| This dissertation describes strategies instructional designers can use to foster essential processing when designing multimedia instruction with different combinations of the use and non-use of the modality and segmenting principles described by Clark and Mayer (2016). This study investigated the main effects of segmenting and modality, and different combinations of the use and nonuse of the modality and segmenting principles, on recall and transfer test scores on gear instruction. The results from this study provide insight into how the use of one or more principles impacted overall, recall, and transfer learning outcomes. The results of the study revealed a lack of significant main effects for modality and segmenting on the overall, recall, and transfer posttest scores. Furthermore, there were no statistically significant differences observed among the four groups: control, modality, segmenting, and segmenting & modality. These findings suggest that the utilization of modality and segmenting principles did not improve learning outcomes compared to not using any principle, and employing both principles together did not yield superior results compared to using modality or segmenting alone. These results are inconsistent with a considerable body of prior research; however, they do not imply disregarding all previous research in the field. It should be noted that the sample size consisted of only 71 participants, which was a small sample size. The brevity of the treatment duration and the presence of ceiling effects may have influenced the findings of this research. The observed ceiling effects can potentially be attributed to several factors, including the simplicity of the test items used in the instrument, administering the instrument immediately after the instructional intervention, the effectiveness of the instructional intervention itself, and participants' existing knowledge prior to the study. Future studies could utilize a larger sample size, select more complex instructional topics, and incorporate more rigorous instruments. These improvements would have facilitated a more accurate assessment of the impact of the modality and segmenting principles on learning outcomes. Moreover, exploring the effect of the modality and segmenting principles on delayed transfer would have provided valuable insights into their long-term effectiveness in promoting knowledge retention and transfer. |