Internet exploration behaviours and recovery from unsuccessful actions differ between learners with high and low levels of attention

Sustained attention (i.e., focusing attention on an activity for a prolonged amount of time) has important implications for learning and memory. However, little is known regarding the behavioural factors that contribute to sustained attention during Internet learning. The primary purpose of the current study was to explore differences in navigational choices and recovery from unsuccessful actions of learners with high and low levels of sustained attention. Undergraduate students searched the Internet for information corresponding to an assigned low domain knowledge topic for 20 min while their eye-gaze was recorded. High- and low-attending learners differed in the selection of links, level of linearity used to navigate the Internet, Web reading strategies, and frequency of deploying unsuccessful actions. These results indicate that sustained attention may be impacted by the monitoring of one’s progress towards the learning goal, and have implications for scaffolding provided by teachers and adaptive hypermedia systems.

• Eye-gaze was recorded during novices’ Internet navigation.
• Time spent with relevant information predicted undergraduates’ recognition scores.
• There was little variation in search behaviours.
• Navigation behaviours and reading strategies differed for high- and low-attending learners.
• Learners who experienced breakdowns were able to recover relatively quickly.