2026 IJRSE – Volume 15 Issue 7
Available Online: 9 March 2026
Author/s:
Siew, Pei Hwa*
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sungai Long, Malaysia (siewph@utar.edu.my)
Tjew, Erwin
Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation, Malaysia (erwin_tjew@yahoo.com)
Abstract:
The advancement of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is progressively redefining the educational landscape. The effective infusion of ICTs to support teaching-learning process has paved the way for innovative teaching methods to engage students in meaningful learning experiences. Utilizing ICTs in education, also known as Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) or simply educational technology (EdTech) has revealed a pedagogical shift from teacher-led instruction to student-centered learning. The embedment of pedagogical agents (PAs) into digital learning environments are popular EdTech to scaffold learning. Previous studies found that PAs had shown a positive impact on student learning outcomes. In current study, two interactive multimedia modules (IMMs) for teaching an Introductory Psychology course to non-majors were developed, comprising two different designs of PAs—affective PAs (APA) with animated and emotive responses and static PAs (SPA). The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of APA and SPA on students’ learning achievement in an Introductory Psychology course through a two-group post-test only experimental design. 32 university students from a Malaysian university who studied a communication program were recruited via purposive sampling, and equally allocated to APA and SPA groups. The research findings corroborate with the hypothesis that the APA embedded in IMM module is more effective in promoting students’ learning compared to SPA during the acquisition of Introductory Psychology knowledge. Research findings also reveal that the combination of animated visuals (APA) and narration with recorded human voice play a pivotal role in enhancing comprehension and knowledge retention compared to static with text-only presentations through SPA.
Keywords: affective pedagogical agents, static pedagogical agents, multimedia instruction, introductory psychology course, learning achievement
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26825
Cite this article:
Siew, P. H., & Tjew, E. (2026). Affective versus static pedagogical agents: Which are more effective in optimizing multimedia instruction? International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 15(6), 121-132. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26825
* Corresponding Author