![Sample our Education journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5932/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Education.jpg"})
Abstract
This study utilized qualitative and quantitative designs and eye-tracking technology to understand how viewers process multimedia information. Eye movement data were collected from eight college students (non-science majors) while they were viewing web pages containing different types of text and illustrations depicting the mechanism of atmospheric pressure and the formation of sea and land winds. The results showed that participants' eyes were fixated more often on the text than on the illustrations. Breaking the instructional multimedia into small successive segments did not seem to increase the number of eye fixations on the illustrations. Participants alternated their eye fixations on related components of the illustrations while focusing on verbs or sentences representing the kinematics of the weather systems. Text seemed to provide more detailed explanations than pictures and therefore served as the main resource for understanding the content. Scan paths revealed that participants were likely to be distracted by decorative icons in the illustrations. The decorative icons also created a split-attention effect on students' cognitive processing. Eye-tracking technology was found to be a valuable tool for achieving the objectives of this study, and it provided insights into students' cognitive processes during multimedia learning. Discussion and suggestions for instructional designers and future studies are provided.
Acknowledgment
This research project was supported in part by the National Science Council, Taiwan; Grant no: NSC-97-2511-S-415-005-MY2.
