Writing requires substantial cognitive processing; when writing, cognitive load emerges due to the limited working memory. Research has investigated cognitive load as an explanatory concept in L2 writing, although there are a few instruments for measuring. Accordingly, the present study aims to develop and validate the EFL Argumentative Writing Cognitive Load Scale. Initially, stimulated recall from 13 undergraduates’ cognitive load during a writing task was used to generate a pool of scale items. Subsequently, 685 undergraduate students participated, with 300 at the scale development stage and 385 at the validation stage. The final version of the scale contains 39 items assessing six dimensions: and Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed that the scale’s psychometric properties are acceptable. The scale enables writing researchers and teachers to better understand L2 learners’ writing process and deploy targeted intervention strategies to optimize writing cognitive load.

中文翻译：

---

EFL 议论文认知负荷的衡量标准：量表开发和验证

写作需要大量的认知处理；写作时，由于工作记忆有限，会出现认知负荷。尽管有一些测量工具，但研究已经将认知负荷作为二语写作中的解释性概念进行了调查。因此，本研究旨在开发和验证 EFL 议论文性写作认知负荷量表。最初，利用 13 名本科生在写作任务期间的认知负荷刺激回忆来生成量表项目池。随后，685 名本科生参与其中，其中 300 名处于规模开发阶段，385 名处于验证阶段。该量表的最终版本包含评估六个维度的 39 个项目： 探索性因素分析和验证性因素分析均表明该量表的心理测量特性是可以接受的。该量表使写作研究人员和教师能够更好地了解二语学习者的写作过程，并部署有针对性的干预策略来优化写作认知负荷。