| Sumario: | Background: Previous media comparison research has often compared learning from instructional games with learning from traditional media. However, there is a limited exploration into how the learner's cognitive traits, particularly cognitive flexibility, influence learning outcomes across different media. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the impact of cognitive flexibility on learning outcomes when using two distinct instructional media: an instructional game and a slideshow lesson. Methods: A total of 142 undergraduate students participated in this study, engaging in a 1.5‐h session focusing on epidemiology. They were randomly assigned to either the instructional game Crystal Island or a slideshow lesson covering the same content. Their trait cognitive flexibility and learning outcomes were evaluated through post‐questionnaires and posttests. Results and Conclusions: The study found that students with higher cognitive flexibility scored better on transfer tests. Additionally, the slides group outperformed the game group. Interestingly, no significant interaction was observed between cognitive flexibility and the assigned learning medium. Overall, this study replicated some findings from previous media comparison studies and highlighted the need to further explore cognitive flexibility as a key individual trait in multimedia learning. Practitioner Notes: What is already known about this topic ○Cognitive flexibility allows individuals to adapt to complex situations.○Instructional games represent ill‐structured learning environments.○Slide‐based lessons represent well‐structured learning environments.○Whether games or traditional media are more effective for learning is still unclear.○Few studies focused on the effect of individual differences on game‐based learning.What this paper adds ○Higher cognitive flexibility improves transfer learning outcomes but not retention.○Slide‐based lessons lead to better transfer test scores than instructional games.○There was no significant interaction between cognitive flexibility and learning environments.Implications for practice and/or policy: ○Traditional slides may be more effective than games for transfer tasks in some contexts.○Educators should consider individual differences when designing instructional materials.○Instructional games need improved design to enhance engagement and reduce distractions.○Future research should develop more flexible, engaging game‐based learning environments.
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