Learning from video tutorials: mental focusing and rehearsal are just as effective as written focusing

Introduction Learning with video tutorials has grown in popularity during the last years. Taking recourse to video tutorials enables learners to learn at their own convenience. Yet without the presence of instructors, learners need to self-regulate their learning process which novices in particular find overwhelming. Focus prompts can support learners to do this. While answers to such prompts are usually entered via a keyboard, the growing use of immersive technologies demands for prompts that do not rely on text entries. Methods In this study, we compared a written focus condition (written answers to prompts) with a mental focus condition (creating a mental list), a mental rehearsal condition (performing actions before the inner eye) and a control condition without instructional support in a sample of 117 university students. We used industrial original video tutorials in our study. Results We did not find any differences between the various conditions with regard to learning engagement, learning outcomes, and instructional efficiency (i.e., relative efficiency combining learning outcomes and cognitive load) but differences in learning time: participants in the written focus condition needed more time to respond to the prompts. Discussion We attribute the lack differences in learning engagement and outcomes to the well-designed learning environment and the highly controlled laboratory setting. Our findings show that it is possible to learn with video tutorials without responding to prompts in written form and implicate that learners' time and cognitive resources should be saved when the learning material is sufficient.