Many students look to YouTube videos for help with general chemistry concepts, but how well do these videos adhere to the guidelines set in place by literature that aims to increase cognitive processing without overloading it? In our study, we create a codebook based on Richard Mayer’s Multimedia Principles that we systematically apply to a sample of YouTube videos. We specifically focus on the adherence to codes based on the principles of coherence (violations of which hinder learning) and signaling (instances of which support learning). The study consists of researchers individually applying the codebook to eight previously sampled YouTube videos by viewing and qualitatively coding each video. Then, each researcher’s set of codes are combined and compared to evaluate for interrater agreement and trends between codes. Remembering that signaling supports learning while coherence hinders it, we find that videos in our sample have more instances of signaling present than violations of coherence. Specifically, within the coherence principles, videos have a combined total of 42.5 Words violations, 36 Pictures violations, and 7 Music violations. Additionally, within the signaling principles, videos have a combined total of 165 instances of visual signaling for the entire sample, and a total of 123.5 instances of verbal signaling. Our finding indicates that the eight videos in our sample have more aspects that foster learning, according to Mayer’s Multimedia Principles. Future work should be devoted to further exploring the coherence and signaling principles in enthalpy YouTube videos and the potential relationship between the two codes.
Author(s): Sabrina Ryland, Morgan Loveday, KatieMarie Magnone, Jennnifer Ebert, Ellen Yezierski
Advisor(s): Ellen Yezierski, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
KatieMarie Magnone, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Jennifer Ebert, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
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