Application of VIPSTA experiment worksheet: an attempt to reduce students cognitive load in learning biology

Abstract

This research aimed to analyse the decrease in students’ cognitive load while performing laboratory activity using “VIPSTA” experiment worksheet. The subjects of the research were 72 students in grade 11. The cognitive load was measured in three aspects; intrinsic cognitive load (ICL), extraneous cognitive load (ECL), and germane cognitive load (GCL). The data were analysed descriptively to show differences in the component of cognitive loads and tested for multivariate correlation-regression to show relations between the components of cognitive load. ICL and GCL were measured inversely proportional with score of students science process skill, due to well performed science process skill and knowledge construction skill are results from low ICL and GCL respectively. Whereas ECL was measured proportionally with students’ metal effort because students bear low mental effort in thinking when the ECL is low. After the implementation of VIPSTA experiment worksheet, students obtained increment for science processing skill and knowledge construction skill and decrease for mental effort which indicated low ICL, GCL, and ECL. Meaning that the use of VIPSTA experiment worksheet enables a decrease in students’ cognitive load. Furthermore, the data analysis showed that the decrease of GCL was heavily influenced by the decrease of ICL and ECL indicating that VIPSTA experiment worksheet was able provide meaningful laboratory activity by facilitating knowledge construction through lower load in processing information and performing procedure while conducting experiment.