Effective tailored-communication in learning from hypertext: Introducing expanding hypertext based on individuals' sensation-seeking and working memory capacity

This research began with recognizing the individual differences in learning from different types of computer text formats and further proposed a new perspective (tailored communication) on how we design educational materials. A new alternative hypertext (expanding hypertext) was proposed and tested.; The effects of three computer text formats of the same information were examined in terms of readers' liking and comfort with presentation style, disorientation, and recognition. Individual differences such as sensation-seeking tendency and working-memory capacity were also examined in relation to the text format effects.; General Linear Models showed that adventurous participants reported higher levels of preference in the paged hypertext than those who read the scrolling text. The expanding hypertext fell in between them. In addition, adventurous participants not only considered the paged hypertext as the least disorienting format but also considered the scrolling text as the most disorienting or frustrating format.; Individuals' working memory capacities were found to be a significant factor on participants' recognition. For the participants who were low in working memory span, the scrolling text produced the higher recognition scores than the other two hypertexts. This difference was not shown among those with high working memory span.; Furthermore, the additional findings suggested that time (how much time each individual spends reading the given information) seems to be an important mediating factor that influences how much information is learned in the hypertext learning environment rather than cognitive overload or disorientation.; Hypertext familiarity and knowledge (HFK) exhibited several interactions with the text formats on disorientation and comfort in presentation style. Among those who were low in HFK, the paged hypertext was considered most disorientating while the expanding was the least disorientating. However, of those who were high in HFK, the paged hypertext was considered the least disorienting and most comfortable while the scrolling text was considered the most disorienting or frustrating and the least comfortable style. The female participants' recognition scores did not vary depending on the different text formats while the males' scores varied greatly. Of those who read the scrolling text, the male participants' recognition scores were higher than those of the females.