Ineffectiveness of recorded video instruction for teaching complex content in secondary school physics classrooms

Video instruction has been widely studied and is generally considered as effective as live instruction for teaching scientific concepts and procedures. However, there is limited research on the effectiveness of prerecorded videos for teaching more challenging content. This study conducted a controll...

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Main Authors: Yajun Wei, Yi Zhong, Feipeng Pi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Physical Society 2025-03-01
Series:Physical Review Physics Education Research
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.21.010117
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author Yajun Wei
Yi Zhong
Feipeng Pi
author_facet Yajun Wei
Yi Zhong
Feipeng Pi
author_sort Yajun Wei
collection DOAJ
description Video instruction has been widely studied and is generally considered as effective as live instruction for teaching scientific concepts and procedures. However, there is limited research on the effectiveness of prerecorded videos for teaching more challenging content. This study conducted a controlled experiment on over 300 high school students to compare the effectiveness of live instruction versus recorded video in teaching physics problem solving, a representative example of challenging content. Our results indicate that for simpler problems, there is no significant difference in student learning outcomes between live and video instruction, corroborating previous research. However, as problem complexity increases, live instruction significantly outperforms video instruction, potentially highlighting the importance of real-time adaptability, engagement, and sustained attention in face-to-face settings. We found a negative correlation between the effectiveness of video instruction and the difficulty level of the content. This study is the first to empirically investigate the use of video instruction for complex problem solving, making a significant contribution to the current body of literature. Additionally, the findings offer practical insights for school administrators or department heads, suggesting that while video instruction can effectively substitute for live teaching in simpler scenarios, live instruction remains crucial for more complex material, impacting decisions related to human resource allocation and instructional planning.
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spelling doaj-art-e6306d98dc0049849e42a25e80709c082025-08-20T02:58:10ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review Physics Education Research2469-98962025-03-0121101011710.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.21.010117Ineffectiveness of recorded video instruction for teaching complex content in secondary school physics classroomsYajun WeiYi ZhongFeipeng PiVideo instruction has been widely studied and is generally considered as effective as live instruction for teaching scientific concepts and procedures. However, there is limited research on the effectiveness of prerecorded videos for teaching more challenging content. This study conducted a controlled experiment on over 300 high school students to compare the effectiveness of live instruction versus recorded video in teaching physics problem solving, a representative example of challenging content. Our results indicate that for simpler problems, there is no significant difference in student learning outcomes between live and video instruction, corroborating previous research. However, as problem complexity increases, live instruction significantly outperforms video instruction, potentially highlighting the importance of real-time adaptability, engagement, and sustained attention in face-to-face settings. We found a negative correlation between the effectiveness of video instruction and the difficulty level of the content. This study is the first to empirically investigate the use of video instruction for complex problem solving, making a significant contribution to the current body of literature. Additionally, the findings offer practical insights for school administrators or department heads, suggesting that while video instruction can effectively substitute for live teaching in simpler scenarios, live instruction remains crucial for more complex material, impacting decisions related to human resource allocation and instructional planning.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.21.010117
spellingShingle Yajun Wei
Yi Zhong
Feipeng Pi
Ineffectiveness of recorded video instruction for teaching complex content in secondary school physics classrooms
Physical Review Physics Education Research
title Ineffectiveness of recorded video instruction for teaching complex content in secondary school physics classrooms
title_full Ineffectiveness of recorded video instruction for teaching complex content in secondary school physics classrooms
title_fullStr Ineffectiveness of recorded video instruction for teaching complex content in secondary school physics classrooms
title_full_unstemmed Ineffectiveness of recorded video instruction for teaching complex content in secondary school physics classrooms
title_short Ineffectiveness of recorded video instruction for teaching complex content in secondary school physics classrooms
title_sort ineffectiveness of recorded video instruction for teaching complex content in secondary school physics classrooms
url http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.21.010117
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