The influence of learner modality preferences on perceived mental effort and performance in self-paced instructional videos

Abstract

Self-paced online learning environments frequently employ narrated and captioned videos, each grounded in distinct multimedia learning principles. Narrated videos reflect the modality principle, which favors spoken over written text, whereas captioned videos align with the transient information principle, which emphasizes the benefits of written input. These principles are in tension—one privileges auditory input while the other privileges visual-verbal input—and they map onto the processing tendencies of auditory versus read/write learners, creating potential inconsistencies in instructional design. This study investigated how learner modality preference moderates the effects of text modality on perceived mental effort and performance in video-based learning. A 2 × 2 between-subjects ANOVA (text modality: narrated vs. captioned; modality preference: auditory vs. read/write) revealed a significant interaction effect on perceived mental effort but no effects on recall or transfer performance. Follow-up analyses showed that text modality significantly influenced perceived mental effort among auditory learners, with narrated videos reducing effort relative to captioned videos, whereas no such effect was observed for read/write learners. The findings indicate that mismatched formats may increase perceived effort without impairing learning outcomes, likely because pacing-control mechanisms help learners manage cognitive demands. The differential effects observed between auditory and read/write learners provide insight into the application of multimedia principles and reinforce the view that instructional effectiveness is better explained by cognitive principles, such as modality and segmenting, rather than by tailoring materials to individual learner preferences.