8.9. Evidence for the Visible Author
There is some preliminary evidence that using the visible author style can promote deeper engagement in some learners. Paxton (2002) asked high school students to read a history lesson that featured an anonymous author (one who writes in the third person, revealing little about personal beliefs or self) or a visible author. On a subsequent essay writing task, students in the visible author group worked harder—as is indicated by writing longer essays that showed greater sensitivity to the audience. Inglese, Mayer, and Rigotti (2007) asked students at an Italian-speaking university to view online video clips and read online transcripts of various scholars in a course on political theory. On subsequent tests, ...