This diploma thesis focuses on the use of documentary films in English lessons with secondary school students. It consists of theoretical and practical part; this being further divided into didactic and research part. The theoretical part covers four main areas: aims of current education and language teaching, multimedia in teaching, authentic materials in English lessons, and documentary films as a didactic tool. By an eclectic combination of the most suitable findings, approaches and methods from these areas, three complex educational materials based on documentaries were constructed for English lessons. These materials contain worksheets for students, instructions for teachers, presentations for online teaching, and a set of additional sheets and present a ready-to-use tool for English classes. In the practical part, design of the materials is described, along with their subsequent evaluation by experienced English teachers. Based on the materials design and evaluation, the overall aim of this thesis is to find out whether documentary films and lessons based on them are effective for English language teaching (where the main criterion is whether they lead to fulfilling the aims of language teaching and current educational aims in general) and what their main benefits are. The data collected are...

Diese Arbeit untersuchte den Einfluss von Emotionen auf das Lernen und wie Studierende motiviert werden, mithilfe sozialer Merkmale Mathematik zu lernen. Hierzu wurden ein Experiment zur Höflichkeit und zwei Experimente zu dekorativen Bildern durchgeführt. Im ersten Experiment (N = 277) wurden die Teilnehmer einer von vier Gruppen (Faktoren Instruktion und Feedback) mit Manipulation der Höflichkeit (höflich vs. direkt) zugeordnet. Die Studierenden mussten im Rahmen eines Online-Maschinenbaukurses Themen aus der höheren Mathematik lernen. Es mussten vier Kapitel abgeschlossen und vier Posttests durchgeführt werden, um das erlernte Wissen zu kontrollieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Höflichkeit im Feedback die Studierende motivierte, länger zu üben und zu höheren Lernergebnissen führte. Höflichkeit in den Instruktionen hatte jedoch keinen Einfluss auf das Lernen. Es wurde angenommen, dass Höflichkeit in Instruktionen nicht so einflussreich ist wie Höflichkeit im Feedback und daher hatten die Änderungen in Instruktionen keinen Einfluss auf das Lernen. Anschließend wurden dekorative Bilder verwendet, um den Einfluss weiterer sozialer Prozesse auf das Lernen zu untersuchen. Die Bilder enthielten keine Lerninformationen, waren jedoch kontextbezogen und sollten die Emotionen der Teilnehmer beeinflussen, um ihr Lernen zu verbessern. Insgesamt wurden zwei Experimente mit dekorativen Bildern und identischen Faktoren durchgeführt. Die Experimente untersuchten die Einflüsse von Mastery- und Coping-Modellen mithilfe von positiven und negativen dekorativen Bildern. Dabei wurden die Faktoren Bild im ersten Abschnitt (positiv vs. negativ) und Bild im zweiten Abschnitt (positiv vs. negativ) verwendet. Im ersten Experiment (N = 100) mussten die Studierende über nichtparametrische Tests lernen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das erste positive dekorative Bild die Lernergebnisse im ersten Abschnitt verbesserte, während das zweite positive dekorative Bild die intrinsische und extrinsische kognitive Belastung verringerte. Die Ergebnisse unterstützen teilweise das Mastery-Modell. Dekorative Bilder hatten jedoch keinen Einfluss auf die Lernergebnisse im zweiten Abschnitt einschließlich Behalten, Transfer, lernrelevanter kognitiver Belastung und Emotionen. Höchstwahrscheinlich war die emotionale Induktion durch dekorative Bilder zu schwach. Um den Einfluss dekorativer Bilder auf das Lernen zu erhöhen, wurde ein neues Experiment (N = 92) mit einer wiederholten Präsentation der Bilder (jedes Bild wurde viermal gezeigt) vorbereitet. Darüber hinaus wurden im Gegensatz zum vorherigen Experiment die Bilder mit den Lernmaterialien (logarithmische Aufgaben) kombiniert. Unerwartet hatten dekorative Bilder im Experiment keinen Einfluss. Möglicherweise wurden die Bilder übersehen. Insgesamt hatten die sozialen Hinweiszeichen beim Lernen im Mathematik-Online-Kurs einen gewissen Einfluss auf die Teilnehmer. Emotionen sollten jedoch bei allen Experimenten eine Rolle spielen. Im ersten Experiment waren die Teilnehmer motiviert, durch höfliches Feedback zu lernen, aber die Höflichkeit in den Instruktionen war nicht wichtig. Im zweiten Experiment beeinflusste die Valenz der Bilder das Lernen, da das erste positive Bild die Lernergebnisse teilweise verbesserte und die kognitive Belastung verringerte. Die Positionen der Bilder sollten jedoch berücksichtigt werden. Im dritten Experiment führte die Kombination der Bilder und Lernmaterialien auf denselben Seiten dazu, dass die Teilnehmer die Bilder ignorierten.:Danksagung 4 Zusammenfassung 5 Abstract 7 Introduction and Theories 9 Introduction and Overview 9 Cognitive Load Theory 10 Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning 11 Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Multimedia 12 Cognitive-Affective-Social Theory of Learning with Media 13 Design Effects 14 Introduction and Overview 14 An Overview on Politeness Research 15 Decorative Pictures and Learning with Multimedia 17 Methods 20 Participants and Design 20 Learning Materials 21 Measures 22 Results and Discussion 23 Summary of Results and Conclusion 23 Implications 25 Limitations and Future Directions 25 References 27 Appendix: Publications 34 Boundary Conditions of the Politeness Effect in Online Mathematical Learning 35 The Influence of Affective Decorative Pictures on Learning Statistics Online 45 Does the Position and Emotional Valence of Decorative Pictures (in Multimedia Learn-ing) Influence Learning Performance? 