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    Hypertext and literature : facts and fictions : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1995) Bridges, Jon S
    This thesis examines hypertext as a new medium (but not necessarily the new medium) for literature, first setting an empirical base and then exploring more theoretical issues. I begin with a definition, identifying what makes hypertext qualitatively different from print text. Using the tools of semiotics I describe the essential features of hypertext as opposed to print text in order to lay a factual basis for further discussion. The second part of my thesis extends the definition of hypertext by describing and evaluating two examples of hypertext practice. The first example is Intext, my own hypertext system for creating hypertext tutorials for students of literature. The working Intext system is provided on floppy disk as a companion to this thesis. The second example of hypertext practice is Stuart Moulthrop's hyperfiction, Victory Garden. I follow a critical commentary of this hyperfiction as an essentially reflexive work with some consideration of the challenges hyperfiction poses to literary criticism, focussing on the experiences of reading, writing and criticising fiction in the hypertext medium. The third part of my thesis evaluates the claim, made by current hypertext critics and theorists, that hypertext, as a writing space for literature, is the successor to the medium of print. I background this by tracing the history of hypertext in practice, and by questioning the extent to which experimentation in print fiction can be said to prefigure hypertext. I set forth the rhizome as one possible model for the writing space provided by hypertext. I consider and reject the idea that hypertext embodies certain poststructuralist views of literature; and, by comparing hypertext to the writing space of oral literature, I find some political motivations for the claim that hypertext will succeed print as a medium for literature.
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    A basis for the exploration of hypermedia systems : a guided path facility : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1992) Stenhouse, Alan
    This thesis examines the potential of a paths facility as an aid to navigating large hypermedia systems. The use of the navigational metaphor as applied to finding information is continued with the idea of following a path through information 'space'. This idea assumes that each node, or chunk of information, on the path can be considered a landmark that can be easily returned to when side-trips are taken off the path to explore the surrounding space. The idea of a guided path assumes the re-use of a path, and also assumes that there is extra information available about the path. This meta-information is very important for providing information to help path-followers make better sense of the path, both in terms of content and context, but also in making more effective use of the nodes on the path and in navigating the variety of interface conventions seen in the test environment - HyperCard. A small pilot study has been carried out using two groups of users performing a directed information-seeking task. One group used HyperCard's navigational facilities to find information in a group of stacks, while the other group used a guided path as a base on which to explore the same group of stacks. Both groups had a time limit, at the end of which they completed a number of questionnaires to indicate task completion, as well as providing a subjective evaluation of the facilities they used. The guided path facility appears to be most effective for inexperienced users for a number of reasons. It presents a simplified view of the complex system - the information available has already been filtered and selected, and a simple and consistent navigational interface reduces the cognitive overheads associated with learning a variety of mechanisms present in different stacks. An important feature of a path facility seems to be the provision of meta-information, especially scope information which can reduce the incidences of disorientation. Another feature is the provision of a history facility which provides a backtracking capability. It may also be used in the creation of paths using the length of visit as a criterion for node inclusion on a new path.
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    New bridges to new literacies : year five and six students' use of hypertext in information literacy acquisition : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1999) Mason, Jacqueline Mary
    This thesis addresses the some of the new issues for older New Zealand primary school students' information literacy acquisition. These issues have arisen as the result of the advent of computer-mediated interactive non-linear hypertexts, a new text type as opposed to traditional linear texts. The thesis maintains that the branching, expansive nature of hypertexts, coupled with socially constructed, strategic student learning, transforms the nature of learning itself, and creates a new synergistic learning environment and new conceptions of "literacy". This potential for transformation is seen by the researcher as an ideal opportunity for teachers to design and implement new approaches to information literacy activity, and the process of this thesis puts this opportunity into action. The research, then, seeks to clearly identify implications for teaching and learning of hypertext in relation to information literacy acquisition, through analysis and reflection of the experiences of the researcher in a classroom of year five and six students. An ecological constructivist research perspective was selected as the philosophical, theoretical and methodological foundation of the research. This perspective clearly aligned with the research design and process. The research was designed as an ethnographic case study which was based on a model of analysis of the class "collective zone of proximal development" over three phases of development and observation. The collection, analysis and "triangulation" of the eclectic range of data obtained from the ethnographic case study informed the analysis of conditions for successful "dynamic hypertextual literacy". This analysis in turn informed the construction of the findings, implications, and recommendations of the thesis. Results from the study confirmed that hypertext does indeed require specialised strategies for accessing, processing and authoring. In addition, given the complexities of information hypertexts such as the Internet, socially-mediated settings which also allow opportunites for teacher guidance are critical to effective deep learning and construction of knowledge when these texts are used. Further, the thesis suggests that the success or otherwise of "dynamic hypertextual literacy" is in the hands of teachers and the research embodies practical applications as well as outlining theoretical possibilities.