Effects of Exercise Habits and Gender on Sports e-Learning Behavior: Evidence from an Eye-Tracking Study

Xu-Fu Yuan,1 Yu-Qin Ji,2 Teng-Xiao Zhang,3 Hong-Bin Xiang,4 Zhuo-Yan Ye,5 Qiang Ye3 1School of Sports Training, Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Sport and Human Science, Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3School of...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yuan XF, Ji YQ, Zhang TX, Xiang HB, Ye ZY, Ye Q
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Dove Medical Press 2024-02-01
Series:Psychology Research and Behavior Management
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.dovepress.com/effects-of-exercise-habits-and-gender-on-sports-e-learning-behavior-ev-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-PRBM
Description
Summary:Xu-Fu Yuan,1 Yu-Qin Ji,2 Teng-Xiao Zhang,3 Hong-Bin Xiang,4 Zhuo-Yan Ye,5 Qiang Ye3 1School of Sports Training, Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Sport and Human Science, Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Physical Education and Humanities, Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK; 5Nanjing Foreign Language School Xianlin Campus, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qiang Ye, School of Physical Education and Humanities, Nanjing Sport Institute, No. 8 Linggusi Road, Xuanwu, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-19962033966, Fax +86-84755161, Email yeqiang@nsi.edu.cnBackground/Objective: In the post-epidemic era, an increasing number of individuals were accustomed to learning sports and physical activity knowledge online for fitness and health demands. However, most previous studies have examined the influence of e-learning materials and resources on learners and have neglected intrinsic factors such as experience and physiological characteristics. Therefore, we conducted a study to investigate the effect of exercise habits and gender on sports e-learning behavior via eye-tracking technology.Methods: We recruited a sample of 60 undergraduate students (mean age = 19.6) from a university in Nanjing, China. They were randomly assigned into 4 groups based on 2 genders × 2 exercise habits. Their gaze behavior was collected by an eye-tracking device during the experiment. The cognitive Load Test and Learning Effect Test were conducted at the end of the individual experiment.Results: (1) Compared to the non-exercise habit group, the exercise habit group had a higher fixation count (P< 0.05), a shorter average fixation duration (P< 0.05), a smaller average pupil diameter (P< 0.05), and a lower subjective cognitive load (P< 0.05) and better learning outcome (P< 0.05). (2) Male participants showed a greater tendency to process information from the video area of interest (AOIs), and had lower subjective cognitive load (P < 0.05) and better learning outcomes (P < 0.05). (3) There was no interaction effect between exercise habits and gender for any of the indicators (P > 0.05).Conclusion: Our results indicate that exercise habits effectively enhance sports e-learning outcomes and reduce cognitive load. The exercise habits group showed significant improvements in fixation counts, average fixation duration, and average pupil diameter. Furthermore, male subjects exhibited superior learning outcomes, experienced lower cognitive load, and demonstrated greater attentiveness to dynamic visual information. These conclusions are expected to improve sports e-learning success and address educational inequality.Keywords: e-learning, exercise habit, eye-tracking, gaze behavior, gender
ISSN:1179-1578