58 Lebenslauf 94 Selbständigkeitserklärung 99 / This work investigated the influence of emotions on learning and how to motivate students to learn mathematics with the help of social features. For this, one experiment concerning politeness and two experiments about decorative pictures were carried out. In the first experiment (N = 277), participants were assigned to one of four groups (instructions and feedback factors) with manipulation of politeness (polite vs. direct). The students had to learn topics from higher mathematics as part of an online mechanical engineering course. There were four chapters to complete and four posttests to control the knowledge learned. The results show that politeness in feedback motivated students to work longer and led to higher learning outcomes. However, politeness in instructions did not influence learning. It was assumed that politeness in instruction is not as powerful as politeness in feedback, and therefore, the changes in instruction did not influence learning. Next, decorative pictures were used to investigate the influence of further social processes on learning. The pictures contained no learning information but were context-related and should have influenced the participants’ emotions to enhance their learning. In sum, two experiments with decorative pictures and identical factors were conducted. The experiments investigated the influences of mastery and coping models with the help of positive and negative decorative pictures. The factors picture in the first section (positive vs. negative) and picture in the second section (positive vs. negative) were used. In the first experiment (N = 100), the students had to learn about nonparametric tests. The results show that the first positive decorative picture improved the learning outcomes in the first section, whereas the second positive decorative picture decreased the intrinsic and extraneous cognitive load. The results partially support the mastery model. However, decorative pictures had no influence on the learning outcomes in the second section, including retention, transfer, germane cognitive load, and emotions. Most likely, the emotional induction by decorative pictures was too weak. To increase the influence of decorative pictures on learning, a new experiment (N = 92) with a repeated presentation of the pictures (each picture was shown four times) was prepared. Furthermore, in contrast to the previous experiment, the pictures were combined with the learning materials (logarithmic tasks). Unexpectedly, decorative pictures in the experiment had no influence. Possibly, the pictures were overlooked. In summary, the social features of learning mathematics through an online course had some influence on the participants. Emotions, however, should play a role in all experiments. In the first experiment, the participants were motivated to learn through polite feedback, but politeness was not important during the instructions. In the second experiment, the valence of the pictures influenced the participants’ learning, as the first positive picture partially enhanced the learning outcomes and decreased the cognitive load. However, the positions of the pictures should be considered. In the third experiment, the combination of the pictures and learning materials on the same pages led to the participants ignoring the pictures.:Danksagung 4 Zusammenfassung 5 Abstract 7 Introduction and Theories 9 Introduction and Overview 9 Cognitive Load Theory 10 Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning 11 Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Multimedia 12 Cognitive-Affective-Social Theory of Learning with Media 13 Design Effects 14 Introduction and Overview 14 An Overview on Politeness Research 15 Decorative Pictures and Learning with Multimedia 17 Methods 20 Participants and Design 20 Learning Materials 21 Measures 22 Results and Discussion 23 Summary of Results and Conclusion 23 Implications 25 Limitations and Future Directions 25 References 27 Appendix: Publications 34 Boundary Conditions of the Politeness Effect in Online Mathematical Learning 35 The Influence of Affective Decorative Pictures on Learning Statistics Online 45 Does the Position and Emotional Valence of Decorative Pictures (in Multimedia Learn-ing) Influence Learning Performance? 58 Lebenslauf 94 Selbständigkeitserklärung 99

