Conference Agenda

Theoretical Background

With the growing presence of digital devices for young learners, knowledge has become more accessible. While AI tools are increasingly used to find information or rephrase complex concepts, instructional videos remain popular. This may be because videos are well-suited for explaining processes and offer a sense of social presence, which can feel stronger when listening to someone than interacting with text-based AI.

However, not all instructional videos are designed to optimize learning. The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML, Mayer, 2021) proposes principles to enhance learning, supported by empirical research. According to CTML, effective videos should: reduce extraneous processing (e.g., coherence, signaling), manage essential processing (e.g., segmenting, modality), and foster generative processing (e.g., personalization, generative activity). Yet, few studies examine how well available videos align with these principles. For instance, La Torre and Désiron (2024) found that secondary II teachers showed videos addressing at least one principle category, but all three were present in only about 30% of cases. Similarly, Ring and Brahm (2024) developed a coding scheme assessing both content quality (clarity, relevance, examples) and technical features (audio and image quality).

Research Question

Building on this line of research, the present study investigates whether students watch instructional videos that combine strong extrinsic quality (CTML design and technical features) with intrinsic quality (content). Our research questions were: (1) What are secondary I students’ viewing behaviors? (2) To what extent do the videos they watch align with CTML principles? (3) How does the content quality compare from an expert perspective?

Design and Methods

We collected data from 69 secondary I students from a Swiss school (Mage = 14.2, SD = 1.22) to complete a questionnaire that included demographics, frequence of watching instructional videos, rationale for watching, and an upload option for up to three videos.

The videos were coded using two technical features criteria, the 13-criteria scheme developed by La Torre and Désiron (2024) and for extrinsic quality, and a 7-criteria scheme developed by the first author and a topic expert to assess to intrinsic quality.

Results and Significance

Half of the participants reported watching videos to learn mathematics never (n = 19) or less than once per month (n = 32). Students selected videos mainly based on the author, vignette, and teacher recommendations. Their primary reasons for viewing were to review before a test and to understand concepts taught in class. Pausing behaviors were mostly for rewinding to improve comprehension and taking notes.

A total of 28 videos were shared by 34 students, with a mean length of 6.35 minutes (SD = 6.28). Coding revealed that extrinsic quality was generally good, with eight exceptions for the coherence principle and only four videos following the segmentation principle. Most videos had strong intrinsic quality, and only two were misaligned with the school program.

These findings suggest that while students value instructional videos for review and clarification, their selection criteria (author, vignette, teacher recommendation) do not guarantee alignment with evidence-based design principles. Although intrinsic quality was generally strong, gaps in segmentation and coherence—key CTML principles for managing cognitive load—highlight a disconnect between video availability and optimal instructional design. This misalignment may limit learning efficiency even when content is relevant. Future research should explore strategies to guide students toward videos that integrate both high content quality and CTML-informed design, and interventions to raise awareness of effective multimedia principles.

Educators should consider guiding students toward videos that integrate both high content quality and CTML-informed design. Training teachers and learners to recognize effective multimedia principles could enhance the educational value of instructional videos.

Theoretical Background

Instructional videos have become routine learning materials in secondary schools, where learners often watch videos under realistic constraints such as variable self-regulation skills and for different purposes such as new learning opportunity or remedial learning after a lesson. In many learning settings, learners can pause videos, yet a substantial portion of multimedia learning research still evaluates transient video learning under conditions that restrict learner control or rely on pre-segmented materials. Cognitive theory of multimedia learning emphasizes learner pacing, including the segmenting principle, as a mechanism for reducing cognitive overload that also allows for elaboration within those pauses (Mayer & Pilegard, 2014). A pause button can provide learner-controlled segmenting, but learners often do not pause or do not use pauses productively. Two explanations appear plausible. First, learners may show strategy deficits in pausing, including a knowledge deficit (limited understanding of why pausing helps), a utilization deficit (pausing without productive processing), or a production deficit (failing to pause at moments when pausing would help). Second, learners may show motivational deficits, such as low situational interest, which can reduce the frequency of pausing or the willingness to invest effort in elaboration (Hidi & Renninger, 2006). Emotional design, which uses engaging audiovisual features and value-evoking narratives, can foster situational interest and may therefore support sustained engagement with video learning in school contexts (Endres et al., 2020).

Research Question

In the current study we aim to answer the question, whether infrequent or ineffective pausing during video learning in secondary school video learning does primarily reflect deficits in effective pausing strategies, low motivation (e.g. situational interest), or the need for both motivational and strategic support to improve learning outcomes?

