An Investigation on Students' Cognitive Load and Learning Achievements for Participating in a Local Culture Mobile Learning Activity

Abstract

The advancement of mobile device and wireless communication technologies has a great influence on the design concept of learning activities. The effects of new technologies on learning have also been widely discussed. In this research, we attempt to integrate field study into the digital mobile learning model, and build a mobile learning environment with both physical and virtual resources. The investigation of this research focuses on the effects of this mobile learning model on students’ cognitive load and learning achievements. Fifty-one sixth-graders participated in this research in either the experiment or the control group. From the pre- and post-tests as well as the cognitive load questionnaire, the research found that those students who received blended mobile learning instruction had better learning achievements and less cognitive load than those learning from human tour guidance. Therefore, this research concludes that the blended mobile learning model has positive effects on elementary students in local culture learning.