How do students read on the Internet in the new technological era?

The principal focus of this investigation is to discuss how EFL students read on the Internet after completing a Cybertask. Our main concern is to find out how students read on the Internet in the new technological era. Nowadays we are going through a great technological revolution that makes us being concerned about the English Language as a Foreign Language education. For this reason, we deem necessary to apply our knowledge during the reading process (Schmar-Dobler, 2003) and promote the reading capacity of texts (Luzón & Ruiz-Madrid, 2008; Luzón, Ruiz-Madrid & Villanueva, 2010; Girón-García & Gaspar, 2012). Furthermore, this paper focuses on two features: (a) how students handle the great amount of information they find on the Web; and (b) how they select the most appropriate information according to their task objectives. In order to get relevant results, a group of university students of the English Studies degree at ‘Universitat Jaume I’ (Spain) worked on an English task-based activity (i.e. ‘Cybertask’) during their class regular time. They also took into account a number of Websites provided by the teacher and following they completed a Self-Assessment Questionnaire in order to evaluate both their task process and task result. Finally, the main aim is to analyse how students read (‘Reading Modes’) in a digital context when they face task-based activities (Girón-García, 2013). However, our study goes beyond the classification of Internet users (‘Knowledge Seekers’, ‘Feature Explorers’, and ‘Apathetic Hypertext Users’) (Anderson-Inman & Hoerney, 1993; Bowdish et al., 1994; Lawless & Kulikowich, 1996)

A navegação em sistemas de hipertexto e seus aspectos cognitivos

Este artigo descreve a navegação em sistemas de hipertextos e a influência dos aspectos cognitivos nessa navegação

A navegação em sistemas de hipertexto e seus aspectos cognitivos

the navigation in hypertext systems and the influence of cognition aspect

IT Mediated Customer Services in E-Government: A Citizen’s Perspective

Despite the vast amount of research conducted and knowledge accumulated to explain the adoption of electronic public services, the issue of how to design high quality e-government Web sites remains an unresolved and relatively understudied topic. This study aims to address this theoretical and pragmatic gap by differentiating service content from service delivery in prescribing technological solutions for enriching the service quality of e-government Web sites. Grounded in Ives and Learmonth’s [1984] Customer Service Lifecycle, this article explicates a series of functional specifications that may be superimposed onto basic government transactions to enhance the overall functionality of e-government Web sites. It also articulates six interface design principles that are pertinent to addressing citizens’ expectations associated with the delivery of public services via the Internet channel. Together, the resultant dimensions depict a comprehensive set of IT-enabled content functionalities and interface design principles that may direct future research into fully interactive and executable e-government services. Practitioners could also benefit from the utilization of these content and delivery dimensions both as a reflective mirror to isolate inadequacies in e-government Web site designs, and as a benchmarking mechanism to assess the level of maturity of existing public e-services as compared to other leading exemplars

Design, produção e implementação do ambiente de aprendizado baseado na WEB, AABW

The work presented here is part of the need to contribute to science education through ICT. In this sense, a WEB-based environment was designed, which presents in its structure a didactic strategy of scaffolding of a metacognitive type, which was designed in the context of learning certain contents of textual typology in relation to the Sciences Natural. The research raised a quasi-experimental design of type 2x3, with previously formed groups belonging to two regular courses of a private school in the city of Bogotá. The experience consisted of exposing groups of students to a WEB-based environment for strengthening reading comprehension and scientific skills. The results of this research contribute to teachers, therapists and in general to the Educational Community elements regarding the use of a metacognitive scaffolding in a WEB-based environment, as a teaching strategy for the development of metacognitive processes and learning achievement. Such an integrated strategy along with the cognitive style in the students' DFI dimension could predict the academic success of apprentices when interacting with such environments. The results of this research provide teachers, therapists and in general to the educational community elements against the use of metacognitive scaffolding in an Environment Based on the WEB, as a didactic strategy for the development of metacognitive processes and Learning achievement. This integrated strategy along with the cognitive style in the DIC dimension of the students could predict the academic success of the apprentices when they interact with this type of environments.El trabajo que aquí se presenta, forma parte de la necesidad de contribuir a la educación en ciencias a través de las TIC. En este sentido, se diseñó un Ambiente Basado en la WEB, el cual presenta en su estructura una estrategia didáctica de andamiaje de tipo metacognitivo, el cual, se diseñó en el contexto de aprendizaje de ciertos contenidos de tipología textual en relación con las Ciencias Naturales. La investigación planteó un diseño cuasiexperimental de tipo factorial 2x3, con grupos previamente conformados pertenecientes a dos cursos regulares de un colegio privado de la ciudad de Bogotá. La experiencia consistió en exponer a los grupos de estudiantes a un Ambiente Basado en la WEB para el fortalecimiento de la comprensión lectora y las competencias científicas. Los resultados de esta investigación aportan a docentes, terapeutas y en general a la Comunidad educativa elementos frente al uso de un andamiaje metacognitivo en un Ambiente Basado en la WEB, como estrategia didáctica para el desarrollo de los procesos metacognitivos y el logro de aprendizaje. Dicha estrategia integrada junto con el estilo cognitivo en la dimensión DFI de los estudiantes podría predecir el éxito académico de los aprendices cuando interactúan con este tipo de ambientes.O trabalho aqui apresentado, faz parte da necessidade de contribuir à educação em ciências através das TIC. Neste trabalho, foi criado um Ambiente Baseado na WEB, este apresenta na sua estrutura uma estratégia didática de andaimes do tipo metacognitivo, o que foi criado no contexto de aprendizado de alguns conteúdos de tipología textual relacionados com as Ciências Naturais. A pesquisa propõe um design quase experimental de tipo fatorial 2x3, com grupos previamente escolhidos pertencentes a dois cursos regulares de uma escola privada da cidade de Bogotá. A experiência consistiu em expor aos grupos de alunos ao Ambiente Baseado na WEB para o fortalecimento da compreensão da leitura e as competências científicas. Os resultados desta pesquisa trazem a professores, terapeutas e a toda Comunidade educativa em geral, elementos diante do uso de andaimes de tipo metacognitivo em Ambientes Baseados na WEB, como estratégia didática para o desenvolvimento dos processos metacognitivos e conquista do conhecimento. Dita estratégia integrada com o estilo cognitivo na dimensão DFI dos alunos poderia prever o sucesso acadêmico dos aprendizes quando interactuam com este tipo de ambientes

