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Simultaneous Reading and Listening Is Less Effective Than Reading Alone: A Study Based on Cognitive Load Theory

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The Ecosystem of the Foreign Language Learner

Part of the book series: Second Language Learning and Teaching ((SLLT))

Abstract

The importance and difficulty of comprehending texts is unquestionable. Reading comprehension is a very important predictor for successful language learning because it involves mental processes of learning. Cognitive load theory is concerned with relationships between working and long-term memory and the effects of those relationships on learning and problem solving. This theory has been used to generate many instructional procedures one of which is the redundancy effect (RE). The RE happens when the same information is presented to learners simultaneously through different modes of instruction. This paper explores the extent to which the RE impinges on a group of young learners’ reading comprehension skills. The students were divided into two groups. One was exposed to a single mode of instruction: reading alone. The other was presented with a dual format: reading plus listening. Results revealed that students presented with the single mode of instruction outperformed the other group in a reading comprehension task. Some pedagogical implications for the teaching of reading comprehension skills will be discussed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    An activity is considered difficult when there is a need to attend to the relationships between the elements that constitute a piece of complex information. These elements interact with each other and, as a result of the high element interactivity, the cognitive load induced goes beyond the resources of working memory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata/UCAECE Sede, Mar del Plata, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Pedro Luis Luchini

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  1. Pedro Luis Luchini
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Correspondence to Pedro Luis Luchini .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of English Philology, University of Opole, Opole, Poland

    Ewa Piechurska-Kuciel

  2. Institute of English Philology, University of Opole, Opole, Poland

    Magdalena Szyszka

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Luchini, P.L. (2015). Simultaneous Reading and Listening Is Less Effective Than Reading Alone: A Study Based on Cognitive Load Theory. In: Piechurska-Kuciel, E., Szyszka, M. (eds) The Ecosystem of the Foreign Language Learner. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14334-7_5

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