Complexity of wording vs. comprehension
(from P.A.Wozniak, Economics of Learning)
Simplicity of item wording does not necessarily equate with the minimum information principle. The latter puts emphasis on the minimum complexity of the knowledge as it is represented in student’s memory. There is no imperative for items to be complex in their textual or graphic representation in the knowledge system itself. After all, some very simple concept may require quite a great deal of text to describe them verbally. However, it can be shown that excessive complexity of items as represented in the knowledge system may negatively affect the process of learning. The main problem is in miscomprehension and confusing different items through reading that naturally tends to be quick when the student is confronted with a massive number of repetitions per learning session. Very often, even the mere selection of words may affect the comprehension. As previously, also in such cases, the best remedy is the knowledge system author’s own work on memorizing the knowledge system in question and eliminating possible snags on a one by one basis. Such minor elements as moving a single phrase to a separate line may greatly help keeping A-factors high.