young boys and girls.     

The effects of organizational learning environment factors on e-learning acceptance

Workplace learning is an important means of employees’ continuous learning and professional development. E-learning is being recognized as an important supportive practice for learning at work. Current research on the success factors of e-learning in the workplace has emphasized on employees’ characteristics, technological attributes, and training design elements, with little attention to workplace contextual effects. The study aims to investigate the impacts of organizational learning environment factors, including managerial support, job support, and organizational support, on employees’ motivation to use a workplace e-learning system. A model was proposed based on the expectancy theory of training motivation and the social influences and facilitating conditions in technology acceptance models. The model was tested on sample data collected from mainland China using Structural Equation Modeling and Moderated Structural Equation Modeling. The results suggested that employees’ perceived managerial support and job support had a significant impact on their perceived usefulness of the e-learning system for individual learning, and that perceived organizational support had a significant influence on the perceived usefulness of the e-learning system for social learning. Perceived usefulness for individual learning was found to completely mediate the environmental influences on individuals’ motivation to use the system, while perceived usefulness for social learning made partial mediation in the effects of the environmental factors on intention to use. In addition, perceived job support was found to have moderating effects on the relationship between employees’ perceived usefulness of the e-learning system and their intention to use the system. Consistent with previous findings, employees’ perceptions about the usefulness of the e-learning system have significant effects on their intention to use the system in the work setting.     

Face-to-face,blended, flipped,or online learning environment? Impact on learning performance and student cognitions

This study compares four learning environments: face-to-face learning (F2F), fully e-learning (EL), blended learning (BL), and flipped classroom (FC) with respect to students' learning performance. Moreover, this present research studies changes in perceived flexibility, intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy beliefs of students, and the interaction effects in these student variables on learning performance. Two learning environment design elements: (1) lectures (2) group discussions building on guiding questions, were manipulated to create the four learning environments. Third-year undergraduate students (n = 106), enrolled in the “Animal and Human Physiology” course at CanTho University (Vietnam), were randomly assigned to one of the four learning environments. The results suggest a significant positive differential effect on learning performance when studying in a FC and BL setting. No significant interaction effects could be observed regarding changes in perceived flexibility, intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy. However, significant differences between learning conditions were observed in perceived flexibility. Analysis of focus group data corroborate the finding that students experience more flexibility in time and place when studying in FC, BL and EL environments. In addition, students in a FC environment reflect significantly larger positive changes in their self-efficacy. But, the qualitative data show how positive perceptions about flexibility, motivation and self-efficacy are often cancelled out by negative perceptions.     

Iteration-based naive Bayes sentiment classification of microblog multimedia posts considering emoticon attributes

Microblog (such as Weibo) is an integrated social platform of vital importance in the internet age. Because of its diversity, subjectivity and timeliness, microblog is popular among public. In order to perform sentiment classification on microblog posts and overcome the limitation of text information, a fine-grained sentiment analysis method is proposed, in which emoticon attributes are considered. Firstly, the microblog texts are pre-processed to remove some stop words and noise information such as links. Then the data is matched in the sentiment lexicon, and when the first matching succeeds, the second matching is performed in the emoticon dictionary. The emoticons in the emoticon dictionary are transformed into vector form. Through these matching, the emotional features are vectorized and other text features are considered. Finally, the iterative-based naive Bayesian classification method is used for sentiment classification. The experiment results show that emoticons have obvious effect on facilitating the sentiment classification of microblog posts, and the proposed sentiment classification method achieved better than average results in term of classification accuracy compared with state-of-art techniques.