Pictorial illustrations in intelligent tutoring systems: do they distract or elicit interest and engagement?

Do pictorial illustrations distract from learning and, thus, decrease learning outcomes, as suggested by Cognitive Load Theory and Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning? Or can pictorial illustrations trigger interest and thereby enhance the willingness to learn as suggested by interest theories? Although these approaches seem to contradict each other, we assume that they are compatible: Pictorial illustrations may hamper short-term learning but raise interest and engagement so that in the medium run learning may be enhanced. In order to test our "integrative" hypothesis, we explored the potential of different types of pictorial illustrations to trigger situational interest in the context of geometry learning. Results showed an effect of pictorial illustrations on the interestingness of geometry problems. In addition, interest in further learning with the computer-based learning environment was higher with pictorial illustrations than without. On the other hand, interest in deepening geometry knowledge was reduced when illustrations were added.