Chapter 6: Multimedia-Based Historical Inquiry Strategy Instruction: Do Size and Form Really Matter?

This chapter examines how the integration of a multimedia tool (SCIM Historical Inquiry Tutorial) can support the teaching of history. Specifically, we report on the results of an experiment that asks: To what extent does the level of strategic engagement (superficial or comprehensive) and the nature of the multimedia presentation (animation (A), narration (N), and on-screen text (T)) impact students’ understandings of historical inquiry and the strategic knowledge required to engage in source analysis? Participants included 195 male and 209 female undergraduate students (n = 404). While the superficial/comprehensive instructional strategy results provided evidence that sustained engagement is necessary for the development of strategic thinking, the multimedia group (i.e., AN, AT, ANT) results surprisingly yielded no significant or meaningful findings. This study joins a growing body of empirical research designed to examine how digital technologies can support the teaching and learning of the doing of history.