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Version 1.3 – Updated November 2024

Task complexity

Overview

  • Influence: Task complexity
  • Domain: Teaching Strategies
  • Sub-Domain: Learning intentions
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Potential to accelerate
  • Influence Definition: Task complexity relates the number of levels of cognitive processing, the tasks involved in the lesson, and the amount of switching between surface and deeper ideas.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 3
  • Number of studies: 331
  • Number of students: 189,973
  • Number of effects: 413
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.62
  • Robustness index: 4

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author First Author's Country Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
Language Learning Jackson & Suethanapornkul USA The cognition hypotheses: A synthesis and meta-analysis of research on second language task complexity. 2013 Increasing task complexity 17 0 99 0.09
Human Performance Woznyj, Banks, Dunn, Berka, & Woehr USA Re-introducing cognitive complexity: A meta-analysis and agenda for future research. 2020 Complexity of achievement and work outcomes 74 189,973 74 0.39
Conference paper Norris, Sasayama, & Malicka USA Meta-analysis of task complexity effects on L2 performance: Implications for assessment. Germany. European Association for Language Testing 2018 Increasing complexity, reducing extraneous load 240 0 240 0.73
TOTAL/AVERAGE 331 189,973 413 0.40
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