Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.15516/cje.v28i2.41347
Adaptive Gamified Wearables in University Physical Education: Effects on Physical Literacy, Motivation, and Well-Being in a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial/Prilagodljivi igrificirani uređaji za nošenje u sveučilišnom kolegiju Tjelesne i zdravstvene kulture: učinci na tjelesnu pismenost, motivaciju i dobrobit u randomiziranome kontroliranom istraživanju
Zhendong Yu
; East China Jiaotong University, School of Physical Education and Health
*
Jianan Dang
; Nanchang University, School of Physical Education
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Abstract
The present study examined whether an adaptive gamified programme built around fitness trackers improves physical literacy and related psychological outcomes more than standard gamification or tracker-only monitoring at Chinese universities. A semester-long cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted with 248 undergraduate students in six groups allocated to three intervention types: adaptive gamification with personalised, recovery-sensitive goals and reflection, standard gamification with fixed goals, and a control intervention with trackers and reflection only. Physical literacy, motivation, well-being, and activity were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up using questionnaires and the data from the used devices. Perceived physical literacy was pre-specified as the primary outcome. Because randomisation occurred at the student group level (six clusters), confirmatory inference relied on linear mixed-effects models with random intercepts for students’ groups and individual students, and cluster-robust standard errors with the correction of degrees of freedom due to a small sample; repeated ANOVA and paired comparisons were reported as descriptive/supporting analyses. Correlation analyses and exploratory mediation models were used to probe potential behavioural pathways, and interviews/reflections were thematically coded. In the cluster-adjusted primary model, the adaptive group showed a larger post-intervention gain in perceived physical literacy than the control group (B = 0.49, robust SE = 0.09, p = .003), and this advantage remained evident at follow-up (B = 0.49, robust SE = 0.10, p = .004). The findings indicate that embedding trackers in a theoretically grounded, adaptive learning design can meaningfully strengthen students’ capacity and willingness to lead active lives, and they offer scalable design principles for university-based health promotion.
Key words: digital behaviour change; gamified physical education; self-determined motivation; university health promotion; wearable technology
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Sažetak
Ova studija provedena je na kineskim sveučilištima, a ispitala je poboljšava li prilagodljivi igrificirani program temeljen na uređajima za praćenje aktivnosti tjelesnu pismenost i povezane psihološke ishode u većoj mjeri nego standardna igrifikacija ili praćenja isključivo putem pametnih satova. Randomizirano kontrolirano istraživanje trajalo je jedan semestar i provedeno je s 248 dodiplomskih studenata u šest skupina prema tri modela: prilagodljiva igrifikacija s personaliziranim ciljevima usmjerenima na oporavak i refleksiju, standardna igrifikacija s fiksnim ciljevima i kontrolni model provedbe koji je uključivao samo naprave za praćenje i refleksiju. Fizička pismenost, motivacija, dobrobit i aktivnost procjenjivani su na početku, nakon intervencije i pri praćenju pomoću upitnika i podataka s korištenih uređaja. Percepcija tjelesne pismenosti unaprijed je definirana kao primarni ishod. Budući da je randomizacija provedena na razini šest studentskih skupina, potvrdni je zaključak temeljen na linearnim mješovitim modelima s nasumičnim presjekom za skupinu studenata i pojedinoga studenta te klaster-robusnim standardnim pogreškama s korekcijom stupnjeva slobode zbog maloga uzorka, ANOVA i usporedbe parova ponovljeni su kao deskriptivne/pomoćne analize. Analize korelacije i istraživački modeli posredovanja korišteni su za ispitivanje potencijalnih ponašanja, a intervjui, tj. refleksije, tematski su kodirani. U primarnome modelu prilagođenom skupinama, adaptivna skupina pokazala je veći postintervencijski dobitak u percipiranoj tjelesnoj pismenosti od kontrolne skupine (B = 0,49, robusni SE = 0,09, p = 0,003), a ta je prednost ostala vidljiva i pri praćenju (B = 0,49, robusni SE = 0,10, p = 0,004). Rezultati pokazuju da ugradnja uređaja za praćenje u teorijski utemeljen dizajn prilagodljivoga učenja može značajno ojačati sposobnost i spremnost studenata da vode aktivan život te nudi mjerljive principe dizajna za promicanje zdravlja na sveučilištu.
Ključne riječi: igrificirano tjelesno obrazovanje; motivacija samoodređenja; nosiva tehnologija; promicanje zdravlja na sveučilištu; promjena digitalnoga ponašanja
Keywords
digital behaviour change; gamified physical education; self-determined motivation; university health promotion; wearable technology
Hrčak ID:
348386
URI
Publication date:
25.6.2026.
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