Predicting Interest While Reading With Wii Fit Balance Boards

• In Event: Harnessing Technology to Aid Assessment

Abstract

Interest is a difficult construct to measure; therefore, it is advantageous to use both direct and indirect measures of interest. Gross body movements have been found to be useful as an indirect measure of interest, but the apparatus typically used is prohibitively expensive for many researchers. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of interest on body posture using a novel and cost-effective apparatus: Wii Fit™ balance boards. Forty-two undergraduate students read two science articles while their body movements were recorded using two Wii Fit™ balance boards. Results converge with previous findings in that leaning back and changes in body posture increased as interest decreased. The effect sizes, small to medium, were comparable to those previously found.

Authors

• Virginia E. Clinton, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Sidney K. D'Mello, The University of Memphis

• Paul van den Broek, Leiden University