A program based on cognitive load theory to improve the efficiency of mental capacity and attentional control for students with learning difficulties in the primary stage

This paper aims to reveal the effectiveness of a program based on cognitive load theory in reducing the cognitive load of students with learning difficulties and improving the efficiency of their mental capacity and attentional control. The research sample consisted of (60) male and female students in the fourth grade of primary school, who were divided into two groups: a control group, numbering (30) male and female students, and an experimental group, numbering (30) male and female students. Their chronological ages ranged from (10 - 11) years, with an arithmetic mean of (10.54) and a standard deviation value of (0.45). The research instruments included the fifth form of the Stanford-Binet scale (Arabicised and standardised by Mahmoud Abu El-Nil, et al., 2011), and the Michael Best Learning Difficulties Scale (prepared by Jowaid Eid Al-Sharif, 2007) in sorting and classifying the sample. The instruments of the current research also included measures of cognitive load, mental capacity, attentional control, and a program based on the theory of cognitive load (all prepared by the researcher). The results of the research indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the research sample in the two pre- and post-measurements of the dimensions of the cognitive load scale (in the direction of the pre-measurement), indicating that the program had a positive and large effect in reducing the cognitive load among the students of the experimental group due to the intervention. The study also found statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group and the control group for mental capacity in the post-measurement, and it also showed that there were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the pre- and post-measurements in mental capacity among the students of the experimental group, indicating that the size of the effect is large, which indicates the positive impact of the sessions. The program results also revealed that there were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group and the control group for attentional control in the post-measurement, as well as the presence of statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the pre- and post-measurements in attentional control among the students of the experimental group. These results indicate the size of a large positive effect of the program sessions.