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This study promotes a novel teaching approach for integration of children’s traditional games in elementary school program. It gives description of six traditional games and their educational prospects, implemented in six learning sessions in five elementary schools in Macedonia, involving 102 students. The comparison of learning achievements between these learning sessions and standard classes revealed increased students’ learning performance on comparable topics. To understand the reason for improvement, we have surveyed students after each session and tested the gathered data set via the development of a structural equation model that examines the relationships between student’s personality traits, motivation and experience with learning outcomes. The findings show that students’ achievements were directly influenced by students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors, as well as perceived experience. Additionally, the integration of traditional games in the elementary school classroom was equally accepted among all students, since their personality traits did not directly influence their experience or learning outcomes. Still, the link between the students’ personality dimensions and motivation revealed that introvert children might have slightly increased motivation and possibility to open up during game-play in such collaborative environments.

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<p>Early identification of relevant factors that influence students’ experiences is vitally important to the educational process since they play an important role in learning outcomes. The purpose of this study is to determine underlying constructs that predict high school students’ subjective experience and quality expectations during asynchronous and synchronous distance education activities, in a form of <em>quality of experience</em> (QoE). One hundred and fifty-eight students from different high schools participated in several asynchronous and synchronous learning sessions and provided relevant feedback with comparable opinions regarding different conditions. Structural equation modeling was used as an analytical procedure during data analysis which led to a QoE prediction model that identified relevant factors influencing students’ subjective QoE. The results demonstrated no significant difference related to students’ behavior and expectations during both distance education methods. Additionally, this study revealed that students’ QoE in any situation was mainly determined by motivational factors (intrinsic and extrinsic) and moderately influenced by ease of use during synchronous or quality of content during asynchronous activities. We also found moderate support between technical performance and students’ QoE in both learning environments. However, opposed to existing technology acceptance models that stress the importance of attitude towards use, high school students’ attitude failed to predict their QoE.</p>

Distance education learning environments provide tremendous convenience and flexibility, allowing busy, mobile adult learners to engage in education while coping with their limited resources in terms of time, energy and finances. Following a student-centered approach this study investigates adult students' subjective perceptions while using distance education systems based on a videoconferencing platform as Quality of Experience (QoE). Based on a literature review, sociological behavior and expectations, we have constructed a structural equation model (SEM) illustrating relations among different variables that can predict positive levels of adult students' QoE, thus providing guidelines for proper development. We have tested the model using a survey of 198 primary education school teachers involved in a videoconferencing-based learning program for teacher enhancement. Results show a good fit to the model developed. The analysis showed that adult students' QoE is directly influenced by appropriateness of teacher-student interaction and ease of participation, as well predicted by students' motivation to attend similar trainings. Additionally, we found that variances in technical quality did not directly influence their QoE from the learning sessions.

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Videoconferencing technology is a successful tool for expanding possibilities for collaborative and distance learning, while bridging the distance between the teacher and students, providing time and cost savings. Recently, the focus in literature and practice for quality requirements are shifting from deterministic behavior of the infrastructure in videoconferencing learning environments to students' Quality of Experience, as subjective measure that involves human dimensions. Hence, this study evaluates the impact of different Quality of Service mechanisms utilized in the infrastructure on students' Quality of Experience in videoconferencing learning environments. It involved 263 faculty students that participated in 42 learning sessions via videoconferencing during their academic activities, while the infrastructure was subjected to Quality of Service mechanism in the network, as well as application enhancement in the videoconferencing platform, or both. The performance counters from the technical equipment and results from the survey regarding students' perceived experience, showed definite Quality of Service to Quality of Experience correlation. When network and application Quality of Service were considered complementary, students' Quality of Experience was in average 18.5% higher compared to network and 15% to application Quality of Service implementations. Similarly, best technical performance was achieved when both mechanisms were consider as a whole, such as 34% decrease in average transmit delay compared to application and 62.5% to network Quality of Service mechanisms, etc. Finally, application controls had greater impact on perceived students' Quality of Experience than the network ones, which correlated to performance behavior of the infrastructure.