How Does Emotional Tone of Contextual Visual Aids Influence Health-Related Online Learning?

• In Event: Roundtable Session 51
  In Roundtable Session: Student Perceptions and Interactions in Technology-Supported Learning

Abstract

Based on the limited capacity model of motivated mediated message processing (LC4MP), this study examined how emotional valence and arousal tone, induced by contextual visual aids in health-related instructional slides, influence learning performance and mental effort in online learning. A total of 120 college students were randomly assigned to four groups: (a) low-arousing positive, (b) low-arousing negative, (c) high-arousing positive, and (d) high-arousing negative. The results showed that both multiple-choice recognition and recall test scores were highest with low-arousing negative, then followed by low-and high-arousing positive, but poorest with high-arousing negative emotion. However, the emotions did not influence mental effort. The findings support the LC4MP model and imply the benefits of utilizing emotional visual aids to enhance health-related online learning.

Authors

• Sungwon Chung, Fort Hays State University

• Jongpil Cheon, Texas Tech University