The Effect of Signals in Hypertext Reading by Tablet Computers

With the popularity of digital reading, the performance of hypertext reading by tablet computers is attracting more and more attention and research. In this study, we carried out an experiment on 30 university students to examine the effects of signals (graphical overview and highlight topic sentences) on hypertext reading by tablet computers. The results showed that signals would improve reading comprehension of participants with low reading skill, while it would reduce reading comprehension of participants with high or medium reading skill. Besides, signals had a significant influence on disorientation, however, no significant influence on cognitive load. It might be suggested that providing signals in hypertext would benefit readers with low reading skill.