A new study from University of Salzburg investigated how germane cognitive processes—those that contribute to how we build and organize mental frameworks—affect the success of desirable difficulty tasks in a classroom setting. Desirable difficulty tasks are learning tasks that require a considerable but desirable amount of effort, or a learning level that is achieved through a sequence of learning tasks and performance feedback. The study included 132 students in an initial learning intervention and then a posttest administered two days later. The researchers found that consistently high complexity or desirable difficulty enhanced performance, whether the manipulation occurred at the content or task level. In contrast, the least effortful tasks led to the lowest performance scores.
Interestingly, while they hypothesized that consistently high task complexity would have a negative effect on intrinsic interest and expectations for success, they found no such relationship. They suggested that although the learning tasks were challenging, students recognized that the cognitive demands were aligned with the intended learning outcomes and therefore it did not negatively influence self- or task-related perceptions. Results also showed that consistently high complexity lowered both mental effort and metacognitivie strategies compared to gradually increasing complexity. Balancing intrinsic load (the complexity of the task itself) and germane load (the effort devoted to learning) was essential for optimizing transfer of learning, especially in complex tasks. They conclude by highlighting the importance of scaffolding and progressive complexity in instructional design, to ensure that students are not overwhelmed but are still engaged in meaningful learning.
StepUp Note
This research helps us understand the value of balancing “complex learning” (doing a challenging task) and “desirable difficulty” (not too easy, not too hard). StepUp to Learn consistently balances academic challenges with rhythmic movement difficulty in ways that support independent learning. Independent learning means children tell themselves “what to do and when to do it.” Rhythmic movement means moving and talking “on the beat,” in ways that strengthen the ability to learn quickly and accurately (speed + accuracy = fluency) and remember new and useful information.
Note by Nancy W. Rowe, MS, CCC/A