The effects of HyperCard authoring on computer-related attitudes and Spanish language acquisition

Abstract The underlying premise of this study has been that the acquisition of a second language can be facilitated when the student organizes information in ways that more closely parallel the organization of information in his/her mind. When learners construct personal representations of the material, they are learning. Through the creation of HyperCard programs, students found a powerful new medium of communication and new insights into organizing and synthesizing information. Students' learning of a second language was improved by allowing the students to be the composers or creators of their own works in an attempt to communicate their understanding of the language. Most research related to educational applications of hypermedia has focused on how teachers can use hypermedia as an authoring tool to create stacks for students to use. However, this study focused on the learners' active participation in the process of learning a second language by allowing them to create their own stacks in Spanish with the information learned in class.

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