INFORMATION SEARCH AND COHERENCE FORMATIO N IN KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION FROM HYPERTEXT

Hypertexts provide more possibilities of self-regulated learning than traditional linear texts. However, they put also additional demands on the learner, as instructional decisions of selecting and sequencing o f information have to be made by the learner him/herself instead of th e author. Such decisions require a sufficiently clear aim as an orient ation, because the learner would otherwise possess no criteria to make the necessary instructional decisions. An empirical study was carried out to investigate whether novices' knowledge acquisition from hypert exts can be supported by providing them a specific goal orientation. L earners with low prior knowledge had to learn a complex subject matter either from a hypertext or from a linear text. Half of the learners w ere given a specific goal orientation by means of certain learning tas ks, whereas the other half received no such goal orientation. The resu lts indicate that linear texts are better suited for learning without a specific goal orientation than hypertexts. Hypertexts seem to be bet ter suited for learning with a specific goal orientation, because proc essing can be focused more on the task relevant information. Positive effects of learning from hypertexts are only to be expected, however, if learners have a sufficiently clear aim of the information to be sea rched for and if they are also able to identifiy the corresponding tex t information as goal relevant. Processes of specifying information ai ms and processes of information evaluation deserve therefore special a ttention in learning from hypertexts.