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

Background: The use of instructional videos in Higher Education is increasingly common. Given the multiple modalities available in these videos, understanding how design choices impact learning is essential for optimising educational practices. Aims: This study aims to explore how the instructor’s use of gestures as well as student motivation and allocation of visual attention 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. Sample: Participants were 135 Undergraduate Psychology students. Methods: Participants completed a knowledge test before and after watching a set of multimedia instructional videos. They 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. Self-reported motivation was measured. Results: Analyses showed no evidence of gaze towards the gesturing instructor on improving learning. However, the relationship between learning gain and motivation differed depending on whether gestures were present: when gestures were absent, participants showed learning gains primarily when they also reported higher motivation to study further, whereas the presence of gestures was associated with more consistent learning gains across motivation levels. Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of factors like learners’ motivation and effective integration of gesture use when designing instructional videos.