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Is contextual animation needed in multimedia learning games for children? An eye tracker study
Author(s) -
Javora Ondřej,
Hannemann Tereza,
Volná Kristina,
Děchtěrenko Filip,
Tetourová Tereza,
Stárková Tereza,
Brom Cyril
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of computer assisted learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.583
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2729
pISSN - 0266-4909
DOI - 10.1111/jcal.12489
Subject(s) - animation , attractiveness , fixation (population genetics) , multimedia , psychology , cognition , eye tracking , computer science , cognitive psychology , artificial intelligence , computer graphics (images) , population , demography , neuroscience , sociology , psychoanalysis
The present study investigates affective‐motivational, attention, and learning effects of unexplored emotional design manipulation: Contextual animation (animation of contextual elements) in multimedia learning game (MLGs) for children. Participants ( N = 134; M age = 9.25; Grades 3 and 4) learned either from an experimental version of the MLG with a high amount of contextual animation or from an identical MLG with no contextual animation (control). Children strongly preferred ( χ 2 = 87.04, p < .001) and found the experimental version more attractive ( p < .001, d = −1.11). No significant differences in overall enjoyment and learning outcomes were found. Attention differences, measured by dwell times and fixation durations, were small and reached only borderline significance ( p = .035; d = −0.39). The implication is that contextual animation in MLG for children increases such instructional materials' attractiveness without compromising cognitive processes needed for learning; however, it does not lead to their higher instructional efficiency.