Designing videos to improve high-school students autonomy and competence for physics practicals.

Abstract

This study aims to design videos that support students perceived competence and enhance their autonomous motivation for physics practicals. To investigate the required design elements for a video that will promote student autonomy and competence and assess the gain in students’ autonomy and competence after watching the video, 491 students participated in this study. Of these, 18 were interviewed as part of the design study, and 473 participated in different phases of the comparative study. Based on the student interviews, the main design elements (e.g., a separate scene for every aim, addressing known misconceptions, and video length of approximately five minutes) for the production of an applicable support video were determined. To study the effects of scaffolding with a video introduction on intrinsic motivation, a comparative semi-experimental design was used for a physics practical on ionizing radiation, with 255 11th and 12th-grade students from nine participating schools. Analyses of pre-and posttests (Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, IMI) revealed that providing video scaffolding prior to practicals resulted in a significant gain in terms of the subscales interest/enjoyment, and perceived competence when compared to the more traditional practical design (i.e., direct instruction).