In a study, two different learning activities were presented to middle school students. In the first version, users were asked to calculate the numerical value of a missing angle in a geometrical figure. In the second version, user were asked to pick a rule that needed to be implemented to solve problems.


"Results showed that the numeric condition, based on the situation, was more
interesting than the rule condition, suggesting that the selection of the game
mechanic has an impact on learners’ affect (Plass et al., 2012)."

The study suggests that users show more situational interest, when users implement general rules rather than working on calculations. Therefore, when a website provides a user with certain tasks, the website should generate user flows that avoid calculation.

Haverford College in Pennsylvania

Situational Interest is an emotional attention produced by a stimuli. It is directed to a informational content that emerges out of the learning platform. This is not intrinsically produced, and is prone to fade after the stimuli.

"Situational interest is different from learners’ individual interest, which describes their intrinsic desire and tendency to engage in a particular subject matter or activity over time. Situational interest is of importance as research has found that it is essential in the development of individual interest."

Design applications to digital games reveal three main factors that increase or trigger situational interest:


• Social Mode of Learning Activity


• Use of rewards


•Mechanics

Situational Interest

https://uxplanet.org/the-ultimate-ux-hook-anticipatory-persuasive-and-emotional-design-in-ux-53b65ac778d

https://medium.muz.li/the-art-of-emotion-normans-3-levels-of-emotional-design-88a1fb495b1d

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309313629_Emotional_Design_in_Digital_Media_for_Learning

Emotional Design Reference

 For this study, three versions of a learning-based platform were presented, which were facilitated with individual work, competitive work with two players, or collaborative work with two players. The results showed that competition and collaboration provide more situational interest than individual activities. This implies that social mode in a learning platform is related to affective responses and emotional attention to content.


Emotional Design - Social Mode of Learning Activity

Researchers redesigned a game to provide various types of reward materials awarded after successful completion of learning tasks. Results suggested that the design of badges impacted learners’ situational interest. This suggests that rewards after successful completion of tasks must include visually attractive rewards in terms of their color and shape.


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