The positivity principle do positive instructors improve learning from video lectures?

• Published in: Educational technology research and development Vol. 69; no. 6; pp. 3101 - 3129
• Main Authors: Lawson, Alyssa P., Mayer, Richard E., Adamo-Villani, Nicoletta, Benes, Bedrich, Lei, Xingyu, Cheng, Justin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer Science + Business Media 01.12.2021; Springer US; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Analysis; Between-subjects design; Distance learning; Education; Educational Technology; Electronic Learning; Emotions; Experiments; Instructional Improvement; Learner Engagement; Learning and Instruction; Lecture Method; Nonverbal Communication; Online instruction; Positive Attitudes; Psychological Patterns; RESEARCH ARTICLE; Statistics Education; Teacher Effectiveness; Teachers; Teaching Styles; Video Technology; Online lesson; Video lectures; Emotional design; e-learning; Affective processes
• ISSN: 1042-1629; 1556-6501
• DOI: 10.1007/s11423-021-10057-w

The positivity principle states that people learn better from instructors who display positive emotions rather than negative emotions. In two experiments, students viewed a short video lecture on a statistics topic in which an instructor stood next to a series of slides as she lectured and then they took either an immediate test (Experiment 1) or a delayed test (Experiment 2). In a between-subjects design, students saw an instructor who used her voice, body movement, gesture, facial expression, and eye gaze to display one of four emotions while lecturing: happy (positive/active), content (positive/passive), frustrated (negative/active), or bored (negative/passive). First, learners were able to recognize the emotional tone of the instructor in an instructional video lecture, particularly by more strongly rating a positive instructor as displaying positive emotions and a negative instructor as displaying negative emotions (in Experiments 1 and 2). Second, concerning building a social connection during learning, learners rated a positive instructor as more likely to facilitate learning, more credible, and more engaging than a negative instructor (in Experiments 1 and 2). Third, concerning cognitive engagement during learning, learners reported paying more attention during learning for a positive instructor than a negative instructor (in Experiments 1 and 2). Finally, concerning learning outcome, learners who had a positive instructor scored higher than learners who had a negative instructor on a delayed posttest (Experiment 2) but not an immediate posttest (Experiment 1). Overall, there is evidence for the positivity principle and the cognitive-affective model of e-learning from which it is derived.