Online reading: a preliminary study of theimpact of integrated and split-attentionformats on L2 students’ cognitive load

Cognitive load theory has been utilized by second language acquisition (SLA) researchers toaccount for differences in learner performance with regards to different learning tasks. Certaininstructional designs were shown to have an impact on cognitive load and working memory,and this impact was found to be accentuated in a multimedia environment where there is avariety of interacting elements and tools that can lead to cognitive overload and consequentlyreduced learning outcomes. This study investigated the influence of split-attention and integratedinstructional formats on students’ cognitive load and how they might facilitate secondlanguage online reading and vocabulary learning. Twenty English as a Second Language(ESL) intermediate students studying at an Australian language institution were randomlyassigned to four conditions: SAND (Split-Attention No Dictionary), SAOD (Split-Attentionwith Online Dictionary), IFND (Integrated Format No Dictionary), and IFOD (IntegratedFormat with Online Dictionary). Subjects were asked to complete an online reading comprehensiontask in which subjects tested under the SAND and SAOD conditions were exposedto a typical reading text followed by comprehension questions, whereas subjects in the IFNDand IFOD conditions were exposed to a reading text where the comprehension questions werephysically inserted within the reading text. Under the SAOD and IFOD conditions, subjectshad access to an online dictionary. Results showed that the integrated reading format wasfound to facilitate students’ reading comprehension more than the split-attention format.Also, students who had access to the online dictionary in the SAOD and IFOD groupsperformed better on the vocabulary test, but spent more time on the reading task than theother two groups. Furthermore, participants in the split-attention format group looked upmore words than their counterparts in the integrated format group. The results of the presentstudy have certain implications for multimedia instructional designers and ESL teachers