Students' Metacognition and Cognitive Style and Their Effect on Cognitive Load and Learning Achievement

The present research's objective is to examine the effects of metacognitive scaffolding and cognitive style in the Field Dependence - Independence (FDI) dimension on cognitive load (CL) and learning achievement (LA) in high school students, when they interact with a hypermedia environment on philosophy (logic). Fifty-four students belonging to two eleventh grade courses from a public school in Bogotá - Colombia participated in the study. One of the student courses interacted with a hypermedia environment that contained, within its structure, the metacognitive scaffolding. The other course interacted with the hypermedia environment that did not have the scaffolding. Students were given the Embedded Figures Test (EFT) to classify them into field dependent, intermediate, and independent subjects. A Repeated Measures Analysis was conducted with two intra-subject variables: (1) CL and (2) LA. Findings indicate that significant differences exist between intrinsic and extraneous cognitive load because of the effect of the metacognitive scaffolding. Students that interacted with the metacognitive scaffolding exhibited significantly greater achievements than those that did not use it. The field independent students also exhibited significant differences in CL with respect to their field independent and intermediate classmates.