How cross-representational signaling affects learning from text and picture: An eye-tracking study

Abstract

Multimedia learning research pointed out that adding a picture to a text is not systematically beneficial to learners. One of the most influential factors is the necessity for learners to identify mutually referring information in the written and pictorial representations. This study investigates how Cross-Representational Signaling (CRS) facilitates learning from multimedia document. In this study, CRS is implemented by mutually referring visual and verbal cues which highlight semantic links between text and picture. Two versions of the same multimedia document explaining the risks of being caught in a rapid, with or without CRS, are compared. The study that is still ongoing will provide data on online processing (eye-tracking data) and learning outcomes. The results will provide insights on the use of CRS to improve the design of instructional diagrams.