The role of content representations in hypermedia learning: Effects of task and learner variables

Abstract

We discuss the role of content representations in hypermedia documents. The phrase "content representation" covers a broad category of knowledge visualization devices ranging from local organizers, e.g., headings, introductions and connectors, to global representations, e.g., topic lists, outlines and concept maps. Text processing research has demonstrated that the principled use of content representations can facilitate the acquisition of knowledge from texts. As regards the role of global content representations in hypermedia learning, the effects vary according to individual and situation variables. We review empirical studies investigating different types of global representations in the context of comprehension and information search tasks. The evidence suggests that networked concept maps are most effective for users with some level of prior knowledge, in nonspecific task contexts. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.