Picture This: Studying the Effectiveness of Illustrated Instructions

Abstract

Background Research on multimedia instruction suggests that illustrations aid learning over straight text. Providing students with illustrated instructions may increase comprehension and retention of material. Objective We tested if students would remember the material better if it was presented as an infographic where the content was supplemented with illustrations versus reading the same content without illustrations. Method We randomly assigned students ( N = 114) to either a text-based or an illustrated instruction condition where they learned about three types of study techniques (retrieval practice, spaced practice, and interleaving). After a brief distraction task, all students took a quiz on the material presented. Results A multivariate analysis of variance showed a significant main effect for the condition. Students in the illustrated instruction condition scored higher on the quiz than those who were assigned to the text-based condition. Conclusion Presenting complex material as an infographic with illustrations may aid learning. Teaching Implications Teachers and textbook authors should consider the use of illustrated instructions to convey difficult material, especially bottleneck concepts.