Beginning-level students find science textbook difficult to use and understand. One cause is a mismatch between the organization of information in textbooks, and students knowledge structures and learning goals. This project investigates the use of interactive computerized texts as an alternative to printed textbooks for teaching secondary-level science. Interactive text (or "flexible texts") present the learning material from a computer database, which is organized by students based on their learning goals and prior knowledge. These texts (1) allow students to organize the information according to their learning needs; (2) make text learning a more active process, thus promoting a deeper understanding; and (3) give learners more control over their learning material, which can increase motivation. The research will first investigate secondary-school learners' knowledge representations and the capabilities they achieve. Second, it will test the utility of various learning aids for supporting effective flexible text strategies. Third, it will use the knowledge gained from this research to demonstrate in a prototype system how to design flexible texts that produce better learning than printed texts for scientific content (ie., topics in electricity and related topics on magnetism.)
