Effects of metaphorical interfaces on information technologies teacher candidates' navigation performances in educational hypermedia

The learner-controlled structure of hypermedia is considered to be one of the most important strengths provided for education. However, this flexibility provided by hypermedia for learners brings about such navigation problems as disorientation, cognitive overload, distraction and loss of time. In this respect, in order for learners to cope with these problems, it is important to use metaphorical interfaces made up of metaphors as structures that provide clues to understand a new and complex concept, system or model. Thus, in the study, the purpose was to determine the effects of metaphorical interfaces on Information Technologies teacher candidates? navigation performances in educational hypermedia.This study gathering qualitative and quantitative data was designed as a mixed method research. For the qualitative dimension of the study, phenomenology was used, while the post-test control group model, one of real experimental models, was used for the quantitative dimension of the study. The participants of the study were 76 2nd grade and 4th grade Information Technologies teacher candidates attending the department of Computer and Instructional Technologies at the Education Faculty of Anadolu University in the Spring Term of the academic year of 2011-2012. In order to collect the data, the observation technique, focus-group interviews and the Hypermedia Navigation Performance Scale developed within the scope of the study ? whose internal coefficient was found as ?=.90 ? were applied. For the analysis of the quantitative data collected in the study, independent two-sample t test, one-way ANOVA and two-way ANOVA as well as such descriptive statistics as percentages (%), mean scores (X), frequencies (f) were used. As for the analysis of the qualitative data obtained, descriptive content analysis and thematic analysis were run.As a result of the analyses of the data obtained in the study, it was seen that the metaphorical interfaces had a high level of significant influence on the teacher candidates? navigation performances (?2=.16). The 2nd grade and 4th grade Information Technology teacher candidates carrying out the tasks in educational hypermedia which had a metaphorical interface demonstrated a higher level of performance than the teacher candidates carrying out the assigned tasks via a non-metaphorical interface. It was also revealed that such independent variables as experience, Internet use frequency and Internet efficacy did not have enough influence on the Information Technologies teacher candidates? navigation performances in educational hypermedia. In addition, it was also found out that the 2nd grade Information Technologies teacher candidates took fewer actions regarding the media and reflected a weak navigation style by keeping the ways of navigation short, while the 4th grade Information Technologies teacher candidates reflected a tiring navigation style by taking more actions regarding the media in a longer period of time.Depending on another result obtained in the study, it could be stated that the Information Technology teacher candidates? navigational performance in educational hyper environment was influenced by the design, content structure, quality and reliability of that environment and that such variables as speed, correctness, effort, motivation and satisfaction were all perceived as a whole. Moreover, it was also revealed that the Information Technology teacher candidates faced such problems as cognitive overload and disorientation due to the lack of guidance and the complexity of the educational hypermedia which the Information Technology teacher candidates frequently used. It was also seen that this situation could be a result of the fact that Information Technology teacher candidates gave up trying to reach the information desired. Depending on the results obtained in the study, several suggestions were put forward for future research and related applications.APA Citation: Fırat, M. (2012). Affects of Metaphorical Interfaces on Information Technologies Teacher Candidates' Navigational Performance in Educational Hypermedia. Published PhD Thesis, Anadolu University, Institute of Educational Sciences, Eskisehir, Turkey