The interdependency of perceived task difficulty and the choice effect when learning with multimedia materials.

Abstract

According to self-determination theory, both provision of choice and reduced task difficulty facilitate learners' motivation via an increase in 2 basic psychological needs. This study examines the moderating role of the autonomy-changing effect of choice on the competence-altering effect of differences in perceived task difficulty in a multimedia learning setting. To measure this, 2 experiments (N 1 = 108; N 2 = 86) with secondary school (Experiment 1) and university (Experiment 1) students were conducted using a 2 (with a choice vs. without a choice of an additional topic before learning) 3 2 (induced low vs. high perceived task difficulty) between-subjects design. While learners read texts about geographical data about Antarctica, 1 group was able to choose a subject matter of a second learning material's content. Learning performance, judgments of learning, and cognitive and motivational processes after the first learning material were measured in both experiments, while Experiment 1 additionally measured perceived autonomy and perceived competence. Results showed that induced differences in perceived task difficulty did not yield learning differences. However, the autonomy-enhancing effect of choice moderated differences in perceived task difficulty. Overall, this experiment provides evidence for an interaction between possibilities of autonomy and competence support defined in the self-determination theory. Educational Impact and Implications StatementWhen learners perceive their learning material to be difficult, their motivation to further process the instructional material decreases. In contrast, providing a choice of learning topic can help to increase learners' motivation. This study revealed that both the autonomy-enhancing effect of choice and the competence-enhancing effect of reduced perceived task difficulty lead to an increase in learning outcomes. Moreover, the negative effects of high-perceived task difficulty were reduced when earners were given a task-related choice before learning. Instructional designers and teachers should be aware of their learners' perceptions of task difficulty in order to counteract the possible risks of highly perceived difficulty through a choice for future learning tasks.

Emotional Design in Concept Maps – No Support but Also No Burden

“…Supporting this, students perceived the learning material adopting emotional design features to be less complicated (lower perceived task difficulty) than differently designed material [see meta-analysis by Brom et al (2018)]. The perceived task difficulty represents a persons' estimation of effort needed to manage a certain task (Schneider et al, 2021). For emotional design features, a low perceived task difficulty is expected as they are supposed to "being perceived by the students as easy to learn because of their entertaining appearance" (Uzun and Yıldırım, 2018, p. 125).…”