Verbal redundancy (spoken–written presentation) yields a small overall learning benefit with large between-study heterogeneity¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q3 · i0 negligible
Currency · newest study 2012 · checked against its sources 2026-10-15 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i0 Across 57 independent effect sizes, learning with spoken–written presentations shows a small, statistically detectable overall weighted mean effect (g = 0.15). → Adesope 2012

Evidence¶

Adesope 2012¶

Adesope, O. O., & Nesbit, J. C. (2012). Verbal Redundancy in Multimedia Learning Environments: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026147

q3 · i0 · quant-synthesis · r3

Meta-analysis of 57 independent effect sizes from 33 reports (N = 3,452) comparing spoken–written with spoken-only or written-only presentations. The "small but statistically detectable effect" of learning with spoken–written presentations had a weighted mean Hedges's g = 0.15 (95% CI [0.08, 0.22]), with I2 = .82 between-studies heterogeneity.

"Overall, Table 2 shows a small but statistically detectable effect of learning with spoken–written presentations. The overall sample was heterogeneous, Q(56) = 304.93, p < .001, I2 = .82."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Verbal redundancy does not facilitate learning when materials include images or animation — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• The spoken–written advantage over spoken-only presentation appears for system-paced but not learner-paced materials — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Nonsegmented spoken–written presentations show a larger advantage over spoken-only presentation than segmented ones — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Spoken–written presentations do not outperform written-only presentations but do outperform spoken-only presentations — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Spoken–written advantages are larger for second-language and nonfluent first-language readers and for low prior knowledge learners — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• On-screen text that duplicates the narration of a diagram can hurt learning, but spoken–written redundancy is not harmful on average and helps over spoken-only presentation in some conditions — reports the opposite
• Presenting words as spoken narration rather than on-screen text alongside graphics improves learning — related
• In one middle-school quasi-experiment on electricity, spoken-text groups outperform written-text groups with both abstract and concrete animation (d = .35) — related
• Multimedia design interventions yield small average improvements in cognitive load management (g = 0.22), with personalisation and modality showing the largest effects — related