Students’ extraneous cognitive load in cell biology lectures

Abstract

This study aims to analyse students’ extraneous cognitive load (ECL) in cell biology lectures. Participants in the study were 31 students of the Biology Education Department who attended the Cell Biology course from a university in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Cell Biology lectures include fours topics. The data of ECL were measured using questionnaires with a semantically differential scale, containing statements about students’ mental efforts in understanding the information received in the lectures. The data obtained were then tabulated, categorised according to the mental effort rubric, and made into percentage for each step of the VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/write, Kinaesthetic) approach. The results of the data analysis show that students' mental effort (ECL) in understanding each concept in Cell Biology lectures through the VARK approach is generally in the lower category. This is indicated by the very high percentage in the low category for visual, aural, read/write, and kinaesthetic steps. 
 
 Keywords: Extraneous cognitive load, cell biology, VARK;

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“…The high GCL results showed that the experimental group was better than the control group. This means that a low ECL can cause a high GCL because ideally the ECL needs to be reduced so that most of the cognitive load is on the GCL, meaning that the majority of students' energy should be able to construct new knowledge [11].…”