Running head: MISCONCEPTIONS IN EXPLAINER VIDEOS 1 When Learners Prefer the Wrong Explanation: Misconceptions in Physics Explainer Videos and the Illusion of Understanding Christoph Kulgemeyer*a University of Paderborn Jörg Wittwerb University of Freiburg *a Corresponding author. Physics Education, Department of Physics, University of Paderborn, Germany, Warburger Str. 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany, E-mail:
[email protected]. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6659-8170 bDepartment of Educational Science, University of Freiburg, Germany, Rempartstr. 11, 79098 Freiburg, Germany, E-mail:
[email protected], https://orcid.org/0000- 0001-9984-7479 2 MISCONCEPTIONS IN EXPLAINER VIDEOS Abstract Online explanation videos on platforms like YouTube are popular among students and serve as an important resource for both distance learning and regular science education. Despite their immense potential, some of the explainer videos for physics include problematic explanation approaches, possibly fostering misconceptions. However, some of them manage to achieve good ratings on YouTube. A possible reason could be that explainer videos with misconceptions foster an “illusion of understanding”—the mistaken belief that a topic has been understood. In particular, misconceptions close to everyday experiences might elicit greater interest and appear more convincing than scientifically correct explanations. This experimental study was conducted to research this effect. Physics learners (N = 149), with a low prior knowledge enrolled in introductory university courses on primary education, were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. While the experimental group watched a video introducing the concept of force relying on misconceptions, the control group watched the scientifically correct video. Both videos were comparable in terms of comprehensibility and duration.