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| Contents |
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Abstract
The experiments of Jonassen and Wang Hot links |
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Jonassen and Wang review the results of three studies that assess the effects of different methods
for explicitly mapping expert knowledge structure onto hypertext
on the acquisition of structural knowledge in the learners.
What really helps learners to improve structural knowledge significantly: working on a task of generating a semantic network.
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| Literature |
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Jonassen and Wang 1993
David H. Jonassen and Sherwood Wang: Acquiring Structural Knowledge from Semantically Structured Hypertext. In: Journal of Computer-Based Instruction, Winter 1993, Vol. 20, No. 1, 1-8.
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| Jonassen and Wang: Structural knowledge acquisition |
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Associative hypertext structures
Hypertext information is knowledge-based with organized relations between the content units.
The schema theory of Rumelhart and Ortony (1977) claims
that personal knowledge is stored in information packets or schemas
that comprise our mental constructs for ideas.
Each schema we construct represents a mini-framework
in which to interrelate elements or attributes of information about a topic into a single conceptual unit.
Semantic networks are somewhat transferable:
as a result of instruction, learners' knowledge structures more closely resemble the instructor's knowledge structure.
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| Hypotheses |
Acquiring knowledge structures
Mapping the semantic network of an expert or knowledgeable person onto the structure of a hypertext will contribute to the development of the learner's knowledge structures while using the hypertext to learn.
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| Experiment 1 |
Three different ways learning from hypertext
Investigation To what extent will users model or replicate the knowledge structure of the expert shown in the graphical browser in their own knowledge representations? Method
- relationship proximity judgements: How strong is a relationship between two concepts? - semantic relationships subscale: Nature of the relationship between two concepts? - analogies subscale: Which term suits best?
- three HyperCard stacks - 75 major concepts nodes - 1167 links - 240 screens
- Experimental group 'map': graphical browser providing explicit structural information about the nodes and links in the hypertext. - Test group 'pop-up': pop-up window providing explicit structural information about the nodes and links in the hypertext. - Control group: no structural information, just an unstructured list of nodes.
Results and discussion
The dependent variables under analysis were:
The independent variable was:
Interacting time with hypertext (less than an hour) too short for the complex structural informations? - relationship test: only half of the questions answered correctly; - analogy test: less than one third of the questions answered correctly; - paraphrased recall test: half of the questions answered correctly.
Are learners able to acquire knowledge from an information retrieval hypertext?
- Meaningful learning results from generative processing in which learners relate new information to their existing knowledge in order to accomodate it with what they know already. - Merely attending to structural cues may not engender generative processing of information.
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| Experiment 2 |
Effects of generative processing activity
Investigation Do learners perform better when asked to generate their own interpretation of the links? Method
- for measuring the learners' structural knowledge acquisition, - the hypertext to be treated, - the experimental procedures.
- New experimental group 'generative': learners determine the nature of the link relationships for themselves, rather than being informed by the program. A pop-up window presented 12 different link types and required learners to classify the link type that most accurately described the nature of the relationship implied by the link. - Test group 'pop-up', like in experiment 1: again pop-up window providing explicit structural information about the nodes and links in the hypertext - Control group, like in experiment 1: again no structural information, just an unstructured list of nodes. Results and discussion
Were they less distracted by structural knowledge activities?
- performed better on the recall task when learning in the control or generative set-up; - were impeded by the pop-up version; - performed better on the semantic relationship task when learning in the pop-up version.
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| Experiment 3 |
Semantic networking as an integrative strategy
- the awareness, - acceptance, and - understanding ot the required task or learning outcome.
- the integration of what is acquired into the learner's knowledge structure and - the restructuring of those knowledge structures. Investigation Do integration and restructuring activities ensure learning from hypertext? Method
- for measuring the learners' structural knowledge acquisition, - the hypertext to be treated, - the experimental procedures.
For this purpose, now two groups: - New experimental group 'semantic net': learners were required to construct a semantic network about the topic of the hypertext following the study period. Previously, they had gained proficiency with 'Learning Tool'. - Control group 'read only': learners were told only to study the hypertext to acquire knowledge during the study period.
- the control treatment (list) providing no structural cues in the browser and - the graphical browser treatment providing explicit information. Results and discussion
Structural knowledge acquisiton improved significantly by focusing the learner's attention on structural aspects of the information in the hypertext.
- visual support of a graphical browser and - focusing on structural relationships.
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| General discussion |
Attention to structural information
Cognitive limitation of browsing behavior
Hypertext literacy
Structural knowledge acquisition
Individual differences and learning from hypertext
- prefered to impose their own structure on information, - were impeded by the structural information provided,
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| Links |
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David H. Jonassen
- Jonassen (1993), German abstract of Jonassen & Wang (1993) by H. Gerdes
Others
Bibliography
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Chris Mueller (prolingua@access.ch)
++41 (0)52 301 3301 phone
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97 06 06 |
