Online reading: a preliminary study of the impact of integrated and split-attention formats on L2 students’ cognitive load
Online reading: a preliminary study of the impact of integrated and split-attention formats on L2 students’ cognitive load
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在线阅读：整合和分散注意力模式对二语学生认知负荷影响的初步研究
作者：
S. Al;C. Gitsaki
摘要认知负荷理论一直被二语习得研究者用来解释学习者在不同学习任务中的表现差异。某些教学设计被证明对认知负荷和工作记忆有影响，并且发现这种影响在多媒体环境中更加突出，在多媒体环境中，有各种相互作用的元素和工具可以导致认知过载，从而降低学习成果。本研究探讨了分散注意和整合教学模式对学生认知负荷的影响，以及它们如何促进第二语言在线阅读和词汇学习。20名在澳大利亚语言机构学习英语作为第二语言（ESL）的中级学生被随机分配到四个条件：SAND（分散注意力无词典），SAOD（分散注意力在线词典），IFND（综合格式无词典）和IFOD（综合格式在线词典）。受试者被要求完成在线阅读理解任务，其中在SAND和SAOD条件下测试的受试者被暴露于典型的阅读文本，然后是理解问题，而在IFND和IFOD条件下的受试者被暴露于阅读文本，其中理解问题被物理地插入在阅读文本中。在SAOD和IFOD条件下，受试者可以访问在线词典。结果表明，整合式阅读模式比分散式阅读模式更有利于学生的阅读理解。此外，在SAOD和IFOD组中，能够使用在线词典的学生在词汇测试中表现更好，但在阅读任务上花费的时间比其他两组更多。此外，注意力分散格式组的参与者比综合格式组的参与者查找更多的单词。本研究结果对多媒体教学设计者和英语教师具有一定的启示意义。
Abstract Cognitive load theory has been utilized by second language acquisition (SLA) researchers to account for differences in learner performance with regards to different learning tasks. Certain instructional designs were shown to have an impact on cognitive load and working memory, and this impact was found to be accentuated in a multimedia environment where there is a variety of interacting elements and tools that can lead to cognitive overload and consequently reduced learning outcomes. This study investigated the influence of split-attention and integrated instructional formats on students’ cognitive load and how they might facilitate second language online reading and vocabulary learning. Twenty English as a Second Language (ESL) intermediate students studying at an Australian language institution were randomly assigned to four conditions: SAND (Split-Attention No Dictionary), SAOD (Split-Attention with Online Dictionary), IFND (Integrated Format No Dictionary), and IFOD (Integrated Format with Online Dictionary). Subjects were asked to complete an online reading comprehension task in which subjects tested under the SAND and SAOD conditions were exposed to a typical reading text followed by comprehension questions, whereas subjects in the IFND and IFOD conditions were exposed to a reading text where the comprehension questions were physically inserted within the reading text. Under the SAOD and IFOD conditions, subjects had access to an online dictionary. Results showed that the integrated reading format was found to facilitate students’ reading comprehension more than the split-attention format. Also, students who had access to the online dictionary in the SAOD and IFOD groups performed better on the vocabulary test, but spent more time on the reading task than the other two groups. Furthermore, participants in the split-attention format group looked up more words than their counterparts in the integrated format group. The results of the present study have certain implications for multimedia instructional designers and ESL teachers.