Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Comprehension across mediums: the case of text and video

  • Published:
Journal of Computing in Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of educational videos in today’s schools and classrooms, limited work has examined the strategies students use when comprehending videos. The aim of this study is to compare pre-service teachers’ strategy use when they are presented with information via text vis-à-vis via video. The study used a 2 × 2 experimental design with students assigned either to read or view each of two information sources. The study found strategy use to differ across mediums of information presentation, as determined through both self-report and log data. Additionally, comprehension was found to differ according to medium of information presentation, with text conferring an advantage. At the same time, students were found to have limited integration of multiple sources of information, across mediums of information presentation. Conclusions and implications for instruction and future work are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Afflerbach, P., & Cho, B. (2009). Identifying and describing constructively responsive comprehension strategies in new and traditional forms of reading. In S. Israel & G. Duffy (Eds.), Handbook of reading comprehension research (pp. 69–90). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Afflerbach, P., Pearson, P. D., & Paris, S. G. (2008). Clarifying differences between reading skills and reading strategies. The Reading Teacher, 61(5), 364–373.

    Google Scholar 

  • Behavioral Observation Research Interactive Software. (Version 2.997) [Computer software]. Torino, Italy: Universita di Torino.

  • Berk, R. A. (2009). Multimedia teaching with video clips: TV, movies, YouTube, and mtvU in the college classroom. International Journal of Technology in Teaching & Learning, 5(1), 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Best, R. M., Floyd, R. G., & Mcnamara, D. S. (2008). Differential competencies contributing to children’s comprehension of narrative and expository texts. Reading Psychology, 29(2), 137–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bråten, I., & Strømsø, H. I. (2011). Measuring strategic processing when students read multiple texts. Metacognition and Learning, 6, 111–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caspi, A., Gorsky, P., & Privman, M. (2005). Viewing comprehension: Students’ learning preferences and strategies when studying from video. Instructional Science, 33(1), 31–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang, K. E., Sung, Y. T., & Chen, I. D. (2002). The effect of concept mapping to enhance text comprehension and summarization. The Journal of Experimental Education, 71(1), 5–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colestock, A., & Sherin, M. G. (2009). Teachers’ sense-making strategies while watching video of mathematics instruction. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 17(1), 7–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ding, W., & Marchionini, G. (1998). A study on video browsing strategies. Technical Report, College Park, MD, USA.

  • Dinsmore, D. L., & Alexander, P. A. (2012). A critical discussion of deep and surface processing: What it means, how it is measured, the role of context, and model specification. Educational Psychology Review, 24(4), 499–567.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dinsmore, D. L., & Alexander, P. A. (2016). A multidimensional investigation of deep-level and surface-level processing. The Journal of Experimental Education, 84(2), 213–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duffy, P. (2008). Engaging the YouTube Google-eyed generation: Strategies for using Web 2.0 in teaching and learning. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 6(2), 119–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duke, N. K., & Pearson, P. D. (2009). Effective practices for developing reading comprehension. Journal of Education, 189(1–2), 107–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eason, S. H., Goldberg, L. F., Young, K. M., Geist, M. C., & Cutting, L. E. (2012). Reader–text interactions: How differential text and question types influence cognitive skills needed for reading comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(3), 515–528.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, R., & Childs, M. (1999). The effectiveness of video as a learning tool in on-line multimedia modules. Journal of Educational Media, 24(3), 217–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2004). Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival skills in the digital era. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friard, O., & Gamba, M. (2016). BORIS: A free, versatile open-source event-logging software for video/audio coding and live observations. Methods in Ecology Evolution, 7(11), 1325–1330. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graesser, A. C., Singer, M., & Trabasso, T. (1994). Constructing inferences during narrative text comprehension. Psychological Review, 101(3), 371–395.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, S., Marchionini, G., Plaisant, C., & Shneiderman, B. (2000). Previews and overviews in digital libraries: Designing surrogates to support visual information seeking. Journal of American Society for Information Science, 51(4), 380–393.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo, P. J., Kim, J., & Rubin, R. (2014). How video production affects student engagement: An empirical study of mooc videos. In Proceedings of the first ACM conference on Learning scale conference (pp. 41–50). New York: ACM.

  • Höffler, T. N., & Leutner, D. (2007). Instructional animation versus static pictures: A meta-analysis. Learning and instruction, 17(6), 722–738.

    Google Scholar 

  • Israel, M. J. (2015). Effectiveness of integrating MOOCs in traditional classrooms for undergraduate students. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v16i5.2222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kendeou, P., & van den Broek, P. (2007). The effects of prior knowledge and text structure on comprehension processes during reading of scientific texts. Memory and Cognition, 35(7), 1567–1577.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, J., Guo, P. J., Cai, C. J., Li, S. W. D., Gajos, K. Z., & Miller, R. C. (2014a). Data-driven interaction techniques for improving navigation of educational videos. In Proceedings of the 27th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology (pp. 563–572). New York: ACM.

  • Kim, J., Li, S. W., Cai, C. J., Gajos, K. Z., & Miller, R. C. (2014b). Leveraging video interaction data and content analysis to improve video learning. In Proceedings of the CHI 2014 learning innovation at scale workshop.

  • Kintsch, W. (1988). The role of knowledge in discourse comprehension: A construction-integration model. Psychological Review, 95(2), 163–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kintsch, W. (1998). Comprehension: A paradigm for cognition. Cambridge: Campbridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kintsch, W., & Van Dijk, T. A. (1978). Toward a model of text comprehension and production. Psychological Review, 85(5), 363–394.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobayashi, K. (2009a). Comprehension of relations among controversial texts: Effects of external strategy use. Instructional Science, 37(4), 311–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobayashi, K. (2009b). The influence of topic knowledge, external strategy use, and college experience on students’ comprehension of controversial texts. Learning and Individual Differences, 19(1), 130–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, H. Y., & List, A. (2018). Processing of texts and videos: A strategy-focused analysis. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, L. F. (2009). Video segment comprehension strategies: Male and female university students. English Language Teaching, 2(3), 129–139. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v2n3p129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • List, A. (2018). Strategies for comprehending and integrating texts and videos. Learning and Instruction.

