The Effect of Audio and Animation in Multimedia Instruction

This study investigated the effects of audio, animation, and spatial ability in a multimedia computer program for high school biology. Participants completed a multimedia program that presented content by way of text or audio with lean text. In addition, several instructional sequences were presented either with static illustrations or animations. The study examined the effects of instructional mode (text vs. audio), illustration mode (static illustration vs. animation), and spatial ability (low vs. high) on practice and posttest achievement, attitude and time. Results indicated that spatial ability was significantly related to practice achievement and attitude. Participants with high spatial ability performed better on the practice items than those with low spatial ability. Participants with low spatial ability responded more positively than those with high spatial ability to attitude items concerning concentration, interest, and amount of invested mental effort. Findings also revealed that participants who received animation spent significantly more time on the program than those who received static illustrations. Implications for the design of multimedia are discussed. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)