Psychological insights into enhanced online learning: Investigating the role of Danmaku interaction and cognitive styles

Danmaku, as an emerging mode of interaction, is widely used in online video learning. It is therefore crucial to understand how Danmaku influences learning experiences. Previous studies found that Danmaku fosters a collaborative atmosphere, enhancing students’ attention and motivation. However, research on how Danmaku affects learners with different cognitive styles remains limited, particularly regarding how matching Danmaku properties with cognitive styles influences outcomes. This study addresses these issues through two experiments. By examining the effects of Danmaku presentation style and display area on learning outcomes of learners with different cognitive styles, we found that presentation formats and display areas had significantly different impacts on learning perceptions and cognitive load among field-dependent and field-independent learners. The findings underscore the importance of adapting Danmaku settings to accommodate learner differences. They further emphasize the necessity of considering cognitive styles in designing online learning environments and provide recommendations for teaching platforms on how to optimize Danmaku to enhance learning outcomes. The main contributions of this study are as follows. 1 Reveals how Danmaku presentation and display area influence learners with different cognitive styles. 2 Extends ternary interactive learning theory to online educational technology. 3 Offers evidence-based guidelines for optimizing Danmaku features. 4 Promotes personalized, learner-centered instructional strategies. 1 Reveals how Danmaku presentation and display area influence learners with different cognitive styles. 2 Extends ternary interactive learning theory to online educational technology. 3 Offers evidence-based guidelines for optimizing Danmaku features. 4 Promotes personalized, learner-centered instructional strategies. Overall, this study demonstrates how Danmaku properties can be effectively leveraged in online learning and provides both theoretical and practical guidance for enhancing learning effectiveness, advancing platform development, and supporting student success.