Hedonic or Utilitarian Pedagogical Design : The Relevance of Individual Immersion for Learning

This research sought to model how people develop an understanding of learning materials via Immersive Virtual Worlds. The study employed a novel approach to model development. First, a literature review highlighted relevant constructs. Thereafter, the most representative constructs were selected through a pilot-study with undergraduate students at a leading university in Asia. Next, six focus groups each had to develop a learning model from the constructs. Groups also had to explain the relevance of each construct and justify their reasoning. The six models were analyzed and integrated into a single model. The approach provided alternative explanations for causal relationships previously identified in the literature. The method also offered a more detailed perspective of the phenomenon and challenged prior assumptions. The resulting model suggests that Individual Immersion triggers a better understanding of learning materials via both hedonic and utilitarian mechanisms.