Shaping the sensory experience in digital environments: modality, congruency, and learning

The aim of this study was to examine if—and to what extent—a sensory modality's conceptual congruency influences learning in digital environments. Building on previous work in multimedia and embodied learning, the study used custom software to systematically vary the conceptual congruency of two sensory modalities (aural and bodily-kinesthetic). One hundred seventy-nine (N = 179) elementary students with prior knowledge of addition used the software as an introduction to multiplication. Results found that the participants who experienced more conceptual congruency in the aural and bodily-kinesthetic modalities demonstrated greater understanding of the target concept as measured by paper-based tests. In addition, the findings revealed the two modalities worked in a combinatorial fashion, suggesting a more-is-better impact on participant understanding. The study concludes with a discussion of the findings, along with an exploration of the theoretical and practical implications for designing sensory experiences that influence learning.