Behavioral Evaluation and Analysis of a Hypertext Browser

Literacy and computers, 1994

2001

I also need to thank Diocesan College for allowing me the freedom to conduct this study. Thanks also to the teachers, especially Graeme, and students who so willingly cooperated. Thanks also to my husband Gavin for his support and encouragement through my darkest hours. And, to my children Amy, Joel and Brynie to remind them that anything is possible if you only try. Declaration I hereby declare that this dissertation has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work or works of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced.

Literacy : A Critical Sourcebook. Ellen Cushman, Gene Kintgen, Barry Kroll, and Mike Rose (eds)., Bedford/St. Martins, 2001

This chapter makes the case that hypertexts present challenges to readers' comprehension processes as well as challenges to writers, especially those wishing to persuade their audience. In Literacy : A Critical Sourcebook. Ellen Cushman, Gene Kintgen, Barry Kroll, and Mike Rose (eds)., Bedford/St. Martins, 2001. 85-103.

Journal of Educational Multimedia …, 2001

2006

Hypertext is a multi-linear electronic, textual and interactive environment to present information. The objective of such an environment is that readers may browse through linked, cross-referenced, annotated texts in a multi-sequential manner, and thus, it is believed, to improve the learning. However, early and current research findings have revealed some mixed results concerning the alleged advantage of hypertext on learning over paper-based documents. Researchers have identified the lack of research about the cognitive processes and the strategies that readers use during reading as one of the main factors for such results. As a result, there is a need and scope for further research in modelling the cognitive processes involved in reading comprehension and the reading strategies in a hypertext environment. This research addresses some of the gaps in the field by proposing a model that represents the sequence of events that take place during reading in a Web-based hypertext environment. Also, emphasis is placed on the strategies that readers use during hypertext reading and on the potential effect of different reading goals on reading comprehension. The evaluation of the model and the other hypotheses is conducted in two experiments using qualitative and quantitative methods. The first experiment employs the think aloud method. Forty two subjects participated. The results demonstrated that the proposed model precisely describes the sequence of events that take place during hypertext reading. They did not reveal any significant difference between different reading goals and understanding. They revealed four reading strategies: serial, serial overview, mixed, and mixed overview, and they identified three factors that influence the selection of hyperlinks: coherence, link location, and personal interest. The second experiment is an independent samples design experiment with ninety subjects. The results confirmed those found in the first experiment. The current study makes a contribution in the field of hypertext reading by proposing and evaluating a procedural model and by making this model graphic. By doing so it addresses some of the voids in the field, expands our understanding of the reading processes and the reading strategies, and provides practical guideliness which are enhanced to promote design supporting effective learning processes. iii Table of Contents Dedication .

2004

This paper reports on a pilot study that is concerned with the cognitive aspects of reading in an electronic environment. The study focuses on text based electronic documents. A cognitive model for hypertext document reading proposed in an earlier work is here developed and validated with the use of think aloud protocols. The model is concerned with the general cognitive processes that take place during reading a hypertext. Navigational strategies that readers employ in hypertext reading and hypertext links' selection are also under study along with the effect of different reading goals on comprehension. The preliminary results from the think aloud protocols show that 100% of the task related data correspond to the components of the cognitive model, allowing us to conclude that the proposed model sufficiently describes the cognitive processes involved in hypertext reading. In addition, three navigational strategies are revealed, linear, mixed, and mixed review. The quantitative data show no significant differences between different reading goals on comprehension and on the amount of text read.

Abstract Navigation in web-based environments is one of the challenging tasks for hypertext readers. During reading, hypertext readers are reported to allocate their cognitive resources to meet the cognitive demands and are often reported to get disoriented while navigating through hyperlinks. Meanwhile, readers' understanding of hypertext structures and memories interact while navigating between pages.

Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 2003

From an instructional perspective, it is conceivable that employing an appropriate hypertext architecture should have the advantage of facilitating learning by representing logically the interrelationships between the different pieces of information contained within the hypertext. Furthermore, there would appear to be a sound theoretical rationale for suggesting that the degree to which hypertext-based instructional systems facilitate learning will be contingent on an individual's cognitive style. This study aims to investigate whether different hypertext architectures can be matched to an individual's cognitive style to facilitate learning. Three hypertext architectures, linear, hierarchical, and relational were employed, and cognitive style was assessed using the Cognitive Styles Analysis (Riding, 1991). The findings revealed that for certain hypertext architectures learning may be facilitated when the architecture is matched to the cognitive style of the user. The results have implications for the design of web-based learning systems.

2000

The influence of learning styles on achievement in hypertext was investigated. The learning styles of 21 female and 20 male subjects enrolled in an Introduction to Psychology class was assessed using the Learning Style Inventory (LSI) (D. . The LSI categorizes respondents into one of four learning styles based on their abilities in the four stages of the experiential learning cycle. Subjects were presented with a hypertext module from a Web-based Introduction to Psychology course and a printed version of the same module. Achievement was assessed with 4 20-question multiple choice quizzes, each composed of 10 factual and 10 conceptual questions. Two quizzes were presented for each condition; one set was presented immediately, and an alternate set was presented 7 days later. It was hypothesized that Assimilators and Convergers would score highest on all measures of achievement. However, a significant difference was found between Divergers, who scored highest, and Accommodators, who scored lowest.