Search

Thermodynamics is one of the most complex topics in chemistry. Cognitive Load Theory claims that the complexity of a subject is mainly due to element interactivity - how many elements an individual must organise simultaneously in her/his working memory to master a topic. The simultaneous processing of various chemistry and mathematics concepts to learn thermodynamics puts a strain on the working memory capacity of the learner. Accordingly, what kind of change occurs in a learner's cognitive processes according to the level of element interactivity is an issue that needs to be investigated. The aim of this study is to reveal the basic indicators of element interactivity and investigate the effects of instructional design on understanding subjects with different element interactivity levels. With this objective in mind, educational software comprising eight distinct sessions for instructional design was developed in accordance with the Cognitive Load Theory. The sample consisted of 37 freshmen who were taking classes in the Chemistry Department of a public university in Turkey. The instructional design was implemented with the experimental group while the control group followed the lecturer's instructional design. The results indicate that, in terms of the cognitive load in the learning process, the study time and the learning at the retention and transfer level are among the basic indicators of the element interactivity. This study also determined that the instructional design that is developed according to Cognitive Load Theory can provide effective learning at the retention and transfer levels in subjects with high element interactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports a small part of a large-scale study. In this vein, trends in cognitive demand levels of mathematical tasks in the Algebra Learning Domain of 5 mathematics textbooks prepared according to four middle school mathematics curricula that have been updated since the beginning of the 2000s in Turkey were determined. This study is a document review, and the criterion sampling method was used to select textbooks. The cognitive demand levels of the mathematical tasks in the examined books were analysed according to the content analysis. The study revealed that the tasks in the middle school mathematics textbooks written according to the updated mathematics curriculum in Turkey in the 2000s are generally low cognitive demand tasks. Also, some suggestions are made for further research according to the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 12th grade students' anxiety & mathematical thinking capabilities were investigated. • Cerebral activations were monitored by a 3 T MRI scanner while solving questions. • Activity in frontal cortex of participants increased while using mathematical skills. • High anxiety students had higher level of increase especially in right frontal cortex. • First fMRI study on adolescents' brain activations exploring anxiety and mathematics. During adolescence, anxiety may rise more significantly due to factors such as academic achievement and has a negative impact on learning and thinking skills. Adolescents with higher levels of math anxiety need more time to analyse and repress or miss the solutions when they are presented with even the simplest arithmetic problems. fMRI is being used for investigating cognitive processes such as learning, memory, and creativity and emotional states such as anxiety. However, there is a lack of research focusing on fMRI studies on the relationships between anxiety and brain functions in adolescence. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between anxiety and mathematical thinking capabilities of the 12th-grade students in Turkey. Initially, 68 12th-grade students were surveyed by state-trait anxiety inventory and perceived stress scale. Participants who were in the highest 20 % (n 1 = 9) and the lowest 20 % (n 2 = 14) groups (n = 23) were selected for the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. The modifications of participants' cerebral activation patterns were monitored via a 3 T MRI scanner while solving six mathematics questions. Subsequently, the data were analysed to reveal how anxiety levels correlate with brain activations and academic achievement. Activity in the frontal cortex of all participants increased during the use of mathematical skills. However, a significantly higher level of increment –intensively in the right frontal cortex- was detected on the participants with high anxiety. No statistically significant difference was observed between academic achievements and anxiety levels of the subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]