In recent decades, research into human cognition has unveiled in-depth insights into the structures and processes involved in the encoding, storage and retrieval of information. As human working memory is limited in both duration and capacity, cognitive load theory (Sweller, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994; Sweller & Chandler 1994; Chandler & Sweller 1991; 1996) asserts that information should be designed in a way that does not mentally overload learners. However, instructional designs rarely take into account cognitive processes when structuring teaching materials. In fact, many traditional forms of instruction were devised prior to fundamental research into cognitive load effects. As a result, learners are often subjected to cognitive overload when required to engage in extraneous tasks that are not directly related to meaningful learning. This is a particular problem for intrinsically complex Shakespearean works, renowned to be some of the most difficult texts students may ever encounter. Acknowledging that Shakespearean texts were written for performance, they are not always studied as such. Frequently, the texts are read around the class, whereby the focus is not dramatic but literary. Therefore, under the current system of study it is necessary to investigate instruction for reading comprehension of Shakespearean texts. Reading Shakespeare's plays will often overwhelm working memory resources and cause comprehension problems due to the many interactive elements of information readers are required to process simultaneously. This is a significant issue as Shakespeare's works hold a great deal of literary, dramatic, and linguistic significance and their study forms a compulsory part of school curriculum and assessment that affects all students from English speaking nations. By tradition conventional modes of instruction for Shakespearean texts require readers to consult disparate sources of information such as footnotes and endnotes that may contain either inadequate or unnecessary detail. Having to search for relevant information and mentally integrate separate sources of text results in a split attention effect and causes high levels of unnecessary cognitive load. As a result, Shakespeare's texts continue to be such a struggle for many students that some educational faculties have started to initiate the removal of Shakespeare from curriculum instead of developing more effective instructional methods for this domain. This study applies cognitive load theory as a means of investigating the comprehension of Shakespeare by testing the effects of explanatory notes integrated line by line with original Shakespearean verse. Previous studies in cognitive load theory have indicated that restructuring material in accordance with cognitive principles can optimise learning. However, the majority of these studies have focused on technical areas.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/258694 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Oksa, Annishka, Education, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, UNSW |
| Publisher | Awarded by:University of New South Wales. Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Oksa Annishka., http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright |
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