Využití motion graphics jako edukačního materiálu ve výuce základů společenských věd

This thesis examines the use of motion graphics as an educational tool in teaching the basics of social sciences at high schools. The main objective of this thesis is to enhance the teaching of a specific topic in social sciences by using educational motion graphics videos that will supplement and enliven the lesson in response to students’ current needs. The main problems identified for students are the low ability to concentrate, mainly due to cell phones, and uninteresting lessons. At the same time, they prefer consuming video content on social media. They also require an interactive teaching style. Due to these factors, an educational tool in the form of a motion graphics video was designed. To create such a video, the identified principles are applied, such as simplicity of shapes and colors of elements to reduce cognitive load, a minimal amount of text that does not overwhelm the visual channel, movement that guides attention, a positive emotional impact through rounded shapes, and an engaging voiceover delivering informational content without added music, which would also hinder perception. The resulting video is tested at Nad Alejí High School among three upper-level high school classes, where students are divided into a group reading the video’s voiceover transcript and a group watching the video to compare the effectiveness of both media. One class had already covered the material, the second had partially encountered the topic in lower grades, and the third had not yet encountered the material at this school. Knowledge is assessed through a test, and questionnaires are used to examine issues related to learning and video processing. The accuracy of responses to knowledge-based questions is comparable for both video and text, which is why video proves to be a suitable alternative teaching material. Video is particularly advantageous in terms of saving study time, as students watching this video need only half the time to achieve the same level of success. The importance of images for maintaining attention and understanding the material is confirmed. The contribution of this work is the provision of a teaching aid suitable for supplementing lectures and enlivening lessons in an engaging way. Students can use the video to visualize and understand complex processes or to quickly review material before a test. Teachers plan to use the video in their lessons.