The effects of individual differences and instructional aids on learners' disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in a hypermedia learning system

Hypermedia Learning Systems (HLS) are being used increasingly widely in Higher Education, offering non-linear navigation through complex learning materials and, it is argued, leading to improve cognitive flexibility. For some learners, though, nonlinear navigation in HLS leads to higher levels of disorientation, which can have an impact on their learning performance and attitudes towards the learning system. There has been significant research into the factors that can influence individual learners‘ experiences. For example, a number of studies have confirmed that individual differences such as cognitive style, domain knowledge and computer experience affect individuals‘ levels of disorientation and learning performance, and influence their attitudes towards HLS. It has also been suggested that instructional aids (in the form of certain visual elements and audio elements) can reduce levels of disorientation and, in turn, increase learning performance in, and positive attitudes towards, HLS for some learners. However, existing studies have tended to look at only a subset of these three individual differences in relation to an individual and/or consider only a small number of visual instructional aids. No study up to this point has considered the impact of cognitive style, domain knowledge and computer experience on disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in a HLS that incorporates a full range of visual instructional aids. In terms of the research related to audio instructional aids, no studies have looked into the effects of audio aids and these three individual differences in relation to disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in HLS. This thesis addresses these two shortcomings through two experiments. The aim of experiment 1 was to examine the effects of and between these three individual differences with respect to disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in two versions of a HLS: one that incorporated the set of visual instructional aids and one that did not. Experiment 2 aimed to do the same, but with respect to a HLS that provided audio instructional aids. The experiments used quantitative and qualitative approaches to gather data to address a set of research questions and research hypotheses. The participants were 384 university students from across London. The Cognitive Style Analysis (CSA) test was administered to determine participants‘ field dependence, and participants‘ demographic information, levels of computer experience and levels of prior knowledge were gathered using questionnaires. Learning performance was measured through achievement tests and a practical task. Levels of disorientation were measured using questionnaires, and attitudes were assessed using questionnaires and interviews. Participants were also observed when they were interacting with the HLS to perform learning tasks. A number of interesting results were revealed. Significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in the HLS that provided no instructional aids. No significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to disorientation or learning performance in the other two versions of the HLS – those providing visual and audio instructional aids. Significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to the use of the visual and audio instructional aids to perform learning in the HLS. No significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to attitudes in the HLS that provided visual instructional aids. Significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to attitudes in the version that provided audio instructional aids. Analysis of the results led to the framing of a set of HLS design guidelines which are presented in this thesis. Finally, an agenda for future research leading on from the study‘s findings is presented.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The effects of individual differences and instructional aids on learners' disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in a hypermedia learning system

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Hypermedia Learning Systems (HLS) are being used increasingly widely in Higher Education, offering non-linear navigation through complex learning materials and, it is argued, leading to improve cognitive flexibility. For some learners, though, nonlinear navigation in HLS leads to higher levels of disorientation, which can have an impact on their learning performance and attitudes towards the learning system. There has been significant research into the factors that can influence individual learners‘ experiences. For example, a number of studies have confirmed that individual differences such as cognitive style, domain knowledge and computer experience affect individuals‘ levels of disorientation and learning performance, and influence their attitudes towards HLS. It has also been suggested that instructional aids (in the form of certain visual elements and audio elements) can reduce levels of disorientation and, in turn, increase learning performance in, and positive attitudes towards, HLS for some learners. However, existing studies have tended to look at only a subset of these three individual differences in relation to an individual and/or consider only a small number of visual instructional aids. No study up to this point has considered the impact of cognitive style, domain knowledge and computer experience on disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in a HLS that incorporates a full range of visual instructional aids. In terms of the research related to audio instructional aids, no studies have looked into the effects of audio aids and these three individual differences in relation to disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in HLS. This thesis addresses these two shortcomings through two experiments. The aim of experiment 1 was to examine the effects of and between these three individual differences with respect to disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in two versions of a HLS: one that incorporated the set of visual instructional aids and one that did not. Experiment 2 aimed to do the same, but with respect to a HLS that provided audio instructional aids. The experiments used quantitative and qualitative approaches to gather data to address a set of research questions and research hypotheses. The participants were 384 university students from across London. The Cognitive Style Analysis (CSA) test was administered to determine participants‘ field dependence, and participants‘ demographic information, levels of computer experience and levels of prior knowledge were gathered using questionnaires. Learning performance was measured through achievement tests and a practical task. Levels of disorientation were measured using questionnaires, and attitudes were assessed using questionnaires and interviews. Participants were also observed when they were interacting with the HLS to perform learning tasks. A number of interesting results were revealed. Significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in the HLS that provided no instructional aids. No significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to disorientation or learning performance in the other two versions of the HLS – those providing visual and audio instructional aids. Significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to the use of the visual and audio instructional aids to perform learning in the HLS. No significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to attitudes in the HLS that provided visual instructional aids. Significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to attitudes in the version that provided audio instructional aids. Analysis of the results led to the framing of a set of HLS design guidelines which are presented in this thesis. Finally, an agenda for future research leading on from the study‘s findings is presented

