720 Students Show Deeper Understanding When Explaining with Drawings

A recent study involving 720 students from 30 classes across eleven schools has shown that the simultaneous activation of various senses can significantly improve learning processes. This research, part of the GRAIL project by the DFG research group FOR 5254, highlights the effectiveness of the VAKT model, which integrates visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile channels in learning. The findings were published by Russ et al. in 2025 in the Journal of Educational Psychology.

In the study, a sample of 590 participants was analyzed. Those who explained a concept to a fictional classmate both verbally and through their own drawings demonstrated a deeper conceptual understanding immediately afterward compared to control groups that only provided verbal explanations, used predefined visualizations, or merely repeated the material. However, achieving long-term learning effects remains a methodological challenge.

This principle aligns with the Protégé Effect, which suggests that teaching others enhances retention. A previous study by Fiorella and Mayer in 2013 indicated that individuals who learned with the expectation of teaching performed better after a week than those who studied solely for a test or personal information.

Effective learning strategies and high retention rates are closely linked to overall mental health. Practical learning advice includes recording podcasts, creating personal sketches, and articulating concepts aloud. This active retrieval of knowledge and formulation in one's own words is crucial, although it carries the risk of confidently presenting incorrect assumptions, necessitating control mechanisms.

The targeted presentation of visual information also affects cognitive load. Scientific studies on knowledge construction reveal that diagrams serve as abstract visual symbols. While automated processes capture graphical arrangements, semantic processing guided by accompanying text leads to the development of mental models, transferring spatial relationships into meaningful content.

An eye-tracking study published in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning with 40 Japanese students aged 18 to 24 demonstrated significant differences in presentation forms during a 20-minute biology lecture. When image elements were introduced cumulatively, participants scored an average of 17.70 out of 20 in a post-test, compared to 16.70 points when complete slides were presented. The knowledge gain was approximately 6.4 points versus 4.2 points, with participants focusing on relevant elements much faster in the cumulative condition.

These findings, combined with active learning strategies like closing materials for pure memory recall, underscore that structured and multisensory methods can effectively support information processing.