An Empirical Investigation of the Influences of the Degree of Interactivity on User-Outcomes in a Multimedia Environment

The study reported here investigates the influence of “interactivity” on the learning outcomes of users in a multimedia systems environment. Drawing from past literature base and based on key tenets of three learning theories–behaviorist, cognitivist, and constructivist–the study first proposes a measurement scheme for “interactivity” and then hypothesizes that “interactivity” would influence the learning outcomes positively in terms of users’ learning achievement and attitude. Three prototypes of a multimedia instructional/training system to represent high, low, and non-interactive modes of use were developed and implemented and the hypothesized influences were investigated using a controlled laboratory research design. Multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) results indicate that while interactivity does not necessarily enable enhanced gain in user learning, it positively influences participants’ attitude. The study finds no support for hypothesized moderating effects of learning styles (measured using Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory scale) on the relationship between interactivity and user outcomes. The results of this study have important implications for both education and corporations’ training efforts and investments. Implications and future research directions are discussed.