Sonja Geiger

Multiple studies have investigated how serious games can foster learning in the context of education. However, findings on the impact of developing such serious games as an instructional approach are still limited, especially in education for sustainable development. Thus, this paper presents the Serious Game Development as an Instructional Approach (SGDIA) framework based on the ADDIE concept. Subsequently, a proof-of-concept study is applied to evaluate the impact of the course concept on learning. In an experimental pre-post study design at two German universities (n = 48), the effects on socio-emotional (values, self-efficacy) and cognitive (understanding, critical reflection) learning objectives relevant to education for sustainable development have been tested. The findings show that self-efficacy and pro-environmental values increased significantly after students participated in the serious game design course over three months. Additionally, in 23 out of the 48 participants, students who sought understanding during the three months of the teaching setting were more likely to critically reflect. As low-level methods of creating game content, such as simple game engines using visual programming, are becoming more widespread, the paper demonstrates how creating serious games can be a valid instructional method. Based on the findings, the potential of developing serious games as an instructional approach in higher education is discussed.

Climate anxiety is gaining increasing attention but how it is related to both impairment and climate change activism through the use of emotion-focused coping strategies is still poorly understood. We conducted two studies to help understand psychological predictors for climate anxiety-related impairment (Study 1) and gain insights into the roles of trait mindfulness and emotion regulation for different outcomes of climate-anxious affect (Study 2). For Study 1, N = 217 participants completed an online questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that gender (being female), first-hand experience of extreme weather events, and attachment to one's place of residence contributed to reporting higher levels of impairment. Higher income as well as higher trait mindfulness (acceptance) predicted reporting lower levels of impairment. A sample of N = 453 Germans answered a second set of questionnaires for Study 2, focusing on the role of different coping strategies and their potential moderating effects with regards to two seemingly juxtaposed outcomes: impairment and activism. Replicating Study 1, trait mindfulness (acceptance) negatively predicted impairment and even buffered the relationship between climate-anxious affect and impairment. Both integrating and distancing oneself from one's climate anxiety predicted impairment but without interaction effects. Only integrative emotion regulation and climate-anxious affect were predictors of climate activism, but again we found no interaction effects. These results indicate that trait mindfulness (acceptance) and integrative emotion-regulation may play important roles in coping with climate anxiety, with mindfulness possibly attenuating climate anxiety-related impairment and integrative emotion regulation fostering climate action.

This study reports the effectiveness of a theory-driven Internet based intervention aiming at reducing participants’ (N = 415) clothing purchases. An information-only intervention and a combination of information, goal setting, goal feedback, commitment, and self-regulatory strategies was applied in four different experimental conditions, including a passive control group. At a 1-month post-test, only participants in the combined intervention groups significantly reduced their clothing purchases compared to the control and information only group, on average by 58.59% for a condition with individual goal setting and by 46.82% for a condition with collective goal setting as compared to a 1-month pre-intervention period. At a 3-month follow up, consumers across all groups reduced their clothing purchases. We explore changes in mechanisms of action and their role for changes in clothing purchases. Specific goal setting, but not a general goal to reduce clothing consumption, and goal conflict were linked to changes in purchase behavior.

Education for sustainable development and environmental psychology call for more systematic evidence regarding the role of emotions in sustainability-related attitudes, competencies, and behaviour. At the same time, immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) technology is discussed as a promising research approach for achieving this goal. However, research on the emotional processes explaining the high impact of iVR on nature connectedness is still in its infancy. Therefore, we conducted a study to further investigate the role of emotions for nature connectedness induced by virtually embodying a representative of nature (a tree) in iVR. We tested N = 85 students who were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: a threatening scenario, including a threat in the form of a forest fire at the end of the experience (n = 42), or a non-threatening scenario without the forest fire (n = 43). Emotions (anger, anxiety, sadness, joy and compassion) felt during the experience were assessed retrospectively with an extended version of the PANAS. To capture physical arousal during the iVR experience, participants wore an electrodermal activity (EDA) measurement device during the entire iVR exposure. The tests for mediation effects showed that compassion rather than basic emotions (anger, anxiety, sadness, or joy) explains the development of nature connectedness. Regarding the moderation effects, we found that the impact of virtual body ownership on anger, anxiety, and compassion differed based on the scenario type. Interaction effects showed that the threatening scenario induced stronger negative emotions (anger, anxiety, sadness) and compassion. These results were corroborated by the physiological reaction data of the participants. Based on our findings, we stress that exploring a virtual threat to nature can be perceived as a threat to oneself and can induce strong emotional and physiological reactions. Moreover, our results indicate that compassion is a distinct emotion with distinct effects to other emotions such as anger, anxiety, sadness, or joy. Subsequently, we build a case for focusing on compassion as a crucial factor in building nature connectedness.

