The Effect Of Presentation Mode In Multimedia Learning

On the basis of cognitive theory in multimedia learning,educational psychologists have identified a set of principles for the design of multimedia learning environments that are consistent with abundant empirical research on multimedia learning.These principles are multimedia principle,modality principle,contiguity principle,coherence principle and individual-differences principle.In the present research,based on the active processing assumption,corresponding principles,and comprehension strategy,two experiments examined the cognitive processing traits of senior high school students in multimedia environments.According as material and method in research in Mayer and his colleagues/we used the process of lightning formation and the process of solar eclipse formation as experimental materials. Experiment 1 tested cognitive processing traits of 80 senior high school students at ages from 14 to 17 when they learn from different picture characters in multimedia environments. Learning was measured by recognition, retention and reasoning tests.Results showed four media- assembled modes have the same effects on different materials,multimedia effect and spatial-contiguity principle have been proved,time also had influence on learning in multimedia environments.For enhancing the capacity of memory chunking and improving active processing, Experiment 2 add some questions on materials for learners which maybe improve their scores after they have thought over these questions. The computer materials of static picture version and subsection-animation version in experimental 1 now was treated as materials of direct-presentation group in experimental 2,which added 5 questions was used in question-presentation group. 80 senior high school students were tested to investigate whether question-presentation group was more effective than direct-presentation group in multimedia environments.Positive results were gained, students better remember the explanation when they learn questions first,but only a ascending trend showed on reasoning test.