The impact of gender on self-presence and enjoyment of children with intellectual disabilities towards full immersive virtual reality games

Authors

  • Δημήτρης Μαρινάκης University of Thessaly
  • Ευάγγελος Παπαδόπουλος Democritus University of Thrace
  • Ιωάννης Τσαμπαλάκης Democritus University of Thrace
  • Νικόλαος Βερναδάκης Democritus University of Thrace
  • Αγγελική Συροπούλου Democritus University of Thrace
  • Μαρία Γιαννούση Democritus University of Thrace

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of gender on self-presence and enjoyment of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) towards full immersive virtual reality games. Participants were thirty-three (n=33) students (16 boys and 17 girls), aged 9 to 10 years (M=9.58, SD=.502), who had been diagnosed with mild ID but had neither comorbidity nor mobility problems. Participants attended a 6-week motor skill program based on full immersive virtual environments (Playstation VR). As measuring instrument, a part of PMEAP questionnaire of Ho, Lwin, Sng & Yee (2017) was used, and specifically the factors: "self-presence" and "enjoyment of the game" as they were adapted for the Greek public by Syropoulou, Amprasi, Karageorgopoulou & Giannousi (2018). The content of the factors involves 10 self-report questions on a 5-point Likert scale, ranged from “strongly disagree” (1) to “strongly agree” (5). The gender differences were evaluated by independent samples t-tests. Independent-samples t-test analyses indicated no significant differences between the two gender groups (boys, girls) in any of the two factors of the PMEAP questionnaire. In conclusion the participants, regardless of their gender, had a positive self-presence with the virtual reality games, enjoying their engagement with them.

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Published

2023-04-09

How to Cite

Μαρινάκης Δ., Παπαδόπουλος Ε., Τσαμπαλάκης Ι., Βερναδάκης Ν., Συροπούλου Α., & Γιαννούση Μ. (2023). The impact of gender on self-presence and enjoyment of children with intellectual disabilities towards full immersive virtual reality games. Exercise and Society, 1. Retrieved from http://ojs.staff.duth.gr/ojs/index.php/ExSoc/article/view/469

Issue

Section

Education, Didactic and Sports Phsychology