Incorporate potential moderators into experimental designs for multimedia testing research¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (1 for, 1 mixed) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The review recommends that future research on pictures in test items systematically incorporate potential moderators—including item complexity, subject domain, test-taker abilities, age, and affective-motivational factors—into experimental designs. The authors state that "Future research should therefore increasingly incorporate potential moderators into experimental designs" because conclusions on item-level and test-taker-level moderators were often not possible due to sparse data. They also recommend standardized assessments of cognitive abilities and prior knowledge to improve comparability.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Experimental designs that manipulate or measure moderator variables alongside picture function
• Standardized assessments of cognitive abilities and prior knowledge

Constraints¶

• Current database is heterogeneous with substantial differences in tasks and domains
• Some studies lack control groups, limiting causal interpretation

Target Learners¶

• Test-takers across educational levels and domains

Target Learning Goals¶

• Understanding boundary conditions of picture effects in assessment design

Affordances¶

• Mmt Four Function Picture Taxonomy

Claims¶

• Item complexity moderates picture function effects, with informational pictures potentially helping on difficult items but hindering on easy ones [+W]
• Test-taker abilities and prior knowledge show inconsistent moderating effects on multimedia testing effects [~W]

Related Strategies¶

• Expand research methodologies to monitor learning processes during multimedia instruction

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Schewior, L., & Lindner, M. A. (2024). Revisiting Picture Functions in Multimedia Testing: A Systematic Narrative Review and Taxonomy Extension. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09883-0