Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Investigating the efficacy of gamification in an online positive psychology intervention (OPPI) aimed at increasing employee well-being
Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2022
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867614114519449600 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | McKinley, Amy |
| author2 | Adams, Samantha |
| author_browse | Adams, Samantha McKinley, Amy |
| author_facet | Adams, Samantha McKinley, Amy |
| author_sort | McKinley, Amy |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/126197 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:53.692Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/126197 Investigating the efficacy of gamification in an online positive psychology intervention (OPPI) aimed at increasing employee well-being McKinley, Amy Adams, Samantha Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology. Employee health promotion Welfare (Personal well-being) Health Promotion UCTD Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. ENGLISH SUMMARY: Employees are considered one of the most valuable resources in an organisation and ensuring that they are functioning efficiently is vital to an organisation’s success (Baptiste, 2008). One way for an organisation to support the optimal functioning of its employees is to ensure their well-being at work by implementing health and well-being interventions. Especially given the devastating impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on employees’ mental health (Mind, 2021). However, participation in employee health and well-being interventions is traditionally low (Poole et al., 2001; Howarth et al., 2018). Moreover, attrition in employee health and well-being interventions was strongly correlated to a lack of personal motivation to participate in health and well-being interventions and high levels of boredom experienced during the interventions (Edwards, 2012). Thus, there is a prevalent need for innovative strategies that motivate employees to actively participate in health and well-being interventions. One prominent innovation for health and well-being improvement is the development of serious games and gamified interventions using gamification (Wattanasoontorn et al., 2013). Research has shown that serious games and gamified interventions, if designed well, can increase one’s motivation and engagement, because they satisfy one’s innate desires through the implementation of intrinsically motivating game design elements (Johnson et al., 2016). Studies have shown that gamification can have a positive impact on employee well-being interventions (Kark, 2011; Ahtinen et al., 2013; Hall et al., 2013), but there is no empirical evidence showing that the increase in employee well-being was due to the implementation of gamification or just a result of the employee well-being intervention. Therefore, the aim of this exploratory research study was to conduct a controlled field experiment (N = 26), to investigate the efficacy of a gamified Online Positive Psychology Intervention (OPPI) aimed at increasing employee well-being. The results of this study found significant support for one of the four hypotheses that were tested, and two of the four hypotheses indicated a trend towards significance. Thus, there was a trend towards a possible relationship between the effectiveness of gamification and the enhanced outcomes of the employee well-being intervention used in this study. The results of this study make an important contribution to research in the employee well-being domain as it provides preliminary evidence of the potential positive effects that gamification can have on the outcomes of employee well-being interventions. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Werknemers word beskou as een van die mees waardevolle hulpbronne in 'n organisasie en om te verseker dat werknemers doeltreffend funksioneer, is noodsaaklik vir 'n organisasie se sukses (Baptiste, 2008). Een manier vir 'n organisasie om optimale funksionering van sy werknemers te bereik, is om hul welstand by die werk te verseker deur gesondheids- en welstandsintervensies te implementeer. Veral gegewe die verwoestende impak wat die COVID-19-pandemie op werknemers se geestesgesondheid gehad het (Mind, 2021). Deelname aan werknemergesondheid- en welstandintervensies is egter tradisioneel laag (Poole et al., 2001; Howarth et al., 2018). Boonop hoe uitvalvlakke in werknemergesondheid en -welstandintervensies sterk gekorreleer met 'n gebrek aan persoonlike motivering en verveling (Edwards, 2012). Daar is dus 'n algemene behoefte aan innoverende strategiee wat werknemers motiveer om aktief aan gesondheids- en welstandsintervensies deel te neem. Een prominente innovasie vir die verbetering van gesondheid en welstand is die ontwikkeling van ernstige speletjies en “gamified” intervensies deur gebruik te maak van “gamification” (Wattanasoontorn et al., 2013). Navorsing het getoon dat ernstige speletjies en speletjie-intervensies, indien goed ontwerp, 'n mens se motivering en betrokkenheid kan verhoog, omdat dit 'n mens se ingebore begeertes bevredig deur die implementering van intrinsiek motiverende speletjie-ontwerpelemente (Johnson et al., 2016). Studies het getoon dat gamification die welstand van werknemers kan verbeter (Kark, 2011; Ahtinen et al., 2013; Hall et al., 2013), maar daar is geen empiries bewyse wat toon dat die toename in werknemerwelstand te wyte was aan die implementering van gamification of bloot 'n gevolg van die werknemerwelstandintervensie. Daarom was die doel van hierdie verkennende navorsingstudie om 'n gekontroleerde veldeksperiment (N = 26), uit te voer om die doeltreffendheid van 'n gamified Online Positive Psychology Intervention (OPPI) wat daarop gemik is om werknemerswelstand te verhoog, te ondersoek. Die resultate van hierdie studie het beduidende ondersteuning gevind vir een van die vier hipoteses wat getoets is, en twee van die vier hipoteses het 'n neiging tot betekenisvolheid aangedui. Daar was dus 'n neiging na 'n moontlike verband tussen die effektiwiteit van gamification en die verbeterde uitkomste van die werknemerwelstandintervensie wat in hierdie studie gebruik is. Die resultate van hierdie studie lewer 'n belangrike bydrae tot navorsing in die werknemerwelstandsdomein. Dit verskaf voorlopige bewyse van die potensiele positiewe uitwerking wat gamification op werknemerwelstandintervensies kan he. Masters 2022-11-23T22:05:37Z 2023-01-16T12:55:08Z 2022-11-23T22:05:37Z 2023-01-16T12:55:08Z 2022-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/126197 en_ZA Stellenbosch University xiii, 134 pages : illustrations, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Employee health promotion Welfare (Personal well-being) Health Promotion UCTD McKinley, Amy Investigating the efficacy of gamification in an online positive psychology intervention (OPPI) aimed at increasing employee well-being |
| title | Investigating the efficacy of gamification in an online positive psychology intervention (OPPI) aimed at increasing employee well-being |
| title_full | Investigating the efficacy of gamification in an online positive psychology intervention (OPPI) aimed at increasing employee well-being |
| title_fullStr | Investigating the efficacy of gamification in an online positive psychology intervention (OPPI) aimed at increasing employee well-being |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating the efficacy of gamification in an online positive psychology intervention (OPPI) aimed at increasing employee well-being |
| title_short | Investigating the efficacy of gamification in an online positive psychology intervention (OPPI) aimed at increasing employee well-being |
| title_sort | investigating the efficacy of gamification in an online positive psychology intervention oppi aimed at increasing employee well being |
| topic | Employee health promotion Welfare (Personal well-being) Health Promotion UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/126197 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mckinleyamy investigatingtheefficacyofgamificationinanonlinepositivepsychologyinterventionoppiaimedatincreasingemployeewellbeing |