Hypermedia learning and prior knowledge: Domain expertise vs. system expertise

Prior knowledge is often argued to be an important determinant in hypermedia learning, and may be thought of as including two important elements: domain expertise and system expertise. However, there has been a lack of research considering these issues together. In an attempt to address this shortcoming, this paper presents a study that examines how domain expertise and system expertise influence students’ learning performance in, and perceptions of, a hypermedia system. The results indicate that participants with lower domain knowledge show a greater improvement in their learning performance than those with higher domain knowledge. Furthermore, those who enjoy using the Web more are likely to have positive perceptions of non-linear interaction. Discussions on how to accommodate the different needs of students with varying levels of prior knowledge are provided based on the results

Navigational aids and learner control in hypermedia instructional programs

This study examined the effects of learner control and navigational aids on performance in a hypermedia instructional program. Results indicated that students who were permitted to move freely within the program and had access to navigational aids, interacted more with the program and this was associated with higher performance on the posttest. The findings revealed that students who had control over the sequence of their instruction deviated from a linear path significantly more often when provided with navigational aids such as those used in this study. Navigational aids may provide a structure that promotes more explanatory behavior or interaction for students under learner control conditions

Adaptive learning systems: Supporting navigation with customized suggestions

The aim of this study was to share the results from an experimental research which investigate the effects of link annotations in an educational hypermedia on students’ navigation. This study was conducted through a post-test only control group design with 67 undergraduate students. The voluntary research participants were randomly assigned into the experimental and control group. The required data were collected through an academic achievement test, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, the Non-Linear Media Disorientation Assessment Tool, a questionnaire about users’ opinions and user logs. The findings showed that the perceived disorientation scores and revisitation rates were significantly lower for the learners who studied in the adaptive environment than those in the non-adaptive environment. It was observed that students’ non-sequential navigation in experimental group increased significantly and they followed the system's advices.

Investigation of the use of navigation tools in web-based learning: A data mining approach

Web-based learning is widespread in educational settings. The popularity of Web-based learning is in great measure because of its flexibility. Multiple navigation tools provided some of this flexibility. Different navigation tools offer different functions. Therefore, it is important to understand how the navigation tools are used by learners with different backgrounds, knowledge, and skills. This article presents two empirical studies in which data-mining approaches were used to analyze learners' navigation behavior. The results indicate that prior knowledge and subject content are two potential factors influencing the use of navigation tools. In addition, the lack of appropriate use of navigation tools may adversely influence learning performance. The results have been integrated into a model that can help designers develop Web-based learning programs and other Web-based applications that can be tailored to learners' needs

The guiding process in discovery hypertext learning environments for the Internet

Hypertext is the dominant method to navigate the Internet, providing user freedom and control over navigational behaviour. There has been an increase in converting existing educational material into Internet web pages but weaknesses have been identified in current WWW learning systems. There is a lack of conceptual support for learning from hypertext, navigational disorientation and cognitive overload. This implies the need for an established pedagogical approach to developing the web as a teaching and learning medium. Guided Discovery Learning is proposed as an educational pedagogy suitable for supporting WWW learning. The hypothesis is that a guided discovery environment will produce greater gains in learning and satisfaction, than a non-adaptive hypertext environment. A second hypothesis is that combining concept maps with this specific educational paradigm will provide cognitive support. The third hypothesis is that student learning styles will not influence learning outcome or user satisfaction. Thus, providing evidence that the guided discovery learning paradigm can be used for many types of learning styles. This was investigated by the building of a guided discovery system and a framework devised for assessing teaching styles. The system provided varying discovery steps, guided advice, individualistic system instruction and navigational control. An 84 subject experiment compared a Guided discovery condition, a Map-only condition and an Unguided condition. Subjects were subdivided according to learning styles, with measures for learning outcome and user satisfaction. The results indicate that providing guidance will result in a significant increase in level of learning. Guided discovery condition subjects, regardless of learning styles, experienced levels of satisfaction comparable to those in the other conditions. The concept mapping tool did not appear to affect learning outcome or user satisfaction. The conclusion was that using a particular approach to guidance would result in a more supportive environment for learning. This research contributes to the need for a better understanding of the pedagogic design that should be incorporated into WWW learning environments, with a recommendation for a guided discovery approach to alleviate major hypertext and WWW issues for distance learning

