Motivation and Emotions in a Health Literacy Game: Insights from Co-occurrence Network Analysis

This study investigates the emotional and motivational dynamics of game-based learning by analyzing the relationship between epistemic emotions, flow experience, and situational interest. The research aims to clarify how these constructs function as proxies for student engagement within a digital learning environment. By utilizing co-occurrence network analysis, the study moves beyond traditional correlational methods to identify specific patterns of emotional and motivational coupling during gameplay.

The research involved 68 students aged 15–18 from two Finnish schools who played the Antidote COVID-19 health literacy game for 25 minutes. Data were collected via post-session questionnaires measuring flow, situational interest, and seven epistemic emotions. Findings indicate that the game successfully engaged students, who reported significantly higher intensities of positive epistemic emotions—specifically excitement, surprise, and curiosity—compared to negative emotions like boredom, anxiety, or frustration.

A key finding is the asymmetrical relationship between situational interest and flow. While situational interest consistently co-occurred with flow, the reverse was not always true; students occasionally experienced flow without reporting high levels of situational interest. This suggests that while situational interest may act as a prerequisite or trigger for flow, it is not a sufficient condition for ensuring a high-flow state. Furthermore, both flow and situational interest were found to be strongly coupled with positive epistemic emotions. The study concludes that these constructs are highly interrelated and serve as effective indicators of engagement in educational gaming, providing a foundation for future research into how specific game mechanics influence emotional responses and learning outcomes.