New article published in Instructional Science: What factors influence the effectiveness of eye movement modeling for multimedia learning?

The article, titled "Do prior knowledge, model-observer similarity and social comparison influence the effectiveness of eye movement modeling examples for supporting multimedia learning?" was published in the journal Instructional Science.

In the study reported in the article, the authors investigated possible factors influencing the effectiveness of eye movement modeling examples (EMME) for multimedia learning based on a sample of 180 participants. The focus here was on a possible influence of prior knowledge as well as a possible influence of social cue stimuli such as the (perceived) similarity between the learners and the presented model. The results of the study support previous research findings that eye movement modeling can be an effective instructional tool for teaching learners effective strategies for text-image processing. However, in contrast to previous studies, prior knowledge or (assumed) model-observer similarity did not show to be influential. To further explore the issue of potential influencing factors, the authors conducted "small-scale meta-analyses" using previous research. Again, no influence of prior knowledge or (assumed) model-observer similarity was found. Further results of the study suggest that individual differences, such as social comparison orientation, may influence the impact of model instruction. Thus, the question of potential factors influencing the effectiveness of eye movement modeling on multimedia learning remains open.

Reference: Krebs, M.-C., Schüler, A., & Scheiter, K. (in press). Do prior knowledge, model-observer similarity and social comparison influence the effectiveness of eye movement modeling examples for supporting multimedia learning? Instr Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-021-09552-7