Teachers’ beliefs about learning from multimedia

Opinions about the psychological correlates of multimedia computer-supported instructional tools were analyzed by means of a questionnaire concerning the motivational and emotional aspects of multimedia learning, the strategies to be followed during the learning process, the mental abilities and the style of thinking required, the cognitive benefits and outcomes. The questionnaire was distributed to 272 teachers working in kindergarten, primary, and secondary schools. Gender and previous experience with multimedia, as well as the disciplinary fields taught by secondary school teachers, were taken into account. Respondents identified a large number of non-trivial instructional opportunities from multimedia and showed well-defined and internally articulated beliefs. No significant gender effect was found. Differences of school level, disciplinary field, and direct experience with multimedia tools affected a part of the teachers’ representation. Implications for instruction were discussed.