Experimental evaluation of learning performance for exploring the shortest paths in hyperlink network of Wikipedia

In a 9-hour experiment we evaluated learning performance based on exploring the shortest paths in hyperlink network of Wikipedia online encyclopedia. Relying on network of 35688 unique hyperlinks in three separate learning sessions of 20 minutes students read series of 62 sentences built by using 22 unique hyperlinks that form the eleven shortest paths and answered pre-test and post-test multiple-choice questionnaires about recall of sentences (tests 1-6). For experiment group (n=24) 62 sentences were chained in such an ordering that corresponds to traversing cumulatively a series of associative trails leading from concept Tourism in Malta to concept Euro coins of Malta along alternative parallel shortest paths in hyperlink network of Wikipedia category Malta. For control group (n=10) same sentences had randomized ordering. For both unique hyperlinks and consecutive pairs of hyperlinks experiment group reached higher degrees of recall than control group in tests 2-5 and the effect size in favor of experiment group was over 0.18 for test 2 and over 0.40 for tests 3-4. We do not know any previous work verifying learning performance like in our approach.