REWIRING ATTENTION IN THE DIGITAL AGE: THE IMPACT OF MICROLEARNING AND SHORT-FORM CONTENT ON COGNITIVE ENGAGEMENT AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN ENGLISH EDUCATION

Abstract

The explosion of short-format digital media has been a major influence in changing both modern patterns of attention and ways of processing information, as well as, educational demands. With sustained reading, interpretive analysis, and extended writing established as the building blocks of English education, microlearning emerges as both a pedagogical prospect and an epistemological issue in English education. A qualitative study investigation is discussed on the topic of the impact of microlearning and short-form instructional content on cognitive engagement and academic performance in English language and literature classes. Based on the attention theory, cognitive load theory, media ecology and constructivist learning frameworks, the study uses semi-structured interview with English teachers and higher education students to expect the perceptions and practices realized in the classroom and perceived learning results. Thematic analysis indicates that the microlearning can improve the first engagement and accessibility and understanding of the concept, whereas the effect on the deep cognition processing is conditional on the assimilation into the overall instructional structure. With reduced tolerance to lengthy reading, participants give an account of faster intake of information, and more dependence on visual-digital stimuli that has been described as a rewiring of attention. Nonetheless, the microlearning when properly scaffolded can serve as an attentional support as an alternative to profound literacy practices. The research presents a Hybrid Attention Pedagogy theory which combines micro-activation modules with prolonged analytical interest. The outcomes are relevant to the existing discussion of digital cognition and can be used to give qualitative information to the future design of engaging in English education under the highly digitalized signals of instructional settings.