The four exam subjects differed in perceived task difficulty, cognitive load, and strategy use, with Mathematics and the profile subject rated more difficult than English¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r1–r2 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2024 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 Perceived task difficulty differed significantly across the four subjects (η2 = 0.12), with Mathematics (d = 0.60) and the profile subject (d = 0.77) rated more difficult than English. → Seufert 2024 q3 i2 Cognitive load differed significantly across subjects (η2 = 0.06), with higher load for Mathematics and the profile subject than English; no significant differences in available resources were found. → Seufert 2024 (2)

Evidence¶

Seufert 2024¶

Seufert, T., Hamm, V., Vogt, A., & Riemer, V. (2024). The Interplay of Cognitive Load, Learners' Resources and Self-Regulation. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09890-1

q3 · i2 · associational · r2

Repeated-measures ANOVA manipulation check in the 67-student study confirming the expert-based difficulty ordering of the four exams; the article reports η2 = 0.12 and post-hoc differences with d = 0.60 and d = 0.77.

"differences in task-difficulty were determined ((F(2.71, 178.73) = 8.65, MSE = 1.09, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.12). By post-hoc testing, we revealed a higher perceived task difficulty in Math compared to English (MD = 0.69, SE = 0.19, p = 0.004, d = 0.60), a higher difficulty of the profile subject compared to English (MD = 0.78, SE = 0.16, p < 0.001, d = 0.77)"

Seufert 2024 (2)¶

Seufert, T., Hamm, V., Vogt, A., & Riemer, V. (2024). The Interplay of Cognitive Load, Learners' Resources and Self-Regulation. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09890-1

q3 · i2 · associational · r1

Repeated-measures ANOVA on cognitive load across the four exams (η2 = 0.06; d = 0.47 for both contrasts); the article also reports no significant differences between subjects in available resources (p = 0.064).

"the repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant differences between school subjects (F(3, 198) = 4.32, MSE = 0.70, p = 0.006, η2 = 0.06). The post-hoc test implied a significantly higher load with respect to the Mathematics (MD = 0.44, SE = 0.14, p = 0.020, d = 0.47) and profile subject (MD = 0.45, SE = 0.17, p = 0.049, d = 0.47) exams compared to the English exam."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Invested mental effort and perceived task difficulty are strongly correlated yet relate differently to relative task difficulty, indicating the two ratings measure different aspects of overall cognitive load — related
• In a preregistered within-subjects experiment (N = 131, eight measurements), the translated scale showed criterion validity via sensitivity to task complexity, extraneous load, and motivation — related