Cognitive Load and Learned Helplessness: Examining the Psychological Consequences of Instructional Demands
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31949/th.v11i2.18252Abstract
This study investigates the relationships between the dimensions of cognitive load—namely, intrinsic, extraneous, and germane—and learned helplessness among students. The study is grounded in the premise that students’ learning difficulties may not arise solely from the inherent complexity of learning tasks but also from suboptimal instructional conditions that impose unnecessary cognitive demands, thereby contributing to learned helplessness. A quantitative correlational design was employed involving 150 students as research participants. Data were collected using a 40-item Likert-scale questionnaire ranging from 1 to 4. Instrument validity was established through Pearson product–moment analysis, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.373 to 0.835 (r > 0.160), while reliability indices demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, as indicated by Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.797 to 0.919. Data normality was confirmed using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test (p > 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis revealed that extraneous cognitive load exhibited a moderate positive association with learned helplessness (r = 0.543, p < 0.001), suggesting that externally induced cognitive burdens may substantially increase students’ susceptibility to helpless cognitive and behavioral patterns. Intrinsic cognitive load demonstrated a weak positive relationship (r = 0.247, p = 0.002). In contrast, germane cognitive load showed a weak negative association (r = −0.228, p = 0.005), suggesting a potentially protective role in facilitating adaptive learning processes. These findings underscore the critical role of instructional design in regulating learners’ cognitive demands and suggest that reducing unnecessary cognitive burden while fostering meaningful cognitive engagement may be an important strategy for mitigating learned helplessness in educational settings.
Keywords:
Cognitive load, learned helplessness, cognitive engagement, instructional design, student learningDownloads
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