Chapter 5
of the Clark & Mayer (2011) text deals with applying the contiguity
principle. The spatial contiguity principle reveals,
and has been proven, that people learn more deeply when related
words and pictures are presented near one another, rather than far from one
another, on the page or screen in an integrated presentation . This principle can also be applied when audio
narration is presented, before or after graphics, resulting in time separation
between the two (Johnson & Mayer, 2012; Clark & Mayer, 2011).
There are 2
contiguity principles; (1) making sure printed words are near corresponding
graphics, and (2) making sure spoken words and corresponding graphics are
synchronized . When complying with principle 1, it is important to remember
that when there is too much text to fit on the screen, it can be put into a
pop-up message that can magically appear when the mouse is scrolled over it, a
technique known as mouse-over or rollover.
Violations of principle one to
avoid include:
·
separating
text and graphics on a scrolling screen
·
separating
feedback from questions and/or responses
·
separating lessons screens with linked windows
·
separating exercises/activities from their
directions
·
putting captions at the bottom of the screen
·
indicating
parts of a graphic with a legend(Clark & Mayer, 2011).
When complying with principle 2, it is important
to remember that narration, or spoken words, should describe what is happening
with graphics/animation simultaneously, or contiguously. Violations of principle two to avoid include:
·
Separating
links to narration and graphics
·
Separating
graphics and narration in an on-going presentation
Johnson
& Mayer (2009) reveal that research has proven when the contiguity
principle is followed and adhered to, students achieve deeper learning. This is due in part to the encouragement of
more integrative and corresponding transitions provided by the contiguity
principle. Although much research has been conducted on
the contiguity principle, there are still things that are unknown and could be
the topic of future research studies.
Some of the issues include:
·
How much
detail should be included in graphics and spoken words
·
Which
format is better to use in different situations
·
How to
conversational style words and voice inflections affect learning (Clark &
Mayer, 2011)
References
Clark,
R. & Mayer, R. (2011). E-learning and
the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of
multimedia learning (3rded.). San Francisco, CA: Wiley &
Sons.
Johnson, C.
& Mayer, R. (2012). An eye
movement analysis of the spatial contiguity effect in multimedia learning. Journal of Experimental
Psychology: Applied, 18(2), 178-191.
Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI liked your post and wanted to share some thoughts.
I find interesting the vast amount of research devoted to the principles of contiguity (Mayer, 1989b; Mayer, Streinhoff, Bower, & Mars,1995; Moreno & Mayer, 1999a).
E-learning has evolved becoming one of the fastest growing fields of education (Okonkwo, C., 2010). Our participation in this class is evidence of that.
Higher learning institutions and educational organization that incorporate these principles are providing a learning environment conducive to deep and meaningful learning. This is seen in a study conducted in South Korea with 172 middle school students; in which the results showed that more students demonstrated learning when the graphics and sounds were presented together (Kim & Gilman, 2008).
Do you find interesting that commercials, video games and musical videos have integrated contiguity principles as well?
.
Reference
Kim, D., & Gilman, D. A. (2008). Effects of Text, Audio, and Graphic Aids in
Multimedia Instruction for Vocabulary Learning. Educational Technology &
Society, 11, 114-126.
Mayer, R. E. (1989b). Systematic thinking fostered by illustrations in scientific
text. Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol 81, 240-246.
Mayer, R.E., Streinhoff, K., Bower, G., & Mars, R. (1995). A generative theory of
textbook design: Using annotated illustrations to foster meaningful
learning of science text. Educational Technology Research and
Development, 43, 31-43.
Moreno, R., & Mayer, R.E. (1999a). Cognitive principles of multimedia learning:
The role of modality and contiguity. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 358-368
Okonkwo, C. (2010). Sustainable Assessment and Evaluation Strategies for Open and
Distance Learning. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education-TOJDE ISSN 1302-
6488, 11(4.6), 121-129.
Susan,
ReplyDeleteGood write up. I ran into this problem earlier this week. I was teaching a course on geometrical dimensional tolerancing and the students were struggling immensely. This part of learning goes right to the problem I have with this course. I can mitigate for students that have special construction issues by having exact duplicates of the print they are looking at but I cannot mitigate the fact that all text on blueprints is exiled to the introduction sheets. This is compounded by the fact that we are taught from an early age that graphics are just pictures. Nothing could be further from the truth with this system. It is more akin to reading hieroglyphics than a picture. If I can’t teach them that pictures have meaning I am doomed from the start. So in my case the printed words are next to the graphic they are just unable to see them.
After reading chapter 6 I have started to use roll over text at the bottom of my screen as a form of closed captioning. I don’t think this violates your rules and allows me to meet the needs of those learners that are aurally challenged. I am glad to see more research being done in this area it should improve the learning experiences of our students.
Clark, R. & Mayer, R. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (3rded.). San Francisco, CA: Wiley & Sons
Susan,
ReplyDeleteExcellent post regarding the contiguity principle. It has been a while since I’ve looked at the chapter in the book, but your summary was a great review of the main ideas. I think it is interesting that some of the theories discussed in this book are somewhat common sense, while others seem a little more counterintuitive. My assigned reading was chapter 6 which dealt with the redundancy theory. In short, this theory states that on-screen text should usually not be accompanied by narration (Clark and Mayer, 2011). This agrees with the contiguity principle as it outlines conditions for on-screen text and graphics or narration and graphics, but does not include parameters for on-screen text, graphics, and narration.
A point that is a little unclear to me is the pop-up message. I understand what it is and how it would work, but am unclear as to how to actually obtain it when creating a presentation. Is this something you have worked with before? Which formatting commands are you using to create these? I think this would be a great element to add to any presentation and can see where the benefits and flexibility offered by pop-up messages could help to add clarity and reinforcement to key concepts.
Thank you for your post!
Resources
Clark, R.C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (3rded.). San Francisco, CA: Wiley & Sons.
Susan,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post and now understand the concept of the contiguity principle. I have been using this for years and never realized it was a actual principle. I realize now that the principle of having printed words and graphics in a contiguous space would make a lesson much more understandable (Clark and Mayer, 2011).
I have been using this method with Microsoft Excel. In Excel there is this great feature called Smart Art that actually does this process for you. All you have to do is to pick the shape and enter the data. It lines everything up in a orderly fashion to fit the shape. It does look better when you have less text involved.
I also use this in MS Word since I like to transfer a lot of my charts from Excel into Word for papers or summaries. I have also used this in Word with comments on grades for papers. Word does allow for some graphics as well but I think Excel offers more options.
I thank you for enlightening me on the terminology and the concept!
Angela Holt
References
Clark, R.C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Wiley & Sons.