This document discusses three experiments on applying cognitive load theory in language classrooms. The first experiment found that subtitles or scripts helped with comprehension but not listening skills. The second experiment using eye tracking found that students read captions about 68% of the time while watching videos, but having audio, text, and images at once can overload students cognitively. Keeping cognitive load in mind, educators should consider students' different goals and reduce extraneous information when teaching languages using technology.

1. RUNNING HEAD: Cognitive Load Theory in the Modern Language Classroom 1
Cognitive Load Theory in the Modern Language Classroom
Alexandra I. Baltodano
University of South Carolina Aiken EDET 709 Application of Learning Principles
April 27, 2018

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Abstract
It is important to keep cognitive load in mind when teaching languages. By reducing
extraneous loads such as unnecessary pictures in videos and presentations, overall absorption of
the information can be more efficient. I explore if adding subtitles will help or will increase the
cognitive load too much. Keeping the cognitive load theory in mind when designing web-based
tutorials or lesson we should keep in mind that using audio, text, and picture could cause
cognitive overload. The purpose of this paper is to explore how the cognitive load theory can be
applied, in the language classroom and when using technology in the classroom.
Keywords: Cognitive load, language classroom, technology

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Cognitive Load Theory in the Modern Language Classroom
In teaching, keeping up with best practices is very important. There are many ways
educators can teach a language but in general, there are methodologies educators can use that
yield better student performance. For a very long time language was thought through rote
memorization, drills, and non-contextualized practices. Now teaching languages is more focused
on language proficiency. This shift is widely adapted but there are still many educators that have
their reservations. Some best practices are misinterpreted, misunderstood or simply feared
because of lack of explanation to the educator. Professional development is a constant in today’s
teaching environment but most of the time there is a very brief explanation of the methodology, a
couple of examples, and then the educator is left alone to figure out how to really implement it in
their classroom. Implementation is not the where educators come into trouble with certain best
practices. When administration comes in to observe their classroom and don’t really understand
the implementation of the best practices or the deviation from the best practices, the educator
gets looked at in a negative manner they are expecting to witness one thing in the classroom but
maybe see another. The cognitive load theory is a theory used by many language educators when
planning how they are going to deliver information. There is a big push in the language teaching
community to stay in the target language at all levels. “ACTFL, therefore, recommends that
language educators and their students use the target language as exclusively as possible (90%
plus) at all levels of instruction during instructional time and, when feasible, beyond the
classroom" (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages). Reasons why educators
do not stay in the Target Language 100% of the time vary and some have to do with cognitive
load. While staying in the target language and presenting new material educators have to be very
aware of not creating a cognitive overload for students. The purpose of this paper is to explore

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how the cognitive load theory can be applied in the language classroom and when using
technology in the classroom. I will review the cognitive load theory, review a couple of cases
that bring to attention why it is important to keep the cognitive theory in mind while teaching
languages and how to apply the cognitive theory despite best practice and using web-based
practices to help maintain the cognitive load theory.
The cognitive load theory suggests that educators should be mindful of how much
information should be taken in by the student at one time. There are three types of loads:
intrinsic, extraneous and germane. The intrinsic load has to do with the level of difficulty of the
material. The educator is not able to change the level of difficulty but can scaffold the problem
so it can be understood. For example, conjugating a verb can be a difficult process to understand.
The educator can scaffold the process by making sure the students understand what pronouns are
and how they are grouped. They can also give examples of how verbs are conjugated in English
or in the first language first. The extraneous load has to do with how the material is presented
and the instructional material used to present the information. When the intrinsic or germane
loads are heavy the extraneous load should be kept light and simple. A good way to do this is by
making sure students are not distracted by extra objects or sounds in presentations and in the
classroom. The germane load has to do with processing schemas (Cognitive load). In a very
basic example, the theory suggests that seven items, plus or minus two, depending on the
content, is an appropriate amount of information to take in at one time. As language educators,
we can interpret this on the surface as not teaching more than 7 vocabulary words at once but it
goes deeper than that. Cognitive load also has to do with taking in information such as grammar
and culture. When explaining grammar, educators should not overload their students with
information, this also includes visual and auditory. If the brain has to synthesize more than one

