The role of load reduction instruction in assisting students with weak mental imagery

Many academic tasks at school rely on the assumption that students can mentally represent a wide variety of stimuli that are not easily physically represented in the classroom. Thus, students' capacity to learn may be compromised if they have relatively weak or absent mental imagery. This correlational study examined the extent to which instruction adapted in ways to reduce cognitive burden on students (via load reduction instruction; LRI) is associated with a reduction in potential learning barriers experienced by students with weak mental imagery. Findings from 1451 high school students showed that beyond prior achievement and background attributes weak mental imagery was significantly associated with lower achievement, LRI was significantly associated with higher achievement, and a significant mental imagery x LRI interaction was found such that LRI was associated with a significant attenuation of the negative link between weak mental imagery and achievement. Educational relevance For many academic tasks at school it is assumed that students are able to mentally represent a wide variety of stimuli that are not physically represented. For example, in science (the focus of this study), students are expected to mentally represent molecular phenomena, or electrons moving between atoms to create an electric current. Students with weak mental imagery may cognitively struggle with tasks that involve this added complexity and challenge. Instruction that is delivered in ways to reduce cognitive burden on students as they learn is one approach for assisting such students. Load reduction instruction (LRI) is an instructional framework that shapes teaching in these ways. This research study showed that LRI can help students with weak mental imagery to achieve. This holds implications for teachers in adapting their instruction to effectively address the individual needs of students in diverse classrooms.