Teaching Psychology Asynchronously: The Role of Gestures and Motivation in Enhancing Learning from Instructional Videos

This study aims to explore how the instructor’s use of gestures as well as student motivation influence learning from instructional videos. Using eye-tracking methodology in online testing, the study sought to understand the cognitive processes underpinning learning in online, asynchronous education, and inform the effective design of multimedia learning videos. Undergraduate Psychology students completed a knowledge test before and after watching a set of multimedia instructional videos. Participants were in one of two conditions: they either watched videos in which the instructor gestured as normal, or videos in which he did not gesture at all. During these videos, eye-tracking data was collected to investigate the proportion of time participants looked at the instructor. Analyses showed no evidence of gaze towards the gesturing instructor on improving learning. However, the relationship between learning gain and motivation was moderated by gesture use: when gestures were absent, participants showed learning only when they indicated being motivated, but the presence of gestures ensured consistent learning gain regardless of motivation levels. These findings underscore the importance of factors like learners’ motivation and effective integration of gesture use when designing instructional videos.