No overall multimedia effect on problem-solving performance in vector calculus: graphs did not significantly improve correctness¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2017 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Students solving problems with graphs did not answer significantly more correctly than students without graphs (56% vs 52%). → Ögren 2017

Evidence¶

Ögren 2017¶

Ögren, M., Nyström, M., & Jarodzka, H. (2017). There's more to the multimedia effect than meets the eye: is seeing pictures believing? Instructional Science, 45, 263–287. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-016-9397-6

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Between-subject experiment (N = 16 without graphs, N = 20 with graphs), 36 engineering-physics students, multi-level logistic regression predicting correctness. The article states "there is no statistically significant effect of presentation condition on students' abilities to answer the problems correctly."

"Participants solving problems with graphs answered correctly to 56 % of the problems compared to 52 % for participants without graphs."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Performance was unrelated to dwell time on the graph but increased with dwell time on the problem statement — related
• Frequent eye transitions between graph and problem statement were marginally associated with correct answers — related
• Picture bias: graphs made students more likely to confirm problem statements, irrespective of whether the statements were true — related
• Contrasting problems show a graph can help on one problem and harm on another: verbal data reveal both more active graph use and more shallow, confident confirmation when graphs were present — related
• Multiple representations improve learning — a broader claim this one bears on
• Solving problems with graphs increased mental effort, shown by a higher proportion of silence in think-aloud data — related