Learning with Visual Representations through Cognitive Load Theory

This study examined two different strategies of learning with diagrams: drawing diagrams while learning or learning from pre-constructed diagrams. One hundred ninety six junior high school students were randomly placed in a condition either to draw while learning about how airplanes fly or to study from pre-constructed diagrams. Before the learning, students' prior knowledge and elaboration strategies were measured. During learning in either condition, students reported their mental effort. Afterwards, students' learning was tested on both a similar task and transfer task. Cook's (2006) theoretical framework, which combines prior knowledge and cognitive load theory on visual representations in science education, was used to analyze the results. Results showed that students' mental effort significantly increased in the drawing condition, yet results on the posttest were mixed. Students did not do better, and sometimes did worse, on the posttest measures when they learned by drawing diagrams versus using pre-constructed diagrams to learn. The exception was that students with low initial prior knowledge did do better. Elaborations strategies did not have an effect on students' achievement or mental effort in either condition.