Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

STEM and Professional Studies

Program/Concentration

Instructional Design and Technology

Committee Director

John Baaki

Committee Member

Tian Luo

Committee Member

David Ayres

Abstract

Because conceptualizations of cognitive resources play a critical role in determining the effectiveness of instructional design (Greeno, 2011; Greeno et al., 1996; Mayer, 2011, 2019), this study explores the effects of cross-language instructional design on learners’ perceived intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive load content corresponding to content complexity, instructional presentation demands, and depth of understanding and schema construction, respectively.

Grounded in the redundancy principle of the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, this research further investigates whether the principle operates differently when learners’ native language is strategically incorporated into foreign language learning contexts. According to the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, learning is optimized when instructional materials integrate words and images rather than relying on words alone (Mayer, 2001, 2002a, 2005a, 2005b, 2021, 2022). Specifically, the redundancy principle of multimedia learning posits that instructional visuals should be accompanied by either written text or spoken narration, but not both simultaneously, to minimize unnecessary cognitive load (Clark & Mayer, 2016). Data were collected from 50 participants using a modified cognitive load instrument adapted from Leppink et al. (2013) and a modified qualitative questionnaire based on Krieglstein et al. (2023). The instructional intervention consisted of a cross-language instructional design incorporating English and Spanish, which was developed using Articulate 360 and served as the treatment material for the study.

A comparative research design was employed, involving two groups of randomly assigned Spanish-speaking participants. Group 1 was exposed to a cross-language instructional design that adhered to the redundancy principle of multimedia learning, featuring animated bilingual on-screen text accompanied by narration. In contrast, Group 2 was exposed to an otherwise identical instructional design in which the redundancy principle was intentionally violated through the inclusion of animated bilingual on-screen text, narration, and open captions.

Quantitative data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test, which indicated no statistically significant differences between groups in intrinsic, extraneous, or germane cognitive load. Although the treatment group demonstrated a marginal increase in germane cognitive load, this difference did not reach statistical significance. Qualitative data obtained from semi structured interviews corroborated these findings, with participants reporting that the cross language instructional design supported comprehension, sustained attention, and facilitated connections between English and Spanish linguistic structures. Collectively, the results suggest that the inclusion of redundant input in learners’ native language does not inherently increase cognitive load; instead, it may contribute to enhanced comprehension and schema construction in foreign language learning contexts.

Overall, the outcomes indicate that cross-language redundancy can function as a cognitive aid rather than a source of cognitive overload, offering meaningful implications for instructional design, cognitive science, multimedia learning, and foreign language learning contexts.

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DOI

https://doi.org/10.25777/e1rm-md44

ISBN

9798197810427

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