How Discourse Structure Shapes Attention: Cognitive and Educational Evidence From EEG

Attention plays a crucial role in comprehension, learning, and language education. In recent years, the use of narratives as an instructional tool to enhance learners’ focus and engagement in language learning has received increased attention. The present study aimed to examine the effect of the discourse structure of linear and nonlinear narratives on readers’ attention from cognitive and educational perspectives. Thirty students from Tabriz Islamic Art University were randomly assigned to two groups of 15 participants each. Participants read linear and nonlinear narrative texts while their neural activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG). The relative power of alpha, beta, and theta waves was calculated from the EEG data and analyzed using SPSS 26. The results showed that nonlinear narratives were associated with a decrease in relative alpha band power, particularly at the F3 electrode (Mann–Whitney U, p = .010, r = .55), as well as significant increases in relative beta and theta band power. The findings suggest that nonlinear narratives, by creating processing challenges and requiring the mental reconstruction of event sequences, are associated with enhanced attention. In the context of language education, this approach can be used as a strategy to strengthen accuracy, reading comprehension, and cognitive engagement of language learners while reading instructional texts. The purposeful use of nonlinear narratives in instructional material design can contribute to the activation of sustained attention and the improvement of meaningful learning.