The Effectiveness of Applying the Modality Principle in Multimedia Learning: A Meta-analysi

This study is a meta-analysis investigating the effectiveness of applying the modality principle on learners' learning performances in knowledge retention and knowledge transfer and learners' cognitive load for college students and adult learners. Three moderator variables were tested to find out if they affect the degree of the effects: (a) pace of presentation, (b) length of verbal segment, and (c) type of visualization. Primary studies focused on the modality principle in instructional contexts from 1995 to 2017 were searched and 41 studies were selected through the literature search and screening processes. Seventy-six pairs of comparisons involving 3,917 participants were identified from the selected studies.;The overall effects of the modality principle for learning performances were analyzed using a multivariate meta-analysis with the random effects model. A small effect size was found for knowledge retention, and a medium effect size was found for knowledge transfer. The results of the overall effect sizes analysis showed that the effect size for knowledge transfer was larger than the effect size for knowledge retention. For pace of presentation, no significant result was found for knowledge retention or knowledge transfer. For length of verbal segment, a significant difference was found between the effect size of the long verbal segment subgroup and the short verbal segment subgroup for knowledge transfer but not for knowledge retention. The effect size of the short verbal segment subgroup was larger than the effect size of the long verbal segment subgroup for knowledge transfer. For type of visualization, the results for knowledge retention and knowledge transfer were both significant. The effect size was larger when learning materials were presented using dynamic pictures than when using static pictures. A negative small effect size was found for learners' cognitive load, indicating that college students and adult learners who received instruction with pictures and spoken words experienced lower cognitive load than those who received instruction with pictures and printed words. No significant difference was found in the three moderator variables analysis. Based on the results of this study, it should be taken into consideration in designing instruction for college students and adult learners the conditions of applying the modality principle, especially for length of verbal segment and type of visualization. For future studies on the modality principle, researchers may focus more on long-term learning performances, the impact of learners' cognitive characteristics, and use of comprehensive cognitive load measurement methods to measure different constructs of learners' cognitive load.