  • Magliano, J. P., Loschky, L. C., Clinton, J. A., & Larson, A. M. (2013). Is reading the same as viewing? In B. Miller, L. Cutting, & P. McCardle (Eds.), Unraveling the behavioral, neurobiological, and genetic components of reading comprehension (pp. 78–90). Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, R. E. (1996). Learning strategies for making sense out of expository text: The SOI model for guiding three cognitive processes in knowledge construction. Educational Psychology Review, 8(4), 357–371.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, R. E. (2001). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, R. E. (2005). Principles for managing essential processing in multimedia learning: Segmenting, pretraining, and modality principles. In R. E. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, R. E. (2014). Cognitive theory of multimedia learning. In R. E. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning (pp. 43–72). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, R. E., & Anderson, R. B. (1992). The instructive animation: Helping students build connections between words and pictures in multimedia learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(4), 444–452.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, R. E., Heiser, J., & Lonn, S. (2001). Cognitive constraints on multimedia learning: When presenting more material results in less understanding. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 187–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, R. E., & Moreno, R. (1998). A split-attention effect in multimedia learning: Evidence for dual processing systems in working memory. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(2), 312–320.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNamara, D. S. (2004). SERT: Self-explanation reading training. Discourse Processes, 38(1), 1–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNamara, D. S., & Kintsch, W. (1996). Learning from texts: Effects of prior knowledge and text coherence. Discourse Processes, 22(3), 247–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNamara, D. S., & Magliano, J. P. (2009). Towards a comprehensive model of comprehension. In B. Ross (Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation. New York, NY: Elsevier Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, B. J., Brandt, D. M., & Bluth, G. J. (1980). Use of top-level structure in text: Key for reading comprehension of ninth-grade students. Reading Research Quarterly, 16(1), 72–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, L. S., Soulé, M. E., & Doak, D. F. (1993). The keystone-species concept in ecology and conservation. BioScience, 43(4), 219–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitra, B., Lewin-Jones, J., Barrett, H., & Williamson, S. (2010). The use of video to enable deep thinking. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 15(4), 405–414.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mokhtari, K., & Reichard, C. A. (2002). Assessing students’ metacognitive awareness of reading strategies. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(2), 249–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monserrat, T.-J. K. P., Zhao, S., McGee, K., & Pandley, A. V. (2013). NoteVideo: Facilitating navigation of blackboard-style lecture videos. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems, Paris, France. https://doi.org/10.1145/2470654.2466147.

  • Montero Perez, M., Peters, E., Clarebout, G., & Desmet, P. (2014). Effects of captioning on video comprehension and incidental vocabulary learning. Language Learning & Technology, 18(1), 118–141. Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/issues/february2014/monteroperezetal.pdf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. E. (1999). Cognitive principles of multimedia learning: The role of modality and contiguity. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(2), 358–368.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. E. (2000). A learner-centered approach to multimedia explanations: Deriving instructional design principles from cognitive theory. Interactive Multimedia Electronic Journal of Computer-Enhanced Learning, 2(2), 12–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mu, X. (2010). Towards effective video annotation: An approach to automatically link notes with video content. Computers & Education, 55(4), 1752–1763.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mullen, R., & Wedwick, L. (2008). Avoiding the digital abyss: Getting started in the classroom with YouTube, digital stories, and blogs. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 82(2), 66–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plass, J. L., Moreno, R., & Brünken, R. (Eds.). (2010). Cognitive load theory. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Purcell, K. (2013). Online video 2013. Washington DC: Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/old-media/Files/Reports/2013/PIP_Online%20Video%202013.pdf.

  • Rich, P. J., & Hannafin, M. J. (2008). Decisions and reasons: Examining preservice teacher decision-making through video self-analysis. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 20(1), 62–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schnotz, W., & Bannert, M. (2003). Construction and interference in learning from multiple representation. Learning and Instruction, 13(2), 141–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherer, P., & Shea, T. (2011). Using online video to support student learning and engagement. College Teaching, 59(2), 56–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinha, T., Jermann, P., Li, N., & Dillenbourg, P. (2014). Your click decides your fate: Inferring information processing and attrition behavior from MOOC video clickstream interactions. arXiv preprint arXiv:1407.7131.

  • Stahl, S. A., Hynd, C. R., Britton, B. K., McNish, M. M., & Bosquet, D. (1996). What happens when students read multiple source documents in history? Reading Research Quarterly, 31(4), 430–456.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, G. (2005). Perceived processing strategies of students watching captioned video. Foreign Language Annals, 38(3), 422–427.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, B. M., & Beach, R. W. (1984). The effects of text structure instruction on middle-grade students’ comprehension and production of expository text. Reading Research Quarterly, 19(2), 134–146.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, The Pennsylvania State University, 227 Cedar Building, State College, PA, 16827, USA

    Alexandra List

  2. Department of Educational Psychology, Ball State University, Teachers College 505, Muncie, IN, 47304, USA

    Eric E. Ballenger

Authors
  1. Alexandra List
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Eric E. Ballenger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexandra List.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

List, A., Ballenger, E.E. Comprehension across mediums: the case of text and video. J Comput High Educ 31, 514–535 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-018-09204-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-018-09204-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation