STRUCTURING AND SEQUENCING OF VERBAL-PICTORIAL LEARNING-MATERIAL

This study investigates the structuring and sequencing of a special ty pe of verbal-pictorial learning material, namely ''illustrations that instruct'' (Mayer, 1993). In such illustrations text and graphic parts form an integrated whole with text embedded in the graphic parts and vice versa. Due to their complexity such instructing illustrations imp ose high demands on information processing. From the viewpoint of inst ruction one may ask how the reception of such instructing illustration s may be supported by an appropriate structure and sequence of the con tent. In two empirical investigations three types of content structure s and sequences were compared to each other: (a) a top-down sequence ( based on assumptions of the ''Elaboration Theory'', Reigeluth, 1987b) with changes from the whole to details and vice versa which shows the integration of details into the whole context, (b) a bottom-up sequenc e from details to the whole, (c) the presentation as a static picture. In the first investigation the learning time was restricted whereas i n the second investigation the learners themselves could decide on the ir learning time. The results show stable learner preferences for pres entation (a) but different learning results in both studies. The cruci al variable explaining for the differences in learning results was the learning time and not the type of sequencing. However, the learning t ime is not independent from a certain type of sequencing. Without rest rictions in learning time only with the top-down sequence (a) learners took sufficient time for information processing.