5. Cognitive Load Theory in the Modern Language Classroom 5
source of information at a time and place the two together when looking at an example it could
create cognitive overload and be ineffective. (Chandler, P., & Sweller, J. 294-295)
General Methods
Overview
In the experiments reported here the effects of subtitles and written scripts are researched
to find out if subtitles or audio scripts are productive in learning a foreign language when
listening to a video or audio file.
Experiments 1&2
Method
This study consisted of two experiments held to figure out what role scripts play in learning to
listen to a foreign language.
Two experiments were held. The first one was a total of 159 second-year
university students majoring in EFL from the Tianjin Foreign Language Studies
Institute in the north of China were recruited as participants for this study. They
were all native Chinese speakers and had completed 6 years of English study in
high school and 1 year of English study at the tertiary level, all following the
same curriculum at the institute. (Diao, Y., Chandler, P., & Sweller, J., 242) The
second experiment was conducted a week later using the same participants with
the same method and procedure as Experiment 1. The listening passages in this
experiment were changed to two expository passages with simpler syntax on
growing coffee trees and roses. METHOD Participants The same participants
were used in Experiment 2 as had been used in Experiment 1. They were assigned
to the same groups as Experiment 1: 53 to the listening-only group, 49 to the

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listening + full script group, and 57 to the listening + simultaneous subtitles
group. (Diao, Y., Chandler, P., & Sweller, J., 248)
Results
The results proved that depending on what you are looking for, learning how to listen or
comprehension the date changed.
Based on these results, the redundancy effect plays a role in multimedia EFL
instruction when students are learning to listen. Visual texts should be eliminated
when the aim of instruction is teaching to listen. Nevertheless, as the Phase 2 data
indicated in both experiments, the inclusion of written material associated with
spoken material facilitates comprehension and recall of information, confirming
many previous findings. (Diao, Y., Chandler, P., & Sweller, J., 251)
Educators need to make sure and understand the difference between comprehension skills and
listening skills. If the student is reading something while listening it does not mean the student
can listen and understand. Listening is its own skill that needs to be developed without the use of
any help such as a script or captions. Active Listening needs to be practiced from the very
beginning of a student’s language education.
Experiment 3
Method
This is an experiment that collects eye-tracking data while students are watching films with
subtitles.
Participants were recruited from foreign language classes at Michigan State
University. All data were collected in an eye-tracking lab at the university.
Participants met one-on-one with one of the researchers, signed a consent form,

7. Cognitive Load Theory in the Modern Language Classroom 7
and filled out a background questionnaire that asked about their age, native
language, major, year of study, prior language study, study- or travel-abroad
experience, motivation for learning the language, and intended future uses of the
language. The participants sat in a comfortable chair about 50 centimeters away
from a computer screen attached to an EyeLink 1000 (2009) eye-tracking camera.
(WINKE, P., SYDORENKO, T., & GASS, S., 260)
Results
This study shows that written text with audio can be a good thing in language learning but if you
have all three modalities: audio, text and picture, it may hinder learning.
In this study, when fourth-semester language learners watched videos with
foreign language captioning, they read the captions on average 68% of the time…
Normally, the process of comprehending the aural passage in video-based
listening activities focuses on establishing relationships between the aural
presentation and the corresponding images on screen. This process can be
augmented through the presentation and use of captions, except in cases where
processing all three input modalities is too burdensome; and processing
difficulties surfaced to the greatest extent when the difference between LI and L2
writing systems was most evident, as was the case when the L2 writing system
was non-alphabetic. A cognitive overload may result; consequently, the learner
will limit the use of a modality. (WINKE, P., SYDORENKO, T., & GASS, S.,
268)

