THE EFFECT OF TEACHING SCIENCE BASED ON MNEMONICS IN REDUCING THE SIXTH-GRADE FEMALE STUDENTS’ COGNITIVE LOAD ACCORDING TO THEIR IMAGERY STYLE

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the impact of using mnemonics in reducing the Cognitive Load (CL) of sixth-grade students according to the students' imagery style. The study sample consisted of 212 sixth-grade students in the Governorate of Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman. A quasi-experimental design was used to collect the data for the study. It included two experimental groups and a control group. The first experimental group (EG1) was taught using six strategies of mnemonics (method of loci, peg word, keyword, acronyms- acrostic, linking chain, and rhyme). In contrast, the second experimental group (EG2) students built their mnemonics, while the conventional teaching methods taught the control group (CG). The imagery style scale was conducted beforehand to classify the students according to the type of imagery style. The CL scale was performed before and after the intervention. The study results indicated statistically significant differences in favour of the two experimental groups in reducing the cognitive load. In addition, there were no statistically significant differences in the cognitive load between the study groups due to the imagery style or the interaction between the teaching method and the imagery style. The study recommended that teachers use mnemonics to develop schemas that reduce the cognitive load to raise learning efficiency.