Cognitive style: the reliability and validity of verbal-imagery and wholistic-analytic cognitive style

Cognitive styles are defined as an individual's preferred or habitual way of processing information. In this thesis, existing measures of cognitive style are reviewed and the development of a new more reliable and valid cognitive style measure is outlined. The research described in this thesis includes (i) an introduction to cognitive styles research, (ii) an evaluation of Riding's (1991; 1998) popular Cognitive Style Analysis (CSA) test, (iii) the design and pilot of an inspection-time test of wholistic-analytic style, iv) the development oftwo new reliable tests of verbal-imagery and wholistic-analytic cognitive style (VICS test, and Extended WA test) and (v) the validity of the new tests and their potential impact on theory and practice.Many different cognitive style measures have been proposed. The most popular computerised cognitive style test in the UK is Riding's Cognitive Style Analysis (CSA) test. The CSA assesses style on two broad dimensions: verbalimagery (VI) and wholistic-analytic (WA). This thesis examines the test re-test, parallel form and split-halfreliability of the CSA's VI and WA dimensions in 50 participants. The results showed that the CSA's crucial style ratios, which are used to determine a person's cognitive style, were not reliable (r = .20 on the VI dimension, and r = .30 on the WA dimension).To try to improve the CSA's test of the wholistic-analytic dimension, an inspection time test of the WA dimension was designed and piloted. The inspection time WA ratio was found to be moderately reliable over time (r = .595). This line of investigation was put on hold, with the discovery that extending the length of the WA tests increased the splithalfreliability of the Extended WA test ratio (mean r = .67). The split-halfreliability of the Extended VI test ratio did not improve (mean r = .36). These findings suggested the need to revise the CSA's test of the VI dimension. Therefore, a new computerised test of verbal-imagery cognitive style (VICS test) was designed and tested. The crucial verbal-imagery ratios from the new VICS test were found to have test re-test reliability in 50 subjects of r = .66, and a split-half reliability of r = .72, whereas the reliability of the VI ratios from CSA remained low (r = .32).Finally, the validity of the new Extended WA and VICS tests was examined in 100 participants; specifically, the relationship that the VICS and the Extended WA had with personality (measured with IPIP, EPQ-R, IVE), intelligence (measured by 8 tests from the Kit of Factor Referenced Cognitive Tests) learning style (measured by ASSIST, PEPS) and behaviour (measured by the Instructional Preference Questionnaire and observed behaviour). No personality trait, cognitive ability, learning style or behaviour measure correlated more than .33 with cognitive style. It is suggested that cognitive style, as measured by the Extended WA test and the VICS test, is independent from personality, ability and 2 other learning style measures. The potential impact of these tests on current theory and practice is discussed

Influence of Field Dependence / Independence, Gender, and Experience on Navigational Behavior and Configurational Knowledge Acquisition in a Desktop Virtual Reality Environment

Little is known about the influence of individual learner differences on navigational behaviors and learning within a desktop virtual reality environment (VE). This mixed-methods exploratory study used orienting, navigating, and wayfinding theory, digital performance-recording technology, and expert judges to examine the influences of the individual characteristics of field dependent/field independent cognitive style, gender, and prior domain knowledge or experience on navigation behaviors and survey knowledge acquisition of 30 police officers in a virtual crime scene created for the study. Detailed analyses were made of navigational moves and post-VE-treatment drawings of the virtual crime scene. Based on descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, analysis of variance, qualitative data, inter-judge reliability coefficients, and rating scores on post-treatment drawings, several conclusions were drawn: 1. Navigational behaviors in a desktop VE is individualistic rather than occupational. 2. IdentificaSchool of Teaching and Curriculum Leadershi