Working Memory,Mental Capacity and Science Education: towards an understanding of the ‘working memory overload hypothesis’

Abstract

Researchers in science education recognise the importance of information processing capacity as a constraint on the abilities and achievements of science students. This constraint has been referred to as ‘mental capacity’ or ‘working memory capacity’, with the latter leading to the so‐called ‘working memory overload hypothesis’. However, rarely have researchers in this area been explicit as to the nature or theory of the mental capacity or the working memory system to which these terms refer.

In this paper we outline two possible models which have proved useful in studies of information processing in other domains. The first model (of mental capacity) developed by Pascual‐Leone and his colleagues has been applied in science education with varying degrees of success. The second model (of working memory) developed by Baddeley and his colleagues has been very successful in accounting for a wide range of cognitive activity, although it has not been applied to science education hitherto. We conclude that consideration of elements of the working memory framework may well prove fruitful in science education.