Students’ basic psychological needs satisfaction at the interface level of a computer-supported collaborative learning tool

Abstract

Well-being has been considered an urgent vein of discussion in fields that intersect with Information and Communication Technologies. In this paper, we used a questionnaire adapted from the METUX (Motivation, Engagement, and Thriving in User Experience) model to explore how well a ComputerSupported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) tool's interface satisfy users' needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness; and to test the instrument's validity in a CSCL context. METUX provides scales grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) allowing researchers to foster insights into how technology designs support or undermine psychological needs, boosting user well-being. 53 bachelor students represented the tool's users based on convenience sampling. Our findings showed that users may not perceive the autonomy construct in the tools' interface, taking a neutral stance toward aspects of competence and relatedness as well. The results indicate the need for design interventions to improve the interface’s ease of use, and the components that facilitate interaction and feelings of being connected. Regarding the instrument, more work is needed to validate the use of METUX interface in CSCL, especially for the autonomy subscale. Also, more scales from METUX (e.g., adoption and task spheres of experience) are needed to be included in the future for a fuller validation.