Abstract
To address the challenge that educational videos are often received passively and can leadto boredom or cognitive overload, there is a growing emphasis on the interactive design
of these videos. However, the impact of various types of interactions on learning outcomes
remains unclear. This study is dedicated to the question of how a video without interactions,
a video with embedded quiz questions, and a video with cognitive prompts differ in terms
of learning success, motivation, and the cognitive load on learners.
To answer the research question, a web-based experiment was conducted where participants
were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: an educational video without interactions,
an educational video with embedded quiz questions, or an educational video with cognitive
prompts. An integrated online questionnaire served as a survey instrument. To measure
learning success, the results of a prior knowledge test before learning with the video were
compared with the results of a subsequent knowledge test. In addition, participants were
asked about their motivation and cognitive load during the learning process. After data
cleaning, the sample for the evaluation comprised 42 participants, primarily recruited from
universities in Upper Austria.
The results of the study showed no significant differences in terms of learning success,
intrinsic motivation and cognitive load among the test groups. However, descriptive data
suggested that cognitive prompts tended to positively influence learning success, whereas
quiz questions were associated with lower learning performance. The interactions did not
significantly affect intrinsic motivation. However, learners with quiz questions showed significantly lower confidence in success when learning with the video compared to the group
without interactions. Overall, the study’s findings suggest that cognitive prompts in videos
may enhance learning success by encouraging deeper engagement with the material. In contrast, embedded quiz questions might be less activating and potentially diminish learners’
confidence due to their resemblance to examination conditions. Additionally, the results imply that the design of learning videos according to principles of multimedia learning could have
a more substantial impact on learning success than the integration of interactive elements.
| Date of Award | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Original language | German (Austria) |
| Supervisor | Tanja Jadin (Supervisor) |