A re-analysis of a meta-analysis found learning from animations more effective than static pictures only when features of the displayed changes were relevant to learning¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q2 · i1 small
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i1 The re-analysis by Ploetzner et al. (2020) found significant advantages for animations when simple (g = 0.340) or complex (g = 0.647) features of change had to be learned, but not otherwise (g = 0.043). → Rolf Ploetzner 2021

Evidence¶

Rolf Ploetzner 2021¶

Rolf Ploetzner, Sandra Berney, Mireille Bétrancourt. (2021). When learning from animations is more successful than learning from static pictures: learning the specifics of change. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-021-09541-w

q2 · i1 · causal · r2

The article reports, citing Ploetzner et al. (2020), a re-analysis of the Berney and Bétrancourt (2016) meta-analysis with a new moderator coding whether simple or complex features of displayed change were relevant to learning; the printed effect sizes are g = 0.340, g = 0.647, and g = 0.043. The present experimental study was conducted to validate this finding.

"Learning from animations was significantly more successful than learning from static pictures if either simple (g = 0.340) or complex (g = 0.647) features of the displayed changes had to be learned. If neither simple nor complex features of the presented changes had to be learned, it was irrelevant whether learning took place on the basis of animations or static pictures (g = 0.043)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Learning from a single static picture is significantly more successful than learning from an animation or four pictures when identifying spatial arrangements of joined links — reports the opposite
• Learning from an animation is significantly more successful than learning from static pictures when identifying the specific motions of a gear mechanism's links — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Animation produces a small overall learning advantage over static graphics in multimedia instruction — a broader claim this one bears on
• Visualization format has a large multivariate and univariate effect on identifying motions and spatial arrangements — related
• Dynamic visualizations show a small average benefit over static visualizations, with gender among the moderators — related