Investigating Preservice Teachers' Cognitive Load and Motivational Outcomes: A Pilot Study

• In Event: Centering the Psychological Experiences of Pre- and In-Service Teachers Across Contexts and Social Identities

Abstract

Objectives and Framework
Research highlights the power of cognitive load (CL) – the magnitude of demands inflicted on an individual's working memory (Paas & Van Merrienboer, 1994) – on our ability to process information. How CL operates and impacts teachers is critical yet underexplored (Feldon, 2007). For example, teachers complete a multitude of tasks at any moment (Highton et al., 2017), likely exceeding the few pieces of information working memory allows. Pre-service teachers (PST) are especially likely to become cognitively overloaded given their lack of automaticity (Moos & Pitton, 2013). Further, CL may diminish efficacy (Kumar et al., 2015; Table 1) and be more pronounced among minoritized PST given the inequities they confront (Milner & Howard, 2013). Finally, the national teacher shortage left millions without adequate instruction (Nyguen et al., 2022), and understanding CL will present strategies for improving teacher experiences and ultimately shortages. Guided by cognitive load theory (Sweller, 1998) and situated expectancy-value theory (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020), this study piloted the first known CL instrument for PSTs and explored relations between CL, efficacy, and educational intentions:

RQ1: To what extent do PSTs experience CL, and how does it relate to efficacy and educational intentions?

RQ2: What are the experiences of underrepresented PSTs?

Method
We collected pilot data (Table 1) within two PST samples (Fall 2022, N = 85; Spring 2023, N = 79) from educational psychology courses at a large South Central U.S. institution. We conducted reliability, descriptive, and correlational analyses and developed a coding scheme to analyze open-ended data. We identified a subsample (n = 11) across datasets to center experiences of PST who are minoritized in education (Milner & Howard, 2013). Given that roughly 80% of U.S. teachers identify as white women (NCES, 2023), we focused on male PSTs of color.

Results
RQ1: CL scores indicated acceptable reliability (Fall 𝜶 = .83, Spring 𝜶 = .79). Further analysis of structural evidence and subscale scores will be presented in the full paper. Means and correlations indicated moderate levels of CL, a moderate, negative relation between CL and teacher efficacy, and a weak, negative relation between CL and educational intentions (Table 2). Open-ended items suggested that more students felt hesitant to remain in education than their quantitative responses suggested (Table 3); hesitant students had slightly higher CL and were less efficacious. RQ2: Among male PSTs of color, results reflected similar trends to the overall sample: moderate CL and efficacy. Open-ended responses indicated excitement to make a difference in education and an understanding that teaching is challenging but worth it (Table 3).

Significance
This study is one of the first to (a) explore PST CL and its motivational correlates, (b) develop a CL instrument for PSTs, and (c) center CL experiences of underrepresented PSTs. Following validation, the instrument could serve as a tool for teacher preparation programs to improve PST CL, especially among those who are minoritized and thus especially important to retain in education. Taken together, this study reflects a pivotal start to understanding understudied mechanisms such as CL that likely contribute to burnout and turnover rates.

Authors

• Danielle N. Berry, University of Oklahoma

• Alison C. Koenka, University of Oklahoma

• Kanvarbir Gill, University of Oklahoma

• Maeghan N. Hennessey, University of Oklahoma