The purpose of the research was to investigate the effectiveness of using multimedia as a means of teaching physical science to learners. The underlying theoretical assumption was that a multimedia presentation would help to reduce the cognitive load experienced by learners when they learn physical science content, compared to a traditional mode of presentation, and that this reduction may have a positive effect on the ease with which they master the content. Physical science learners in Grade 11 viewed a presentation consisting of multimedia screens and screens depicting the learning content in a traditional layout – in order to compare the level of knowledge gained as well as the cognitive load experienced for the multimedia and traditional instructions. Pre- and post-test questionnaires were used to determine the knowledge gained, while cognitive load was measured using a dual-task methodology. A multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyse the data. The results did not reveal a statistically significant increase in knowledge gained via the multimedia approach when compared to the traditional mode of instruction, but when focussing the analysis on learners with a lower-knowledge base in physical science though, statistically significant results were found. However, no significant results were found to support the hypothesis that multimedia would help to reduce learners’ cognitive load. It was concluded that the multimedia design principles are more effective in increasing knowledge for physical science learners of low-knowledge than traditional instructional designs. / M. Sc. (Psychology)

This qualitative study examines an asynchronous online course from a private university utilizing a template model for all online courses to provide students with consistent navigation and course structure throughout their degree program. The asynchronous online courses are purposely created using three criteria of quality course design: navigation is intuitive, information is chunked, and instructions are written clearly. A two-part usability test was conducted with three internal and three external participants. The two-part usability test focused on course navigation and examined the signaling, segmenting, and coherence principles applied to course content page layouts. Transcripts from the usability tests and observational field notes were coded through an iterative process in Nvivo. Through emic and etic coding, seven main categories were identified: user experience, cognitive load, multimedia learning principles, page design and layout attributes, course navigational attributes, course attributes and information, and participant navigational behavior. The findings for first-day navigation, general navigational behaviors, and perceptions of design elements used to implement the signaling, segmenting, and coherence principle are discussed. Course design recommendations for creating a positive usability experience and suggestions for future research are provided.

This study aimed to understand the relationship between mobile device screen display size (laptops and smartphones) and text segmentation (continuous text, medium text segments, and small text segments) on learning outcomes, cognitive load, and user perception. This quantitative study occurred during the spring semester of 2015. Seven hundred and seventy-one chemistry students from a higher education university completed one of nine treatments in this 3x3 research design. Data collection took place over four class periods. The study revealed that learning outcomes were not affected by the mobile screen display size or orientation, nor was working memory. However, user perception was affected by the screen display size of the device, and results indicated that participants in the sample felt laptop screens were more acceptable for accessing the digital chemistry text than smartphone screens by a small margin. The study also found that neither learning outcomes, nor working memory was affected by the text segmentation viewed. Though user perception was generally not affected by text segmentation, the study found that for perceived ease of use, participants felt medium text segments were easier to learn from than either continuous or small test segments by a small margin. No interaction affects were found between mobile devices and text segmentation. These findings challenge the findings of some earlier studies that laptops may be better for learning than smartphones because of screen size, landscape orientation is better for learning than portrait orientation in small screen mobile devices, and meaningful text segments may be better for learning than non-meaningful, non-segmented, or overly segmented text. The results of this study suggest that customizing the design to the smartphone screen (as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach) improves learning from smartphones, making them equal to learning from laptops in terms of learning outcomes and cognitive load, and in some cases, user perspective. / text

Multimedia is a form of communication and sharing knowledge using synergic effect of parallel connected communication channels. Its main use is in producing communications products and services and in design of user interfaces. Main objective of this dissertation is to develop and create a model of multimedia communication for better understanding of the meaning and the purpose of using multimedia forms in communication process. The model will describe a system of elements and parameters of multimedia communication within the internal and external context. Another objective of this dissertation is to develop multimedia communication methodology that will be used for the design, development and evaluations of concepts of multimedia communication. The methodology will be created by applying the model of multimedia communication into the procedure structure. In theoretical way this dissertation is based on analysis of different definitions and approaches to the multimedia communications topic. This is followed by an analysis of communication theories, concepts of media, multimedia, delivery channels, and communication functions. The theoretical part is followed by the outcomes of the research in practice of four different fields of multimedia use. The knowledge gained is analyzed in the following parts in purpose of creating the model of multimedia communication and the methodology which is derived from the model. The methodology is further validated through case studies and the recommendations for further development are formulated. The model and the methodology of multimedia communication created in this dissertation present complex view on multimedia communication topic that is considered as a useful tool for meeting a specific communication purpose. Dissertation provides mechanics for use and study of multimedia communication and also defines the opportunities for further development of the methodology.

Den här kvalitativa studien syftar till att undersöka hur bildstöd är utformat i tre skönlitterärt uppbyggda läroböcker på ingångsnivå riktade mot årskurs 1 i svenska för att stödja elevers läsinlärning. Studien tar avstamp i Richard E. Mayers (2014) teori om multimodal inlärning: Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. Teorin bygger på idén att människor lär bättre och djupare från text och bild än från enbart text. Läroböckerna analyseras utifrån Lundh och Limbergs (2012) kategorier när det gäller bildstöd: dekorativ, illustrativ, narrativ och förklarande. I läroböckerna analyseras även förhållandet mellan text och bild samt vilka tidigare kunskaper eleverna behöver för att förstå bildstödet. Resultatet visar att alla de tre läroböckerna använder sig av bildstöd i berättelsen. Det bildstöd som används mest i läroböckerna är narrativt, samtidigt som dekorativt bildstöd saknas helt. Förhållandet mellan bild och text ser genomgående olika ut i läroböckerna men visar sig ha stor betydelse speciellt för elevernas läsförståelse. Precis som med allt annat i vardagen behöver eleverna ha tidigare kunskaper för att kunna “läsa” och förstå bilderna i läroböckerna. Av studiens resultat kan slutsatsen dras att läroböckerna använder sig av bilder avsiktligen för att stödja läsningen, att bilderna ger bäst stöd om de berättar samma sak som texten gör samt att eleverna måste kunna ”läsa” och förstå bilderna för att få full läsförståelse.