How Do Cognitive Loads Vary and What Factors Influence Them Among Ethnic Minority Junior High School Students During English Listening-Speaking Classes?

Abstract Previous studies focused on the cognitive load of English learners in monolingual or bilingual context, few researches targeted ethnic minority learners who learned English as a third language. This study, with Hani (Ethnic Minority) junior high school students as participants, investigates the distribution and influencing factors of students’ cognitive load in English listening-speaking classes. Through questionnaires and interview analysis, the results revealed that the total cognitive load of Hani students is at an upper-middle level, with an upper-middle level of intrinsic cognitive load and germane cognitive load and a lower-middle level of extraneous cognitive load. Students at different grade show different level of each of the three sub-types of cognitive loads. Many factors like interest, learning strategy, teaching method, prior knowledge, confidence, teaching tools, and time pressure result in their different cognitive load.