User attitude as a mediator of learning performance improvement in an interactive multimedia environment: an empirical investigation of the degree of interactivity and learning styles

✍ Scribed by VICHUDA (NUI) KETTANURAK; K. RAMAMURTHY; WILLIAM D. HASEMAN

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 541 KB
• Volume: 54
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1071-5819
• DOI: 10.1006/ijhc.2001.0457

✦ Synopsis

Multimedia technology-based interactive learning/training programs have recently emerged as major tools for learning in educational settings (schools), at home and for training in corporations. Multimedia aspects and an ability to interact with the programs are claimed to enhance the learning experiences. A central thesis of this study is that such &&interactive multimedia learning systems'' would signi"cantly improve users' attitudes, and that this, in turn, would enhance their learning achievement. An additional thesis of the study is that the &&learning style'' of the users will moderate the relationship between interactivity and attitude. This article reports the "ndings of a controlled quasi-experimental study of the in#uences of &&interactivity'' on six di!erent dimensions of user attitude (content, format, user-control, feedback, ease of use and motivation) and performance improvement (achievement-gain). The results indicate that interactivity positively in#uences user attitude, and some dimensions of attitude translate into enhanced user performance. The study "nds some interesting support for the moderating e!ects of learning styles. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

2001 Academic Press