Really? It depends! How authentic learning material affects involvement with personal stories of the past

Authentic learning is believed to possess qualities that boost student motivation and learning. However, prior studies have not consistently found the assumed positive effects of authentic learning, thus highlighting the need to better understand the underlying learning processes. We examined effects of authentic learning material on learners' involvement and different facets of the perceived authenticity of the material. Participants were 336 adults. We conducted an experimental online study with three conditions varying in the framing of their authenticity. We presented videos in which people talked about their experiences in war and daily life in the past, and we labeled these clips eyewitness accounts, eyewitness accounts played by actors, or reconstructed accounts played by actors. Participants were randomly assigned. Results indicated that treatment condition particularly affected participants' emotional involvement with the story and that, in particular, one facet of perceived authenticity (Vividness of History) predicted learners' involvement. The study adds to the research field of authentic learning in general, and learning with personal stories of the past in particular, by addressing involvement processes and examining different facets of perceived authenticity.