A flexible interface design for Web directories to accommodate different cognitive styles

Abstract

Search engines are very popular tools for collecting information from distributed resources. They provide not only search facilities, but they also offer directories for users to browse content divided into groups. In this paper, we've adopted an individual differences approach to explore user's attitudes towards various interface features provided by existing Web directories. Among a variety of individual differences, cognitive style is a particularly important characteristic that influences the effectiveness of information seeking. Empirical results indicate that users' cognitive styles influence their reactions to the organization of subject categories, presentation of the results, and screen layout. We developed a set of design guidelines on the basis of these results, and propose a flexible interface that adopts these guidelines to accommodate the preferences of different cognitive style groups.

Exploring the Structural Relationships between High School Students’ Scientific Epistemological Views and their Utilization of Information Commitments toward Online Science Information

“…These findings concur with many studies suggesting that students' SEVs should play an essential role in how they process and organize scientific information (Songer & Linn, 1991;Tsai, 1998aTsai, , b, 2000. In addition to increasing attention for the development of the adaptive learning system concerned with the user's cognition status (Chen, Magoulas, & Dimakopoulos, 2005), the system designer should highlight the role of SEVs on increasingly metacognitive engagement with science information on the Web. Furthermore, it should be noted that there was one possible exception to the aforementioned conclusion, since in this study the agreement toward a particular SEV dimension, 'Social Negotiation in Science', was found to be related to both advanced and less sophisticated standards of judging online science information.…”

Learning Style under Two Web‐Based Study Conditions

“…A considerable volume of research has examined student learning style in webbased instructional contexts (Chen, Margoulas, & Dimakopoulos, 2005).…”

Motivation to Learn and Distance Learning Programs: What Brazilian Workers Think about?

“…This result meets the founds of Kennedy (2014), when the researcher found that the autonomy of the student is directly related to its capacity for analysis, synthesis and organization of their routine studies. According to Chen, Magoulas and Dimakopoulos (2005), we found that the habits of the distance students must be considered in the planning of these courses. Their styles and learning strategies should be considered.…”

“…Distance learning assumes some characteristics such as motivation to study, personal interest, commitment, autonomy, self-direction and management of own learning strategies. This requires an active role of student in relation to their knowledge construction and autonomy (Chen, Magoulas, & Dimakopoulos, 2005;Riding & Sadler-Smith, 1997). …”