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A social cognitivist view of hypermedia learning

Cortese, Juliann
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1117124538

Abstract Details

2005, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Communication.
The purpose of this research is to understand better the learning process as it relates to information acquired through the WWW. The study is grounded in Social Cognitive Theory which suggests that we are in control of our lives through a triadic reciprocal relationship between environment, behavior, and personal factors. For this study, hypermedia was the environment, learning was the behavior and several personal factors were considered. Two separate studies were employed to investigate the relationship between hypermedia and learning. The first study focused on three types of learning: knowledge structure, definitional knowledge and factual knowledge. Two experimental conditions and a control condition were created for this experiment by manipulating site design. Pop-up windows specifying either the definitions of linked terms (definitional manipulation) or the relationships between linked terms and the current page of content (relational manipulation) were used to manipulate elaboration. Personal characteristics were also examined as they relate to the three forms of knowledge. The second study was developed to answer some of the remaining questions from study one. Study two focused on pre and post knowledge structure density in order to examine how hypermedia influences structural knowledge. Personal characteristics were also investigated in relation to knowledge structure density. Results from study one indicated that the definitional elaboration site increased definitional knowledge, even when factoring personal characteristic variables into the model. Also, factual knowledge was enhanced by the basic (control) site. However, neither of the site manipulations nor the basic site aided knowledge structure density. Study two add some insight into how knowledge structure density may be enhanced. Exposure to the pretest knowledge structure density measure primed participants to focus on website content more closely thereby resulting in denser knowledge structure density. A similar priming effect was found in study one in relation to definitional knowledge. Regarding personal characteristics, there was a main effect of subject expertise on knowledge structure density. Motivation interacted with site design to influence knowledge structure density. Cognitive load interacted with site design to predict definitional knowledge. Web expertise and Internet self-efficacy did not emerge as significant predictors in this research.
William Eveland (Advisor)
201 p.
Mass Communications
Hypermedia learning; social cognitive theory; web design; knowledge structure; factual knowledge

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Cortese, J. (2005). A social cognitivist view of hypermedia learning [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1117124538

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Cortese, Juliann. A social cognitivist view of hypermedia learning. 2005. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1117124538.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Cortese, Juliann. "A social cognitivist view of hypermedia learning." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1117124538

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1117124538
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© 2005, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.