Pre-study verified that the three learning units differ in perceived complexity in the intended low, medium, and high ordering¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 Contrast analyses confirmed a linear increase in complexity ratings across the three learning units, with medium-to-large effect sizes (d = 0.60 to d = 2.00). → Krieglstein 2025

Evidence¶

Krieglstein 2025¶

Krieglstein, F., Beege, M., Wesenberg, L., Rey, G. D., & Schneider, S. (2025). The Distorting Influence of Primacy Effects on Reporting Cognitive Load in Learning Materials of Varying Complexity. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09980-0

q3 · i2 · causal · r2

Pre-study (N=67 students) with three system-paced learning units on space phenomena presented in randomised order; ICL rated after each unit. The linear contrast was significant, t(132) = [4.05, 13.56], p < 0.001. Means rose from 3.29 (low) to 4.38 (medium) to 6.90 (high), confirming "the hypothesized linear increase in complexity across the three learning units".

"the medium to large effect sizes found for contrast 1 (d = 0.60), contrast 2 (d = 2.00), and contrast 3 (d = 1.40) provide further support for the hypothesized linear increase in complexity across the three learning units"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• ICL ratings track the manipulated complexity sequence: increasing across units in the increasing condition and decreasing in the decreasing condition — related
• ECL ratings also follow the complexity sequence, rising in the increasing condition and falling in the decreasing condition, though ECL was not manipulated — related
• GCL ratings move opposite to the hypothesised pattern, decreasing in the increasing-complexity condition and increasing in the decreasing-complexity condition — related
• Differentiated-AI EAP versions showed limited passage-level structural separation, with automated complexity metrics failing to classify intended proficiency labels — related