Effects of Hypertext Structure, Navigation Support and Academic Exposure to Contents on Learning from Hypertext

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of structure and navigation aids on students' learning from hypertexts. Participants were 48 undergraduate students. Group 1 (N = 24) read 2 hypertexts (one network, one hierarchical) with high navigation support (a graphical overview, a coherent links list, and use of different colours for visited and unvisited links). Group 2 (N = 24) read the same hypertexts, but with low navigation support. Both groups were assessed at the start of the semester and again at the end on three measures: comprehension, concept-mapping and perceived disorientation. High navigation support had an impact on structure effects, eliminating the negative impact of network structures that are commonly reported for novices. Finally, perceived disorientation was, unexpectedly, higher for hierarchical hypertext in all conditions. Implications for research and education are discussed.