Impact of animation videos on primary students’ understanding of COVID-19 and relevant environmental and social issues

This study aimed to examine the impacts of animated videos on students' understanding of COVID-19 and relevant environmental and social issues. A total of 35 4th to 6th grade students from four primary schools were involved in this study. They were invited to watch six short animated videos about COVID-19 which were designed by the researchers of this study. Pre- and post-surveys were conducted to examine whether the designed animated videos were effective in terms of promoting students' understanding of COVID-19-related scientific concepts and social and environmental issues. Nine students were interviewed after they watched the videos in order to obtain more detailed information about their experiences and perceptions of science learning with animation videos. Results showed significant improvement in understanding specific concepts or issues related to COVID-19. Animations and verbal explanations in the videos were perceived by the students as the most useful aspects for deepening their understanding of infectious diseases, or changing their conceptions or attitudes. This study has implications for the design and implementation of more effective educational videos for science education in primary school. Copyright © 2023 World Education Research Association.