This study examined mathematics anxiety among elementary teacher candidates, and to what extent it interacted with the modality principle under various degrees of learner-control. The experiment involved a sample of 186 elementary teacher candidates learning from eight versions of a computer program on division with fractions. The eight versions varied in modality of presentation (diagrams with narration, or diagrams with written text), control of pacing (pacing was controlled by either the learner or the system), and control of sequence (sequence was controlled by either the learner or the system). A pre-test, post-test, demographic questionnaire, subjective measure of mental effort, and the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Survey were also administered. This study revealed that mathematics anxiety was significantly positively correlated with mental effort, and significantly negatively correlated with engagement, pre-test and post-test scores. Additionally, a modality x pacing interaction was observed for both high prior knowledge and low mathematics-anxious students. Under system-pacing, the modality effect was observed, and these students achieved higher far transfer scores when learning from the diagrams and narration modality condition. However, under learner-pacing, the modality effect reversed, and high prior knowledge and low mathematics-anxious students performed better on far transfer scores when learning from the diagrams and written text modality condition. Low prior knowledge, and highly mathematics-anxious students performed poorly in all treatment conditions. Additional interactions involving sequence-control, and a four-way interaction involving prior knowledge, modality, sequence-control, and pacing were also uncovered. The results from this study demonstrate that prior knowledge and mathematics anxiety have a complex relationship with the effectiveness of the format of instruction, and the design of instructional materials needs to take into account these individual differences. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-25 19:38:33.9

Successful learning about physical systems is thought to depend on the development of a mental representation of the system's dynamic behavior, which constitutes a mental model, rather than only its static structure (e.g., Schnotz, 2005). Because dynamic mental models must be generated by learners from static diagrams, learning might be promoted by encouraging learners to visualize motion in static diagrams. However, mental models represent dynamic spatial information that might be difficult to construct for learners with lower spatial ability; they might benefit from instructional designs that support spatial reasoning, such as phase diagrams and depictive arrows. In Experiment 1, participants learned about air pumps, carburetors, and toilet tanks from single phase diagrams, multiphase diagrams, or multiphase diagrams followed by a prediction activity in which they predicted system behavior in novel situations. This prediction activity was expected to implicitly prompt mental visualization of motion. Learning in the latter condition (i.e., with the prediction activity) was significantly better than learning in the single phase condition. In the prediction condition, the enhancing effect of spatial ability on learning outcome was partially mediated by performance in the prediction activity. The mediation suggested that high spatial ability helped participants to accurately visualize the systems as they made predictions, which contributed to better performance on the learning assessment. Experiment 1 assessed visualizations during the prediction activity, whereas Experiment 2 assessed visualizations during the lessons. In two conditions in Experiment 2, participants were explicitly prompted to visualize motion in the system while viewing the lessons. Because learners with lower spatial ability were expected to have difficulty visualizing motion, arrows depicting motion were added in one condition. A baseline condition excluded the arrows and the prompt to visualize motion. In all three conditions, participants viewed multiphase diagrams followed by the prediction activity. Learning outcomes among the three conditions did not differ significantly: Depictive arrows and prompts to visualize motion were not significantly effective. Also, spatial ability did not interact with instructional condition. However, both spatial ability and subjective ratings of attempts to visualize motion were predictive of learning outcome. Overall, results from the two experiments indicated that participants with higher spatial ability were better able than participants with lower spatial ability to generate dynamic mental models from static instructions, particularly when they were implicitly prompted to reason about the system as they made predictions. Learners with lower spatial ability might need other forms of assistance for mental model generation, such as animated instructions.

Multimedia learning is today a part of everyday life. Learning from digital sources on the internet is probably more common than printed material. The goal of this project is to determine if measuring user interaction in a interactive manual can be of use to evaluate the effectiveness of the manual. Since feedback of multimedia learning materials is costly to achieve in face-to-face interaction, automatic feedback data might be useful for evaluating and improving the quality of multimedia learning materials. In this project an interactive manual was developed for a real-world report generating application. The manual was then tested on 21 test users. Using the k-nearest neighbour machine learning algorithm the results shows that time taken on each step and the number of views on each step did not provide for good evaluation of the manual. Number of faults done by the user was good at predicting if the user would abort the manual and in combination with the number of acceptable interactions the usability data did provide for a better classification then ZeroR classification. The conclusions can be questioned by the small dataset used in this project.

abstract: The current study investigated how multimedia pacing (learner-control versus system-paced) and presentation styles (visual-only versus audio/visual) impact learning physics concept material, mental effort, and self-efficacy. This 2X2 factorial study randomly assigned participants into one of four conditions that manipulated presentation style (visual-only versus audio/visual) and pacing of the content (system-paced versus learning-controlled). Participant's learning was measured by recording their retention of information and ability to transfer information. Measures of perceived difficulty (mental effort) and perceived ability (self-efficacy) were also obtained. No significant effects were observed in this study which doesn’t support the existence of either the modality or reverse modality effect at least in these noisier online learning environments. In addition, the hypothesis that their effects could be an artifact of experimental design could not be proven as the learner control condition did not yield any significant results. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Human Systems Engineering 2018

