Instructor's low guided gaze duration improves learning performance for students with low prior knowledge in video lectures

BackgroundGuided gaze is the instructor's gaze towards teaching materials to guide students' attention, and it plays a vital role in enhancing video-based education. The duration of guided gaze, indicating how long instructors focus on teaching materials, varies based on the lecture design. Nevertheless, the impact of varying durations of guided gaze, especially concerning students' prior knowledge, remains inadequately understood.ObjectivesThis study investigates the influence of the instructor's guided gaze duration and students' prior knowledge on learning performance and affective experiences in video lectures.Methods145 fifth-grade students participated and were divided into high and low prior knowledge groups based on a pre-test. Within each group, students were randomly assigned to view one of three video lectures with different guided gaze durations (high vs. medium vs. low). Learning performance and affective experiences (learning experience, satisfaction, and emotions) were measured as dependent variables.Results and ConclusionThe results revealed that low guided gaze duration significantly improves learning performance for students with low prior knowledge. Conversely, high guided gaze duration negatively impacts learning experience, satisfaction, and positive emotions. Additionally, students with high prior knowledge reported higher learning experience and satisfaction. These findings highlight the interaction between guided gaze duration and prior knowledge in students' learning performance.ImplicationsOur findings provide valuable implications for the design of guided gaze duration in video lectures based on students' prior knowledge. By adjusting guided gaze duration appropriately, instructors can optimise students' learning performance and affective experiences. What is already known about this topicImplications for practice and/or policy Guided gaze is the instructor's gaze on teaching materials, guiding students' attention to relevant information. Guided gaze duration measures the amount of time instructors spend looking at teaching materials. Prior knowledge can modulate the impact of instructors' guidance on students' learning performance. It remains unclear whether guided gaze duration affects the learning outcomes of students with varied prior knowledge.What this paper adds Guided gaze duration is divided into three levels (high, medium, and low), indicating the percentage of time the instructor looks at teaching materials. High guided gaze duration has negative effects on students' learning experience, satisfaction, and positive emotions. Students with high prior knowledge have higher learning performance, experience, and satisfaction. Low guided gaze duration improves learning performance for students with low prior knowledge.Instructors should use low guided gaze duration for students with low prior knowledge. Instructors should aim to reduce the use of high guided gaze duration.