Better to Be Frustrated Than Bored: The Incidence, Persistence, and Impact of Learners’ Cognitive–Affective States During Interactions with Three Different Computer-Based Learning Environments

Item

Title

Better to Be Frustrated Than Bored: The Incidence, Persistence, and Impact of Learners’ Cognitive–Affective States During Interactions with Three Different Computer-Based Learning Environments

Abstract/Description

We study the incidence (rate of occurrence), persistence (rate of reoccurrence immediately after occurrence), and impact (effect on behavior) of students’ cognitive–affective states during their use of three different computer-based learning environments. Students’ cognitive–affective states are studied using different populations (Philippines, USA), different methods (quantitative field observation, self-report), and different types of learning environments (dialogue tutor, problem-solving game, and problem-solving-based Intelligent Tutoring System). By varying the studies along these multiple factors, we can have greater confidence that findings which generalize across studies are robust. The incidence, persistence, and impact of boredom, frustration, confusion, engaged concentration, delight, and surprise were compared. We found that boredom was very persistent across learning environments and was associated with poorer learning and problem behaviors, such as gaming the system. Despite prior hypothesis to the contrary, frustration was less persistent, less associated with poorer learning, and did not appear to be an antecedent to gaming the system. Confusion and engaged concentration were the most common states within all three learning environments. Experiences of delight and surprise were rare. These findings suggest that significant effort should be put into detecting and responding to boredom and confusion, with a particular emphasis on developing pedagogical interventions to disrupt the “vicious cycles” which occur when a student becomes bored and remains bored for long periods of time.

Author/creator

Baker, Ryan S. J. d.

D'Mello, Sidney K.

Rodrigo, Ma. Mercedes T.

Graesser, Arthur C.

Date

2010

In publication

International Journal of Human-Computer Studies

Volume

68

Issue

4

Pages

223-241

Resource type

en Research/Scholarly Media

Resource status/form

en Published Text

Scholarship genre

en Empirical

Keywords

affect

affective computing

affective persistence

cognitive–affective states

educational games

intelligent tutoring systems

Language

en

Open access/full-text available

en Yes

Peer reviewed

en Yes

ISSN

1071-5819

DOI

10.1016/j.ijhcs.2009.12.003

URL

Official Publisher's Webpage (ScienceDirect)

Full-text PDF Shared by Author (LearnLab)

Citation

Baker, R. S. J. d., D’Mello, S. K., Rodrigo, Ma. M. T., & Graesser, A. C. (2010). Better to Be Frustrated Than Bored: The Incidence, Persistence, and Impact of Learners’ Cognitive–Affective States During Interactions with Three Different Computer-Based Learning Environments. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 68(4), 223–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2009.12.003

Abbreviation

International Journal of Human-Computer Studies

Item sets

Handbook Chapter 20 Citations

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