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Educators may believe that making a presentation where there is audio, text and a picture is very
beneficial. It can be beneficial if the presentation is a simple one about vocabulary words but
once you turn to grammar it may best to just have two of the three modalities. Cognitive
overload can happen during grammar instruction, especially if all three modes are being used and
students have a difficult time sorting through the material.
Recommendations
How is Cognitive Load Theory Beneficial in the Language Classroom?
The cognitive load theory is a very beneficial tool in the language classroom. When
educators keep this theory in mind it can really help them set their students up for success. A
simple example is when teaching vocabulary educators can break up vocabulary into smaller
vocabulary lists. This way, students can retain the information in long-term memory faster and
more efficiently. While this is a simple example of how to implement the cognitive load theory,
there may be other ways that language educators don’t think of. According to the cognitive load
theory, it might be better to give explicit grammar instruction at the lower levels instead of using
inductive reasoning, when students are not strong in the vocabulary they are learning. To use
inductive reasoning to have the students figure out what the grammar is while trying to decipher
vocabulary words might cause cognitive overload. If the students know the vocabulary well and
just have to figure out a grammar point then inductive reasoning could work well. Teaching
grammar in English is also a way to reduce the cognitive load. While educators do believe it is
best to stay in the target language most of the time, teaching grammar is a time that switching to
English could be useful to not overload students.
Not only do educators have to keep the cognitive load in mind when thinking about what
to teach, but also in the media they make or use to teach the subject. When keeping presentations

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visually simple it helps reduce cognitive load and enhance attention to what is being learned. The
students are not paying attention to drawings or borders, their attention is directed to the only
thing on the screen, the content. It is important to keep the cognitive load theory in mind as to
not overload and overwhelm students. When cognitive load is kept in mind when designing
instruction, students have a better chance at being successful at retraining information.
How can Cognitive Load Theory be applied to meet language learning best practices that
contradict the theory?
Following certain guidelines can help keep cognitive load manageable. Now a day we
have learning management systems. These can be great tools when presenting information to the
students. The advantage of learning management systems is that you can load information and
practices into the system. The students can choose to look over information and notes and
decided what kind of practice they want. Often time the way we show our information is through
animation. There are a lot of apps and software that allow educators to easily create presentations
with animation. When making these resources we have to take into account the cognitive load
theory and Wouters et al. give a few guidelines on pages 655-663 for decreasing each type of
cognitive load. To decrease cognitive load they suggest breaking whole tasks into smaller tasks,
to provide a mini-lesson before the main lesson so parts of the what will be taught is already
known providing a schema. Educators can do a couple of different things to decrease intrinsic
cognitive load giving performance tasks or teaching grammar. Educators can break up
performance tasks into smaller tasks to build up to the more complex performance task. As
mentioned before, if the vocabulary is already taught and the students have the schema, they
know the subject and the vocabulary being used, so it helps build up the grammar lesson and take
the pressure off the intrinsic load. To decrease extraneous load educators can give students

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control of pacing. When an educator loads a written lesson onto the learning management system
and gives the student the ability to self-regulate the pace they could find better results. The
students are able to move through the material and internalize and process it more efficiently.
Segmenting is another way to reduce the extraneous load. Segmenting information can be very
useful for students because they see one chunk at a time and are able to process is before moving
on to more. Depending on the objective of the task, educators should be aware of cognitive
overload when showing audio, pictures, and text. There are times where text before picture is
better and there are times when having the script helps you comprehend but not help you with
listening skills. To increase germane cognitive load educators can provide the student with
activities that involve having an instructional module were students predict the next step.
Educators can add questions at the end of each slide or content to try and have students predict
the next content.
Conclusion
Using the native language in the language classroom can be beneficial sometimes
because it can be used to clarify confusion, explain grammar and give instruction. It can reduce
the cognitive load significantly, helping the students process information better. Students can get
frustrated if they do not understand what is going on and their attention can fade. Using texts
with audio can help students as long as the cognitive load is kept small and a third source is not
introduced causing cognitive overload. When teaching, a language educator must remember to
keep the cognitive load theory in mind so students have a better opportunity to optimize learning
the material.

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