Effects of the instructor's pointing gestures on learning performance in video lectures

Abstract

Recent research on video lectures has indicated that the instructor's pointing gestures facilitate learning performance. This study examined whether the instructor's pointing gestures were superior to nonhuman cues in enhancing video lectures learning, and second, if there was a positive effect, what the underlying mechanisms of the effect might be. There were three kinds of video lectures in the study: one with the instructor's pointing gestures, one with nonhuman cues, and one without any cues. Eighty-four Chinese undergraduates were randomly assigned to view one of the three video lectures in a laboratory. As hypothesized, the results of analyses of variance showed that the instructor's pointing gestures improved learning performance more than the nonhuman cues and no-cues conditions. The pointing gestures directed the learners' visual attention to the relevant learning content of PowerPoint (PPT) slides in the video lecture. This suggests that the instructor's pointing gestures can be a valuable means to improve learning performance in video lectures, in particular PPT slides with much learning information.

The instructor's gaze guidance in video lectures improves learning

“…However, most previous studies have focused only on the instructor's gestures (Alibali et al, 2013;Pi et al, 2017a;Rueckert, Church, Avila, & Trejo, 2017;Yeo, Ledesma, Nathan, Alibali, & Church, 2017). However, most previous studies have focused only on the instructor's gestures (Alibali et al, 2013;Pi et al, 2017a;Rueckert, Church, Avila, & Trejo, 2017;Yeo, Ledesma, Nathan, Alibali, & Church, 2017).…”

“…Attentional cues are conceptualized as nonhuman cues (provided by the multimedia representation of learning content) and human cues (provided by the instructor's behaviour; Amadieu et al, 2011; Ouwehand, . Human gestures appear to improve learning more than nonhuman cues (e.g., De & Tabbers, 2013;Pi, Hong, & Yang, 2017a). This may be because learners need fewer working memory resources to follow the instructor's gestures than to follow nonhuman cues, as gestures could elicit joint attention, even without awareness of the gestures (Pi et al, 2017a).…”

“…Human gestures appear to improve learning more than nonhuman cues (e.g., De & Tabbers, 2013;Pi, Hong, & Yang, 2017a). This may be because learners need fewer working memory resources to follow the instructor's gestures than to follow nonhuman cues, as gestures could elicit joint attention, even without awareness of the gestures (Pi et al, 2017a).…”

Does instructor's image size in video lectures affect learning outcomes?

“…Furthermore, although they have not taken into account instructor image size, a number of studies have tested the importance of the presence of an instructor's image in video lectures (Ilioudi, Giannakos, & Chorianopoulos, ; Pi & Hong, ; Pi, Hong, & Yang, ). They suggest that presenting the instructor's image enhances learners' positive learning experience in video lectures.…”

Instructors' gestures enhance their teaching experience and performance while recording video lectures

“…On one hand, instructors' representational gestures elaborate their explanations of complex material by conveying unspoken information (Behne, Carpenter, & Tomasello, ; Roth, ). On the other hand, instructors' pointing gestures can direct learners' attention to the important information on a slide (Pi, Hong, & Yang, ; Pi et al, ). Taken together, these studies suggest that instructors' gestures are an important component in students' learning.…”