Influence of Cognitive Load on Academic Performance in Mathematics Among Grade Nine Students in Public Junior Secondary Schools in Kajiado-West Sub-County, Kajiado County, Kenya

Abstract

Mathematics as a backbone of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) develop students' abilities to innovate, make well-informed choices, and solve problems which lead to personal achievements, societal advancement, and economic growth. However, poor academic performance in Mathematics starting from the announced KJSEA 2025 has emerged as a major issue in the country. The current study focused on examining the influence of cognitive load on learner academic performance in Mathematics among grade nine students in public junior secondary schools in Kajiado-west Sub- County, Kajiado County, Kenya. The study was guided by cognitive load theory and scaffolding theory. The study used convergent parallel mixed research design. The study targeted 1830 Grade Nine students and 74 Mathematics subject teachers from 35 public junior secondary schools in the Kajiado-West sub-county, Kajiado county, Kenya. Yamane's (1967) formula was used to determine students’ sample size while proportionate stratified random sampling formula to determine school sample size per category. Both stratified and simple random sampling were used to sample the participants. The study used questionnaires and interview to collect data. Construct validity was supported by content validity through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and University supervisors assessed the study instruments to establish face validity. Cronbach alpha coefficient was used to assess the instruments' internal consistency. Descriptive statistics which include means, standard deviations, and frequency distributions were used to summarize data while Pearson Coefficient correlation and multiple linear regression analysis used for inferential statistics. The research findings established a significant positive relationship between cognitive load dimensions and academic performance in Mathematics. Intrinsic cognitive load (r = .805, p < .001), extraneous cognitive load (r = .724, p < .001), and germane cognitive load (r = .813, p < .001) significantly influenced academic performance. The regression analysis demonstrated that cognitive load accounted for 68.1% of performance variations (R2 = .681) with germane cognitive load showing the highest prediction power (β = .397), followed by intrinsic cognitive load (β=.270), and finally extraneous cognitive load (β =.173). The study results demonstrate that students will achieve better results when they manage to direct their mental resources in an efficient manner during their learning process. Students who actively participated in concept understanding and integration activities showed the highest improvement in their performance levels. The research shows that learning task complexity impacts results but inefficient teaching methods produce minimal effects through unneeded mental effort. Teachers need to develop their lesson plans properly because students will succeed better when they learn in meaningful ways which teachers create for them. The study recommends that education policies that will help improve Mathematics performance in junior secondary schools in Kajiado-West sub-county besides improving country wide performance. Similarly, Mathematics teachers should apply student-focused methods which break down difficult topics while they connect fresh information to existing knowledge and maintain student involvement. The study further recommends that school administrators create ongoing teacher training programs on cognitive load management and effective Mathematics teaching methods. The schools need to establish proper educational material supply and create learning spaces which support student success.