Turkish Adaptation Study of the Cognitive Load Scale: Reliability and Validity of the Cognitive Load Scale in Turkish Culture

The purpose of this study is to perform Turkish adaptation of the 'Cognitive Load Scale (CLS)' developed by Hwang, Yang, and Wang (2013) and to test its validity and reliability in Turkish culture. The Cognitive Load Scale was developed to determine the cognitive load experienced by learners during any learning and instructional activities. The scale consists of mental load and mental effort sub-factors that aim to determine the cognitive load experienced by learners during educational activities. The original scale consists of eight items and two sub-factors, with five items in the mental load sub-factor and three items in the mental effort sub-factor. Turkish adaptation of the scale was conducted on a sample of 376 pre-service teachers enrolled in two different education faculties. The Turkish scale, the validity and reliability of which was conducted with 376 pre-service teachers, was found to have a four-item and two-factor structure; the factor structures were valid; and internal consistency coefficients were found 0.80 for the total scale, .89 for the first sub-factor, and .78 for the second sub-factor. Besides, the confirmatory factor analysis revealed the following fit index values: (χ2=2,2, sd=1, p>.01), RMSEA=.056 and χ2/df=2,2 and RMR= .014, GFI= 0.997, AGFI= 0.971, NFI= 0. 99, CFI=0.99, IFI= 0.99, indicating the recommended criteria. It can be said that the adapted scale can be used in academic studies related to cognitive load.