Efficiency in Learning: Evidence-Based Guidelines to Manage Cognitive Load

Chapter 13. The Evolution of Cognitive Load Theory

A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

John Sweller

IN THIS CHAPTER, we will look at cognitive load theory's origins, evolution, and prospects. Today, the theory is a major governing framework for instructional professionals, but surprisingly, the origins of the theory lie not in instructional work, but rather in some of my early research into the psychology of problem solving. At the time, instruction was not on my or my research students' radar. Instruction only became preeminent when we saw the results of some of our early experiments. Those results led to a twenty-five-year program of research on the consequences ...