Abstract

This meta-analysis examined the relationship between motivation and materials which are designed based on ARCS Model. Twenty-six individual studies were included in the analysis and 28 effect size from these studies were calculated (N = 2140). The results showed positive effects of materials on motivation (g=0.57). Attention was found as the largest effect among the components of ARCS Model (g=0.55). Moreover, overall effect size was calculated 0.48 for relevance, 0.49 for confidence and 0.54 for satisfaction. Sample and duration were identified as two possible moderators. It was found that materials had rather effect on younger groups concerning sampling. As for duration, students’ motivation grew as duration of material use increased. Based on the results in terms of duration moderator, it is thought that the results of experimental studies investigating motivation and use or design of materials in literature may not be reliable because they had short duration of implementation. For this reason, it is suggested that future experimental researches should be performed with long-period implementations.

Key words: ARCS Model; motivation; multimedia learning environments; digital materials