How does conceptual structure of external representations contribute to learning? This investigation considered the influence of generative concept sorting and of external structure information moderated by perceived difficulty. In Study 1, undergraduate students completed a perceived difficulty survey and comprehension pretest, then a sorting…

Redundancy effect has been investigated in many controlled experimental studies, however, it is seldom investigated whether the same redundant material may cause different results in classroom, which is a major learning place for students. Considering that it is not easy to control the internal validity in classroom environment, this study…

The expansion of cognitive load theory to include evolutionary perspectives posits that biologically primary knowledge might support the acquisition of biologically secondary knowledge, which needs explicit instruction for novices to construct. Pointing and tracing actions with the index finger may be forms of biologically primary knowledge that…