Influence of text structure and prior knowledge of the learner on reading comprehension, browsing and perceived control

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of text structure and prior knowledge of the learner on reading comprehension, browsing and perceived control. Three types of texts are distinguished, differing in structure (traditional linear text, hierarchical hypertext, and mixed hypertext). In all conditions, subjects were allowed 4,0 min to read through the document. After completing the reading part of the experiment, they were asked to fill out the perceived control questionnaire followed by the reading comprehension test. As far as reading comprehension was concerned, knowledgeable subjects had higher reading comprehension scores than nonknowledgeable subjects in the linear condition. In addition, nonknowledgeable subjects in the mixed condition had higher reading comprehension scores than nonknowledgeable subjects in the linear condition. However, with respect to perceived control and browsing, the performance of knowledgeable and nonknowledgeable subjects was equivalent in all three conditions. The findings combined suggest that a hierarchical hypertext is most appropriate for nonknowledgeable subjects, probably because this structure provides a clear insight into the organizational structure of the hypertext. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.