Influence of Passive versus Active Information Access to Hypertextual Information Resources on Cognitive and Emotional Parameters

Abstract

Learning with non-linear media has been one of the most prevalent topics in educational computing research during the last two decades. The present study examines the influences of navigation in hypertext learning environments and discusses advantages and disadvantages of hypertext as instructional media. Results suggest that subjects retrieving information by actively navigating hypertext do not differ in knowledge acquisition from counterpart-subjects assigned to a passive condition. In a yoked-control design the subjects in the passive condition retrieved the same nodes in the same sequence resulting from their counterparts' active navigation. Both experimental groups showed a significant increase of self-confidence in content-related knowledge compared with a control group. In order to assess subjects ability to apply their knowledge, participants completed an argumentation task using a concept mapping tool. Both experimental groups showed significantly better performance after the treatment, but did not differ from each other markedly. In addition, active access to hypertext information did not result in higher certainty about subjects' knowledge acquisition (self-ratings) compared to passive access. No evidence was found for increased self-confidence in subjects' argumentation ability resulting from active navigation.