A Multimodal Neurophysiological Approach to Evaluate Educational Contents in Terms of Cognitive Processes and Engagement

Abstract

Background: Understanding the impact of different learning materials in terms of comprehension and engagement is essential for optimizing educational strategies. While digital learning tools are increasingly used, offering and multiplying different educational solutions, their effects on learners' mental workload, attention, and engagement remain underexplored. This study aims to investigate how different types of learning content-educational videos, academic videos, and text reading-affect cognitive processing and engagement.

Methods: Neurophysiological signals, including electroencephalography (EEG), electrodermal activity (EDA), and photoplethysmography (PPG), were recorded from experimental participants while they were engaged with each learning content. Subjective assessments of cognitive effort and engagement, together with a quiz to assess the knowledge acquisition, were collected through questionnaires for each tested content. Key neurophysiological metrics, such as engagement and Human Distraction Index (HDI), were computed and compared across conditions.

Results: Our findings indicate that video-based learning materials, particularly educational videos with visual enhancements, elicited higher engagement and lower cognitive load compared to text-based learning. The text reading condition was associated with increased mental workload and a higher distraction index, suggesting greater cognitive demands. Correlation analyses confirmed strong associations between neurophysiological indicators and subjective evaluations.

Conclusions: The results highlight the potential of neurophysiological measures to objectively assess learning experiences, paving the way for designing more effective and engaging learning platforms.

Keywords: EEG; education; learning; mental states; neurophysiology.

Figure 1

Experimental settings. The participant sat in front of the PC to provide learning materials and wore the EEG, PPG, and EDA signals collection equipment.

Figure 2

The ANOVA performed on the Human Distraction Index (i.e., HDI) revealed that the neurophysiological distraction evaluation was statistically lower when accessing the educational video material. * indicates the statistical significance (p < 0.05).

Figure 3

The ANOVA performed on the EEG-based engagement index revealed that participants were neurophysiologically more engaged when exposed to the educational video material. * indicates the statistical significance (p < 0.05).

Figure 4

The repeated measure correlation analysis showed that the neurophysiological Engagement index and the respective subjective perceptions exhibited a similar temporal dynamic along the experimental conditions.

Figure 5

The statistical analysis of the subjective scores revealed that participants perceived as easier and more engaging than the educational video in terms of cognitive impact. * indicates the statistical significance (p < 0.05).

Figure 6

The statistical analysis showed that the participants provided fewer correct answers when accessing the text reading material. * indicates the statistical significance (p < 0.05).