While previous research on understanding meat consumption has predominantly focused on personal factors, such as attitudes or sociodemographic characteristics, less attention has been given to the role of situational factors such as location and social setting. This study aimed to investigate such situational factors associated with meat consumption and whether they relate to meat consumption due to within-person associations (such as eating a meal with others or alone) or between-person associations (such as some individuals typically eat meals with others while other individuals typically eat alone). Finally, the role of sociodemographic characteristics for meat consumption was explored. A five-day diary study was conducted in which 230 participants recorded 2,461 meals and the corresponding situations. The results of multilevel logistic regressions indicate that meat consumption was more likely to occur when meals were eaten hungrily, together with others, and at noon or in the evening. The association of hunger and time with meat consumption was due to within-person associations, while the association of social setting with meat consumption was due to both within-person and between-person associations. No sociodemographic characteristics were associated with meat consumption. These findings have important implications for understanding meat consumption and designing effective interventions tailored to either persons or situations.

Extensive research highlights global and within-country inequality in personal carbon footprints. However, the extent to which people are aware of these inequalities remains unclear. Here we use an online survey distributed across four diverse countries: Denmark, India, Nigeria and the USA, to show widespread underestimation of carbon footprint inequality, irrespective of participants’ country and income segment. Of the 4,003 participants, within each country, 50% of participants were sampled from the top 10% income group. Our results show links between carbon footprint inequality perceptions and climate policy support, but with significant variations observed across the four countries and with participants’ income segments. Furthermore, there are links to the perceived fairness of actual carbon footprint inequality, highlighting the need to raise awareness about carbon footprint inequality and further unpack its implications for climate justice and policy.

One discussion in the context of education for sustainable development centres on the importance of cognitive as well as affective processes for promoting pro-environmental behaviour. In our study, we investigate how affordances of immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) such as the virtual embodiment of a tree might provide new opportunities to achieve this goal. The aim of our study was twofold: Firstly, we investigated whether multisensory enhancement of iVR has an additional, supporting effect on mechanisms that are vital to fostering nature connectedness and pro-environmental behaviour compared to non-enhanced iVR. Secondly, we examined the relationships between mediating variables to explain the underlying mechanisms of how nature connectedness and pro-environmental behaviour can be promoted through iVR. In our experimental design (N = 82), we tested the effects of multisensory enhancement of embodying nature in immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) compared to non-enhanced iVR on the processes considered vital to promoting pro-environmental behaviour: a) embodiment, b) perspective-taking, c) reflection on the relationship between oneself and nature, and d) connectedness to nature. According to self-reported measures, participants developed a feeling of embodiment and were able to change their perspective by stepping into the tree's point of view. Users also succeeded in situating the tree's experience into the greater context, often reflecting on the role of humankind towards nature. However, we found that multisensory iVR does not lead to an additional increase in nature connectedness, but is associated with a higher level of taking action and slightly more reflective processes. We propose a preliminary path-model that summarises the observed findings. Our results contribute to the small but growing body of research that evidences the effects of taking the perspective of non-sentient beings through iVR on nature connectedness and pro-environmental behaviour.

Affordances of immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) technology for learning (e.g., presence, immersion, interaction with 3D objects) and challenges of embedding this technology in teaching concepts are widely discussed. However, information on how German vocational teachers in the technical domain perceive iVR technology and if they intend to embed iVR in a classroom setting is still limited. Thus, the aim of the current study is to bring some insight into how these teachers perceive the value of iVR and to what extent their beliefs can be used as predictors for future intention to use. We conducted a study (n = 55) based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) containing items regarding performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions as determining factors as well as prior experience as a moderator for the intention to use. The main result we observed was that only performance expectancy significantly predicted the intention to use iVR in the classroom (β = 0.445, p = .001). In contrast to UTAUT, we also observed that prior experiences with VR headsets did not have an effect as a moderator variable, but it did have a direct effect on three of the determining factors of intention to use. Based on our results, we discuss implications for future embedding of immersive VR technology in classroom learning settings.

This paper investigates the changes in time use, working conditions and subjective time wealth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Our analysis draws on panel data collected before and during the first lockdown among 786 employees. It employs a recently developed scale on time wealth which has been suggested as a comprehensive measure to capture the subjective experience of time. We provide separate analyses according to gender and essential occupation. First-difference regressions are applied to examine how changes in time use and changes in working conditions during the lockdown affected subjective time wealth. Our results show a general growth in time wealth during the lock-down which is, among other factors, driven by a decline in work hours and an increase in sleep duration. We also find positive effects on time wealth from decreased time pressure at work, more autonomy in organising one's working day, and an improved reconciliation of work and private life. This study contributes to existing research by identifying key aspects how to improve time wealth among employees.