Self-management of cognitive load in children: Exploring effective strategies by manipulating informational text

Hora, Marcus J.

This study explored if self-management techniques (highlighting, drawing arrows, text boxes) complicate students' cognitive load compared to students that do not include the possible extraneous load of self-management techniques. This study sampled 27 sixth grade students all in the combined literacy and social studies classes. The researcher randomly assigned a student with any of the four conditions with reading a text about the water cycle: nothing edited (control group), highlighting tool usage required, drawing arrows on the text required, or requirement of moving text boxes. This text (with a diagram included) was on taken on the computer for all students.

The students were given seven minutes to study the material. Then, the students rated their own mental effort on a mental effort rating scale. Next, the students were asked to work through 6 questions based on the material. The results concluded that all of the conditions yielded similar results; however, students requiring usage of highlighter did yield the best results from the test (just not by a great amount). Although, there may have already been to much extraneous cognitive load in the classroom environment--since this was not something that the students were used to in the classroom. This can be helpful in the classroom to show that using self-management techniques may not contribute to the extraneous load, which can help some students who benefit from it. This also implies that we need to reduce the extraneous factors in the classroom environment and not just within the teaching itself (ex. have a regular procedure on teaching and what is being assessed).

This research study concerns the potential downfalls of the original Cognitive Load Theory model that was presented by Paas and Van Merrienboer. The author mentions that the original model is effective for on overview of how the theory functions within a classroom setting, but fails to take into account how the classroom environment could impact the cognitive load of the students present. In the older model, environment was seen as a control factor and kept constant throughout each study, whether or not that environment benefitted or detracted from the student's ability to take in and process information. The new model now considers how the physical learning environment (E) interacts with the students based on:

• Two interaction between physical learning environment (E) and task characteristics (T)

• Two-way interaction between the physical learning environment (E) and learn characteristics (L)

• Two interaction between task characteristics (T) and learner characteristics (L)

• and finally the three-way interaction between physical learning environment (E), task characteristics (T), and learner characteristics (L)

These new considerations allow for a more in-depth understanding of how students interact with the physical environment, the subject matter they are presented with, and their. own personal histories that they bring to the classroom. The study goes on to experiment with different lighting, temperatures, colors, and sound/volume as children and adults are given tasks of varying nature in each physically contrasting setting.

The study found that the physical setting did in fact influence how the individuals in each experiment were able to complete tasks and take in information in both positive and negative ways.

Ex:

• Study found that noise within a classroom setting did effect the individual's ability to perform. Moderate noise levels were found to benefit performance of tasks, due to the fact that they often served as white noise for the students performing those tasks. Too much noise was found to cause cognitive overload and little to no noise had a negative effect on the participant's performance. This shows that the traditional classroom, quiet or raucous, is not as beneficial as mid level of noise.

• Study found that children placed in setting that used blue color, moderate noise, and a high ceiling enhanced creativity, where red color, low noise, and low ceiling enhanced the student's ability perform more detail oriented tasks. There are several cultural considerations, but this provides further prove of physical environment playing a factor in cognitive load

• Study found that one three way interaction used the effects of age/gender (L), lighting (E), and cognitive tasks (T). Color temperature of indoor lighting would affect the mood and performance of cognitive tasks based on age/gender. Younger students had negative mood to "warm" white lighting, meanwhile adults had trouble with "cool" white lighting - effective management tool if positive moods are believed to benefit function and instruction.

Applications to Our Classroom

Many of the studies mentioned have to do with more traditional classrooms that are not involved with music performance, but the information proves valuable nonetheless. Valuable adjustments could include using ambient sounds to prepare students for the lesson and ensuring a positive learning environment through various graphics that students can reference daily (such as pyramid of notes, pyramid of sound, etc.)