Content area
Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) has primarily been applied to individual learning, while research on collaborative learning under CLT remains inconclusive. This experimental study investigated the effect of collective working memory on cognitive load, writing performance, and learning efficiency among 150 Indonesian undergraduates. Participants were assigned to either an individual learning (control) or cooperative learning (experimental) condition. Baseline writing performance differed between groups, so gain scores were analyzed. Results showed that both groups improved significantly in writing performance, with no significant differences between conditions. Cognitive load increased slightly in the cooperative learning group, while learning efficiency showed a small positive trend. These findings suggest that cooperative learning may support writing performance and efficiency in complex tasks, although clear advantages over individual learning were not established. Further research is needed with balanced baseline groups and longer interventions.
Details
Learning Activities;
Independent Study;
Academic Language;
Control Groups;
Experimental Groups;
Addition;
Group Instruction;
Long Term Memory;
Learning Processes;
Group Dynamics;
Instructional Materials;
Cooperative Learning;
Memory;
Language Tests;
Laboratory Experiments;
Collaborative Writing;
Instructional Design;
Charts;
Instructional Effectiveness;
Educational Environment;
Cognitive Ability;
Learner Engagement;
English;
Graphs
; Loyens Sofie 2
; Burke, Michael 2
; Hikmah Isti’anatul 3
; Gemilang Adria Vitalya 3
; Rikers Remy 2
1 Department of Education and Learning Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, The Netherlands; [email protected] (S.L.); [email protected] (M.B.); [email protected] (R.R.), Department of English Education, Universitas Sarjanawiyata Tamansiswa, Yogyakarta 55167, Indonesia; [email protected] (I.H.); [email protected] (A.V.G.)
2 Department of Education and Learning Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, The Netherlands; [email protected] (S.L.); [email protected] (M.B.); [email protected] (R.R.)
3 Department of English Education, Universitas Sarjanawiyata Tamansiswa, Yogyakarta 55167, Indonesia; [email protected] (I.H.); [email protected] (A.V.G.)