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Visible Learning™
Visible Learning MetaX™
Version 1.4 – Updated February 2026

Adjunct aids

Overview

  • Influence: Adjunct aids
  • Domain: Teaching Strategies
  • Sub-Domain: Instructional strategies
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Potential to accelerate
  • Influence Definition: These materials, such as pictorial displays, animations, and "enhanced" text (with bold-faced and italicized typefaces, for instance) are placed alongside the text, as adjunct aids to improve understanding.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 17
  • Number of studies: 572
  • Number of students: 110,652
  • Number of effects: 969
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.69
  • Robustness index: 5

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
Psychology in the Schools Readence & Moore A meta-analytic review of the effect of adjunct pictures on reading comprehension 1981 Adjunct pictures in reading 16 2,227 122 0.45
Educational Communication and Technology Journal Levine & Lentz Effects of text illustrations: A review of research 1982 Text illustrations 23 7,182 41 0.55
Studies in Second Language Acquisition Lee & Huang Visual Input Enhancement and Grammar Learning: A Meta-Analytic Review 2008 Enhanced-embedded text features on grammar 16 1,257 41 0.48
Education Psychological Review Schroeder & Cenkci Spatial contiguity and spatial split-attention effects in multimedia learning environments: a meta-analysis. 2018 Words & pictures near each other 58 2,426 58 0.63
Computers and Education Berney & Betrancourt Does animation enhance learning? A meta-analysis 2016 Adjunct animations 50 7,036 140 0.23
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education Adesope & Nesbit Toward accessible learning resources. 2012 Verbal redundancy vs. non redundancy aids 32 3,192 48 0.17
Dissertation Catts The integration of research findings: a review of meta-analysis methodology and an application to research on the effects of knowledge objectives 1992 Adjunct aids 8 NA 19 0.01
Conference paper Hoffler, Sumfleth, & Leutner The role of spatial ability when learning from an instructional animation or a series of static pictures 2006 Instructional animation vs. static pictures 26 NA 76 0.46
Educational Research Review Richter, Scheiter, & Eitel Signaling text-picture relations in multimedia learning: A comprehensive meta-analysis 2016 Signaling text-pictures 27 NA 45 0.35
Studies in Science Education McElhaney, Chang, Chiu & Linn Evidence for effective uses of dynamic visualisations in science curriculum materials 2015 Dynamic vs Static Visualizations for Science 26 NA 50 0.21
Journal of Educational Psychology Adesope & Nesbit Verbal redundancy in multimedia learning environments: A meta-analysis. 2005 Verbal redundancy vs. non redundancy aids 33 3,452 57 0.15
Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice Kablan, Topan, & Erkan The effectiveness level of material use in classroom instruction: A meta-analysis study. 2013 Educational materials as adjunct aids 57 NA 57 1.27
Inönü Üniversitesi Egitim Fakültesi Dergisi Yokus & Ayçiçek The effect of concept cartoons used in science education to achievement: Meta-analysis study. 2019 Concept caricatures in science 23 80,798 23 0.87
Nurse Education Today Clerkin, Patton, Moore, Nugent, & Avsar What is the impact of video as a teaching method on achieving psychomotor skills in nursing? A systematic review and meta-analysis.  2022 Video in teaching psychomotor skills to nurses 6 356 6 0.62
Inönü Üniversitesi Egitim Fakültesi Dergisi Küçükaydin The effect of concept cartoons used in science education to achievement: Meta-analysis study. 2019 Adjunct cartoons 7 NA 7 0.49
Gelecek Vizyonlar Dergis: Future Visions Journal Akkeyik, Ummuhan, Inel, Yusuf, Dergisi, Gelecek Sosyal Bilgiler Ögretiminde Kullanilan Materyallerin Ögrenci Basarisina Etkisi: Bir Meta-Analiz Çalismasi: The effect of materials used in social studies teaching on student achievement: A meta-analysis study. 2022 Social studies resources 135 NA 135 1.26
Education Technology Research and Development Alpizar, Adesope, & Wong A meta-analysis of signaling principle in multimedia learning environments. 2020 Signaling in multi-media learning 29 2,726 44 0.38
TOTAL/AVERAGE 572 110,652 969 0.50
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