An in-depth Analysis of Multimedia Design Principles in Secondary Education Videos

Abstract

Previous research on the design of instructional video and the effect to support learners’ processing of such multimedia materials, mostly focus on the integration of design principles derived from the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (Mayer, 2014). Yet, these principles and empirical results are rarely followed in the design of available instructional video (Oh et al., 2020), or known by teachers or video creators. One explanation may lie in the fact that research is often based on material designed specifically for the study with data mostly collected in laboratory settings. Thus, teachers and designers may be under the impression that research findings cannot be transferred to authentic learning material, or that these groups are unaware of it. Furthermore, there is still little research on the use of instructional video in classroom, such as the active role of teachers’ during screening (Wakefield et al., 2018), or the adequation between teachers’ intent and student’s perception of the content displayed in video format (Xiu et al., 2019). In the first contribution the design of instructional video used by secondary school teachers of history and biology is analyzed through the scope of the multimedia principles, in an attempt to extend the results from previous research with MOOC video. Building on the authentic use of videos as instructional materials, the second contribution reports on the larger context of video screening in class, stressing the importance of the interactional competences of teachers involved. In the third contribution, the question of the adequation between teachers’ purpose and learners’ perception of instructional videos in the university context was investigated. Finally, building on the theoretical assumptions in multimedia learning research, the case study from the fourth contribution investigated supporting teachers in the edition and creation of instructional video.