abstract: The current study investigated the task of coloring static images with multimedia learning to determine the impact on retention and transfer scores. After watching a multimedia video on the formation of lightning participants were assigned to either a passive, active, or constructive condition based on the ICAP Framework. Participants colored static images on key concepts from the video, passive condition observed the images, active condition colored the images by applying the concepts, and the constructive condition colored the images by generating new ideas and concepts. The study did not support the hypothesis that the constructive condition would have increased retention and transfer scores over the active and passive conditions. The mental effort measures did not show significance among groups in relation to learning but perception measures did show an increase in participants enjoyment and engagement. Since the coloring craze has become more accepted for adults then could coloring be a way to increase participants learning through engagement. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Human Systems Engineering 2018

abstract: The utilization of multimedia videos has increasingly become more popular, especially in the field of education. In order to facilitate learning it is important to create a natural interaction between the learner and the on-screen material. This study focused on improving the facilitation of the information within a multimedia learning video by focusing on the gender and quality of computer-synthesized voices. Using a randomized pretest - posttest design the study looked at how the gender of the narrator affected a person's ability to learn and implement a new task. Narration was performed by a male and female, classic and modern synthesized voices to determine if there were gender effects across both generations of voices. The participants’ learned knowledge was assessed through a multiple-choice assessment and a word to image matching transfer assessment. Results showed no significant results. Future studies should consider a more reliable knowledge assessment and utilize and larger sample size. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Human Systems Engineering 2019

Augmented reality, defined as a real-time direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment that has been enhanced by adding digital computer generated information to it, is rapidly developing in terms of associated hardware (wearable displays, wireless mobile devices) and software (development platforms). AR enhanced instruction has been shown to provide cognitive and psychomotor support during procedural learning and has been shown to use both words and pictures when delivering instructional content.  A set of message design guidelines, created using a design and development research approach, can be used by novice designers to effectively manage the use of words and pictures while developing instructional applications for AR. / Ph. D.

Multimedia learning may be more effective than text-only methods. Researchers have not examined the effects of metacognitive strategies on self-regulated learning (SR) within multimedia learning environments (MLE). The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine potential differences in learning and SR skills between students who use a script as a self-assessment tool and students who do not, while creating a conceptual map. The cognitive-affective theory of learning with media was used to frame the study. The sample included 87 secondary school students from a public school in Puerto Rico, enrolled in 11th and 12th grade English courses. Control and treatment groups completed a questionnaire to measure group difference in goal orientations at the beginning of the study. A t-test results indicated differences between the groups in disposition, and motivation variables. SR was measured before and after the implementation process through questionnaires. A 1-way ANOVA showed no differences in SR skills used by both groups. Results showed no differences in learning in both groups. A multiple regression was run to predict learning from group, disposition, and motivation variables. Results indicated the variable group as the most significant predicting the learning process. These results may encourage more research on SR strategies including a focus on different academic content, self-assessment instruments, and variables related to SR in MLE. These findings can contribute to positive social change in guiding teachers, students, and multimedia designers to develop MLE and SR processes to enhance student performance and obtain better academic results.

In multimedia learning environments, research suggests that simultaneous presentation of redundant text (i.e. identical narration and on-screen text) may inhibit learning when presented with animation at the same time. However, related studies are limited to testing with cause-and-effects content information (e.g., Moreno & Mayer, 1999, 2002). This study examined the effects of redundant text on learners' memory achievement and problem solving ability. The study replicated and extended prior research by using descriptive, rather than cause-and-effect content information. The primary research questions were (a) does redundant text improve learning performance if learners are presented with instructional material that addresses subject matter other than cause-and-effect relationship? and (b) does sequential presentation of animation followed by redundant text help learning? To answer the research questions, five hypotheses were tested with a sample of 224 Taiwanese students enrolled in a college level Management Information System (MIS) courses at a management college in southern Taiwan. Statistically significant differences were found in memory achievement and problem solving test scores between simultaneous and sequential groups; while no statistically significant differences were found in memory achievement and problem solving test scores between verbal redundant and non-redundant groups. These results were supported by interviewees expressing difficulty in connecting animation and verbal explanation in the two sequential presentation groups. The interview responses also helped to explain why insignificant results were obtained when redundant and non-redundant verbal explanations with animation were presented simultaneously. In general, the results support previous research on the contiguity principle, suggesting that sequential presentations may lead to lower learning performance when animation and verbal explanation are closely related. The separation of the two types of information may increase cognitive load. In addition, the study found that impairment of redundant text was also affected by various learning characteristics, such as the structure of the instructional content and learners previous learning experiences. Recommendations for future study include: (a) research on various situations such as characteristics of the content, characteristics of learners, and difficulty of the instructional material that influences the effects of redundant text, and (b) research on prior learning experience that influences the effects of simultaneous redundant text presentations.

If not designed in consideration to the workings of the human mind, multimedia learning environments can impose too high a demand on working memory. While such high cognitive load presents challenges for learners of all ages, older learners may be particularly affected as research on cognitive aging has shown the efficiency of working memory declines with age. Research has suggested that cognitive load theory (CLT) and the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) are likely to accommodate the cognitive needs of older learners; however, few of the principles emerging from these theories have been examined in the context of cognitive aging. The abundance of studies has focused on younger learners, prompting the need for further research of CLT and CTML principles with regard to age. This study contributes to the body of research on the cognitive aging principle by extending research on the modality effect with middle-aged learners. Ninety-two participants ranging in age from 30 to 59 were exposed to multimedia learning treatments presented as animation with concurrent narration and animation with concurrent text, followed by retention, concept, and transfer tests of multimedia learning. Demographic and descriptive statistics were performed along with a multivariate analysis of variance. The findings did not show a modality effect with middle-aged learners; however, results need to be interpreted with care as possible explanations may entail other causes for the lack of a modality effect other than age.