Media and multimedia learning: essential research and resources
A guided pathway through foundational and current evidence on media and multimedia for learning.
This reading list is curated for educators, school leaders, MOE colleagues and research partners. It is selective rather than exhaustive. Begin with the first two items for orientation, then follow the items most relevant to your question.
Mayer, R. E., & Fiorella, L. (Eds.) (2021). Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning.
The central research handbook for multimedia-learning theory, evidence and design principles.
Fiorella, L., & Mayer, R. E. (2021). Principles for reducing extraneous processing.
Covers coherence, signalling, redundancy and spatial and temporal contiguity.
Mayer, R. E., & Fiorella, L. (2021). Principles for managing essential processing.
Covers segmenting, pre-training and modality, with attention to boundary conditions.
Scheiter, K. (2021). The learner control principle.
Examines when learner control supports or hinders multimedia learning.
W3C WAI (2024). Making Audio and Video Media Accessible.
Practical official guidance on planning captions, transcripts, visual description and accessible media players.
CAST (2024). UDL Guidelines 3.0.
A framework for identifying and reducing barriers and designing multiple ways for learners to access, engage with and act on information.
How to read this evidence
Check the learner age, domain and setting before transferring a finding.
Distinguish technology or environmental features from the pedagogy used with them.
Look for comparison conditions, implementation duration and outcome measures.
Treat engagement and satisfaction as useful but insufficient evidence of learning.
Use the evidence to frame questions and pilots, not to assume that one design will work everywhere.