Search and study strategies in hypertext

摘要

Learning styles are usually assessed by asking students what they do while studying. In our study, we tried to relate what students said they do to what they actually did during two different study tasks. Three questions were addressed. First, we wanted to know if students with different learning styles use different study strategies. Second, we were interested in the role of regulation in strategy use. Finally, we wanted to know whether strategy use was consistent over two different reading tasks (a search task and an exam-preparation task). To measure learning styles we used the Inventory of Learning Styles developed by Vermunt and Van Rijswijk (1987). Based on the cognitive processing scales, students were identified as deep processors or surface processors. By means of a computer-supported reading environment, their actual study behavior on two different reading tasks was recorded. The results show that in a study task demanding careful searching for information, learning styles and directly observed study strategies are clearly related. Deep processors use a global point of view to navigate through the text. Surface processors more often take decisions at a local level. However, these effects were not found during a traditional exam-preparation task. As expected, surface processors were more consistent in their strategy use on both tasks than deep processors.