Integrating STEAM activities into teaching reading: Examination of comprehension and cognitive load

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of an experimental study that probed into the impact of integrating STEAM activities into teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading on reading comprehension and its associated cognitive load. The sample included 60 high school students who were split into experimental and control groups, with 30 students in each. Before the study, their reading comprehension was assessed by the reading module of the A2 Key test. The associated cognitive load of A2 Key was assessed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASATLX) before the study as well. For the experimental group,STEAM-based pre-reading activitieswere incorporated into teaching reading while the control group was taught based on the conventional method utilizing the activities of their textbook. The experiment lasted for five months. The reading section of A2 Key and the NASA TLX were used to explore the effect of the intervention on the participants’ reading comprehension and its associated cognitive load after the study. The data were analyzed by t-test and Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA). According to the findings, STEAM-based warm-up activities significantly impactedthe development of reading comprehension in favor of the experimental group. It was also found that the cognitive load of the experimental group significantly reduced regardingmental demand, physical demand, and frustration in comparison to the control group. The practical implications of the study for education policymakers,curriculum designers, and teachers are understood in terms of integrating STEAM into the EFL curriculum to make students interested in STEAM topics and create a friendly class atmosphere that would lead to developing their reading skills and knowledge acquisition.