The Influence Of Visual Spatial Ability On The Attitude of Users Towards High-Quality 3D-animations In Hypermedia Learning Environments

Increasingly, videos and 3D animations get integrated into learning software. The development of high quality content is demanding in regard to technical expertise and financial resources. Such an effort should be justified by an enhanced benefit for the target groups. The question arises if different learner characteristics influence the motivation to use such features. The study presented investigates the attitude of students with different spatial ability towards videos and animations. Testing was performed with two versions of a CD-ROM on cell biology. They differed in the presence / absence of high-quality animations. 125 students were invited to work with these variants. In a pre-test their visual spatial ability was measured. After working with the CD-ROM the students were asked to assess the software. The results show that participants with high spatial ability had a more positive attitude towards the inclusion of high-quality 3D graphics than students with low spatial ability.