Multimedia and comprehension: The relationship among text, animation, and captions

We report the results from the second phase of a cognitive study of multimedia and its effect on children's learning. A sample of 71 children (12‐year‐olds) drawn from three primary schools viewed a procedural text that included a four‐sequence animation with captions on how to find south using the sun's shadow. This multimedia sequence was adapted from a section within Compton's Multimedia Encyclopedia using Apple QuickTime. The children were divided into four groups, each of which viewed different media combinations: text only; text plus animation; text plus captions plus animation; and captions with animation. Shortly afterwards the children were asked to undertake two tasks: To recall in their own words what they had learned, and also to enact how they would find south using a model specially designed for this purpose. No significant differences were found among the groups regarding literal recall of what they had read and seen, or in their ability to draw inferences from it. The children in the text plus animation and captions group, however, were more successful at identifying the major steps in the procedure and at enacting that procedure whereas the children who read the text only experienced the most difficulty in performing the procedure. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.