Storifying instructional videos on online credibility evaluation: Examining engagement and learning

This study used video-based instruction to promote adolescents' online credibility evaluation skills and to examine whether storification of instructional videos can maintain students' situational interest and positive activating epistemic emotions during a four-lesson intervention better than non-storified instructional videos. The study also investigated whether storified instruction can enhance students' learning of online credibility evaluation skills better than non-storified instruction. The learning content of the videos was equivalent, differing only in terms of storification. Students participated in either a non-storified (n = 135) or storified (n = 115) video-based instruction (4 x 45-min lesson). In each of the first three lessons, students watched an instructional video explaining one credibility evaluation strategy. In the fourth lesson, the video introduced a case requiring students to apply the taught strategies. After watching the video, students' situational interest and positive activating epistemic emotions (i.e., curiosity and excitement) were measured. Then, students practiced the taught strategies with learning tasks. Students' credibility evaluation skills were measured before and after the intervention with an online credibility evaluation task. The latent growth curve model showed that non-storified and storified videos similarly maintained students' situational interest. No decline was observed. However, a small decline in positive activating epistemic emotions was observed in both instructional conditions. Students' credibility evaluation skills improved equally across instructions. The results underline that professionally produced videos following several multimedia design principles can trigger and maintain situational interest and enhance students’ online credibility evaluation skills without the need to incorporate additional storified elements.