Software evaluation: effectiveness, student/teacher attitudes, and curriculum integration

Background:  

Research question:  

Question one: What are the effects of hypertext (link-based) reading on L1 and/or L23 comprehension/retention? Often, textual material on the web is not read in linear fashion but as a series of jumps from link to reference. I'm not sure if anyone has done an analysis of the kinds (i.e. global…local) of comprehension and/or retention that hypertext readers have as opposed to readers of traditional prose. Additionally, I'd love to know if L2 readers have different comprehension/retention patterns than L1 readers.

Question two: In the lab I notice that some of my learners go after CALL software like teens playing Pac-man (click-click-click-CLICK); others doze in front of the screen; still others work in a more careful and methodical manner. Intuition and experience tell me that those who work in this last manner learn faster, which brings to mind several possible research questions: 1) to find a way of correlating CALL software working style with progress; 2) to investigate those interface design elements that tend to lead users toward the most effective working style(s), whatever they might happen to be.

Suggested methodology/comments: 

Contact:  John McVicker   mcvicker@ohiou.edu

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