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

Der Einfluss von Inhaltsgestaltung und Lernereigenschaften auf Navigation und Wissenserwerb in hypermedialen Lernumgebungen

Educational software increasingly finds its way into classroom learning. The question arises whether the currently available products ensure effectiveness and efficiency of learning. So far investigations on the learning process when using hypermedia environments and moreover the factors impacting on the software use are scarce. The presented doctoral thesis, set in a realistic classroom scenario and presenting a complex learner-controlled hypermedia environment, aims to brigde this gap. Four evaluation variants of a CD-ROM on cell biology offering different didactical and graphical designs but the same content were produced. Specifically, the impacts of 3D-models, close-up views, static picture as well as animation design were investigated. About 700 students of 15 schools and 3 universities in 5 different German ôBundeslaenderö participated in the study. The knowledge acquisition and navigation behaviour of the examinees was documented with encoded log-files and correlated with the individualÆs learner characteristics such as learning style, prior domain knowledge and visual spatial ability as well as the design features of the software variants. Individual as well as group learning was analysed. Principle component analysis (PCA) was applied to get main usage factors that served as dependent variables in the subsequently calculated statistical tests. The dissertation suggests various influences of learner characteristics and content design on the learning process thereby contributing to the design of learning software that is well adapted to usersÆ needs. The studyÆs results are discussed in light of an extended cognitive load theory for hypermedia learning environments.Neue Medien kommen immer öfter auch im Klassenzimmer zum Einsatz. Die Frage stellt sich daher, ob die derzeit erhältlichen Produkte die Effektivität und Effizienz des Lernens gewährleisten. Untersuchungen, die den Lernprozess bei der Nutzung hypermedialer Lernumgebungen und darüber hinaus die die Softwarenutzung beeinflussenden Faktoren beleuchten, sind bislang rar. Die vorliegende Doktorarbeit, unter Verwendung einer Nutzer-kontrollierten hypermedialen Lernumgebung im Klassenraum durchgeführt, und damit die realistische Lernsituation simulierend, zielt darauf ab, diese Lücke zu schließen. Vier Evaluationsvarianten einer CD - ROM zum Thema Zellbiologie verschiedenen didaktischen und graphischen Designs aber gleichen Inhalts wurden produziert. Insbesondere wurden der Einfluss von 3D-Modellen, Detaildarstellungen, des Designs statischer Bilder sowie von Animationen untersucht. Etwa 700 Schüler/innen und Studierende aus 15 Schulen und 3 Universitäten in 5 verschiedenen deutschen Bundesländern nahmen an der Studie teil. Navigation und Prozess des Wissenserwerbs der Teilnehmer wurde mit codierten Logfiles erfasst und mit individuellen Eigenschaften wie Lernstil, fachlichem Vorwissen und räumlichem Vorstellungsvermögen sowie den Designmerkmalen der Softwarevarianten korreliert. Sowohl Einzel- als auch Gruppenlernen wurde untersucht. Mittels einer Faktorenanalyse (PCA) wurden Hauptnutzungsfaktoren ermittelt, die in den nachfolgend durchgeführten statistischen Tests als abhängige Variablen fungierten. Die Studie zeigt verschiedene Einflüsse der Nutzereigenschaften und des inhaltlichen Designs auf den Lernprozess und unterstützt dadurch die Entwicklung von Softwareprodukten, die den Bedürfnissen der Nutzer ausreichend Rechnung tragen. Die Ergebnisse werden im Zusammenhang einer erweiterten kognitiven Beanspruchungstheorie („Cognitive Load Theory“) für hypermediale Lernumgebungen diskutiert