Exploring the Influence of Hyperlinks and Digital Experience on Reading Comprehension in Multiple Documents.
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2025-08-28
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en
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Literature suggests that hyperlinks and multiple document texts may hinder reading comprehension by requiring more cognitive load. Findings, however, are ambiguous, and the role of the readers’ digital experience, i.e., social media usage, digital skills, and digital text preference, is unclear within the literature. This thesis aims to address this gap via a 2x2 (Hyperlink presence x Text type) between-subject experiment (N = 96) was conducted in which participants completed a reading comprehension test and measures of digital experience alongside control variables (Prior knowledge, Sustained attention, Print exposure, Vocabulary, and Working memory). Regression analyses revealed that Text type significantly predicted reading comprehension (β = .36, p < .001): single-document readers outperformed multiple-document readers. Hyperlink presence, however, did not significantly predict reading comprehension, nor did any of the digital experience variables. These findings highlight the importance of multiple-document reading instructions and call for further research on hyperlink design and instructional interventions.
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Faculteit der Letteren