An eye tracking study: positive emotional interface design facilitates learning outcomes in multimedia learning?

Xian Peng,Yuqing Ge,Yufan Chen,Na Li,Chenying Zhou,Qinmei Xu

doi:10.1186/s41239-021-00274-x

Abstract

Unlike the other studies on emotional design in multimedia learning, the present study differentiated the two confounding variables of visual interface design and structured content to manipulate the instructional material. Specifically, we investigated how the visual aesthetics of positive emotional interface design influenced learners’ cognitive processes, emotional valences, learning outcomes, and subjective experience. Eighty-one college students took part in the experimental study. They were divided into the three experimental groups: a holistic layout of positive emotional design group (HPED), a local layout of positive emotional design group (LPED), and a neutral emotional design group (ND). By using a mixed approach of questionnaires and eye tracking, we further explored the differences among the three groups in cognitive processing, learning outcomes, and subjective experience. Results indicated that the LPED group invested higher cognitive effort, put more attentional focus in the relevant knowledge content module, and achieved better learning performance (i.e., retention and transfer tests) in contrast to the HPED group and the ND group. However, no significant difference in dynamic changes of emotional state among the three groups was detected. The analytical results can provide researchers and practitioners with valuable insights into the positive emotional design of multimedia learning, which allows for the facilitation of mental engagement, learning outcomes and subjective perception.

Highlights

Multimedia learning has become a mainstream means of formal and informal settings, such as, institutions of higher education, full-time organizations, and enterprises (Li et al, 2020)
By means of the new positive interface design version of multimedia learning, our study aims to examine the effect of induced positive emotions with two kinds of emotional characteristics during learning on learners’ cognitive processes, emotional states, learning outcomes, and subjective perception
The results indicated that an induced negative emotional state had a facilitating effect on learning outcomes, whereas a suppressing effect of an induced positive emotional state on learning processes was observed

Summary

Introduction

Multimedia learning has become a mainstream means of formal and informal settings, such as, institutions of higher education, full-time organizations, and enterprises (Li et al, 2020). The design of multimedia instruction and the adjustment of learning materials bring richer resources and presentation forms to teaching and learning, which will directly affect learners’ cognitive processes and academic performance (Mayer, 2019; Mutlu-Bayraktar et al, 2019). Compared with external emotional induction (i.e., external induction of stimuli through some procedures such as watching funny or annoying videos before a learning task) (Isen et al, 1987; Liew & Tan, 2016), internal emotional design (i.e., internal induction of emotions through the design of materials during the process of multimedia learning) is more stable to evoke learners’ emotions and easier to be administrated in the actual teaching practices (Mayer & Estrella, 2014; Park et al, 2015a; Stark et al, 2018). The question how to apply the internal emotional principles in designing the optimized multimedia learning materials is still not well answered

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion