Effects of creating video-based modeling examples on learning and transfer

• Two experiments examined the effects of acting as a peer model in a video example.
• This entailed studying with the intention to explain to others and then explaining on video.
• For adolescents (Experiment 1) there was no effect of study intention on learning.
• An effect of study intention on learning was found for university students (Experiment 2).
• In both Experiments only acting as a model (explaining on video) fostered transfer.

Two experiments investigated whether acting as a peer model for a video-based modeling example, which entails studying a text with the intention to explain it to others and then actually explaining it on video, would foster learning and transfer. In both experiments, novices were instructed to study a text, either with the intention of being able to complete a test (condition A), or being able to explain the content to others (condition B and C). Moreover, students in condition C actually had to explain the text by creating a webcam-video. In Experiment 1 (N = 76 secondary education students) there was no effect of study intention on learning (A = B), but explaining during video creation significantly fostered transfer performance (C > B; C > A). In Experiment 2 (N = 95 university students), study intention did have an effect on learning (C > A; B > A), but only actual video creation significantly fostered transfer performance (C > A).