ERIC Number: EJ1470672
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jul
Pages: 40
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0735-6331
EISSN: EISSN-1541-4140
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Role of Race and Gender of Pedagogical Agents in Multimedia Learning
Fangzheng Zhao1; Richard E. Mayer1; Nicoletta Adamo-Villani2; Christos Mousas2; Minsoo Choi2; Klay Hauser2
Journal of Educational Computing Research, v63 n4 p801-840 2025
Do students learn from video lessons presented by pedagogical agents of different racial and gender types equivalently to those delivered by a real human instructor? How do the race and gender of these agents impact students' learning experiences and outcomes? In this between-subject design study, college students were randomly assigned to view a six 9-minute video lesson on chemical bonds, presented by pedagogical agents varying in gender (male, female) and race (Asian, Black, White), or to view the original lesson with a real human instructor. In comparing learning with a human instructor versus with a pedagogical agent of various races and genres, ANOVAs revealed no significant differences in learning outcomes (retention and transfer scores) or learner emotions, but students reported a stronger social connection with the human instructor over pedagogical agents. Students reported stronger positive emotions and social connections with female agents over male agents. Additionally, there was limited evidence of a race-matching effect, with White students showing greater positive emotion while learning with pedagogical agents of the same race. These findings highlight the limitations of pedagogical agents compared to human instructors in video lessons, while partially reflecting gender stereotypes and intergroup bias in instructor evaluations.
Descriptors: Multimedia Instruction, Race, Sex, Learning Experience, Outcomes of Education, Psychological Patterns, Undergraduate Students, Teacher Student Relationship, Teacher Characteristics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Positive and Negative Affect Schedule
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of California Santa Barbara, Goleta, CA, USA; 2Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA