Previous studies have found that bullet comments influence the attention of learners in instructional videos, while learners' attention patterns are further modulated by their motivation levels. However, whether the learning outcomes of instructional videos with bullet comments are affected by learners' motivation remains unclear. Therefore, a two-factor mixed experimental design was conducted with 60 college students using eye-tracking technology. The results showed that: (1) Low-motivation college students allocate more

attention in the bullet comment and subtitle areas of instructional videos, and high-motivation college students allocate more attention in instructional areas. (2) Bullet comments enhances both retention and transfer performance for low-motivation college students, but shows no significant improvement in transfer performance for high-motivation college students. These findings indicate that both bullet comments and learning motivation shape attention allocation during instructional video learning, with bullet comments being particularly beneficial for low-motivation learners.

college students, bullet comments, learning motivation, attention patterns, instructional videos