Question generation type and organizational cues in video learning: A study on their effects on online learning behaviors

This study examined the influence of question generation types and organizational cues on video learning. Participants were 100 undergraduate students randomly assigned to view videos that differed in terms of question generation type (instructor-generated vs. self-generated) and organizational cues (with vs. without). The results revealed that self-generated questions led to superior learning performance and higher cognitive load compared to instructor-generated questions in the absence of organizational cues, but when combined with organizational cues, there was no significant difference between the instructor and self-generated questions. Additionally, students who engaged with self-generated questions demonstrated a higher frequency of interaction and seeking behaviors and meta-cognition. Mediation analysis further indicated that self-generated questions, compared to instructor-generated questions, improved learning performance by increasing both the seeking frequency and cognitive load. These findings underscore the importance of question generation and organizational cues in video learning. They also have practical implications for design and use of video learning: if students are required to generate questions by themselves, it is better not to provide organizational cues; this will foster their engagement (more research behaviors and higher cognitive load) and thus their learning. In contrast, if they must answer questions generated by the instructor, the presence or absence of organizational cues does not matter.