Design and Methods

The study used a 2×2×2 mixed experimental design with secondary school students in Grades 9 through 12 (N = 154). Video design (neutral vs. emotional design) and training (unguided pausing vs. training in effective pausing) served as between-subjects factors, and learning phase (beginning vs. end section of the instructional video) served as a within-subjects factor.

Training targeted knowledge and utilization deficits through an informed-training video that explained why pausing supports learning and when and how learners should pause to elaborate. Training targeted production deficits through pause-contingent prompts. In the unguided pausing condition, participants watched a control video.

Participants learned with a 16-minute instructional video in a classroom setting using laptops and headphones. Learners could pause at any time. The neutral video condition followed a minimalist design with a formal narration tone. The emotional design video condition used warm colors, a conversational tone, background music, and a parallel set of examples embedded in a value-evoking narrative frame.

The study measured factual knowledge and comprehension after the video. We used open-ended questions for the beginning and the end of the learning video, recorded log files for pausing behavior, coded learning-relevant strategy use during pauses, and assessed triggered and maintained situational interest.

Results and Significance

Emotional design improved factual knowledge and comprehension across learning phases. A sequential mediation model indicated that emotional design supported learning primarily through situational interest development from triggered to maintained situational interest. The highest comprehension scores occurred when emotional design and training co-occurred. Process analyses clarified the mechanism under these school-realistic conditions. The combined condition of training and motivational videos produced the highest proportion of effective pauses, defined as pauses that included at least one coded learning-relevant strategy. Mediation analysis indicated that effective pause use, not the number of pauses, explained the combined condition’s comprehension advantage. These findings show that learners need support on the motivational as well as on the strategy level to learn best from instructional videos.

Theoretical Background

There happens a lot in a classroom simultaneously, the teacher might explain the next learning task while other students whisper to each other, and friends walk by the window. Such situations place high demands on learners’ attention. Students differ in how well they can sustain attention on the important instructions and learning tasks. Some of them might not be able to keep up as they have difficulties to sustain the attention to tasks that are not rewarding and require mental effort (e.g. Attention deficit disorder, ICD 11). For students with such attentional difficulties, learning performance often falls short of expectations given their intelligence, which may impede their school-career (Krauss & Mackowiak, 2023). The silver lining, students with attentional difficulties, can develop strong attention for rewarding tasks (e.g. Ashinoff & Abu-Akel, 2021). Tasks that support students to develop situational interest are perceived as intrinsically rewarding (Renninger & Hidi, 2022), and would therefore promote greater social educational justice, starting directly in the classroom and already with the first encounter with a topic. Designing such tasks is possible with emotional design features like harmonic colours and narrative frames which are able to trigger situational interest and maintain it even throughout longer learning phases (Endres et al., 2025). Maintained situational interest comes with sustained attention and learners who developed maintained situational interest are more likely to invest effort in the learning task (Renninger & Hidi, 2022). When more mental effort is invested in the learning task, the learning performance increases. This described process seems to be particularly beneficial for learners with attentional difficulties because it supports them in their need to sustain attention and invest the required mental effort via situational interest.

Research Question

With this study we aim to investigate whether an instructional video with emotional design could serve as a compensative instructional tool for better learning especially when students have the disadvantage of attentional difficulties.

Design and Methods

The study employs a 2 × 4 design, including the between‑subjects factor video design and the within‑subjects factor learning phase. Attentional difficulties are measured as a moderator using a clinical screening questionnaire completed by the adolescent participants and their parents. For the factor video design, the students are provided with a 16 min video on sleep in a plain minimalistic neutral design with formal frame or in an emotional design employing harmonic colour use, background music and parallel examples embedded in a narrative frame. For the factor learning phase, the learning outcomes were measured with open answers for four video-sections (1‑4; with four minutes each). Further measured key variables are situational interest (triggered and maintained) and mental effort. Data from 171 students (aged 14–18) had been collected at the time of submission. We are currently collecting ecologically valid school‑based and clinical data, to give us a broad variance of attentional skills to difficulties. All analyses will be completed before the SGBF and presented.

Results and Significance

Given the high prevalence of attention difficulties and the associated challenges in meeting school demands (Kraus & Mackowiack, 2021), insights into supportive instructional tools are necessary. In the analyses of this study, we will look at underlying mechanisms that drive the benefits for students with attentional difficulties, to make concise recommendations for teachers to create or select instructional materials that directly include support for students with attentional difficulties. Approaches with instructional video have great potential, because of their impact directly in the classroom and support the educational opportunities of all learners. Such approaches could increase equal educational opportunities with relatively little costs compared to the provision of integration assistants or remedial courses.

The discussant will synthesize cross-study design rules into classroom-ready recommendations, translating the integrated findings into conditional if-then guidance for everyday lessons.