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Browsing the internet to solve information problems: A study of students’ search actions and behaviours using a ‘think aloud’ protocol

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Abstract

Many studies show that a large percentage of students lack the digital competencies to solve information problems using the internet. To address this problem, researchers have developed models to structure the process. However, we maintain that it is first necessary to understand how students actually search for information online when solving an information problem and compare their behaviours with the available literature. To do this, we collected and analysed the data on a laboratory setting of 41 students while they solved 16 information problems using the internet and expressed aloud what they were thinking whilst solving them. We identified 21 categories of actions, grouped into 9 activity types associated with four information search processes, showing that some of the students’ stereotyped search behaviours are in fact conscious decisions based on the requirements of the task and the answers found. The results also show that searching for information on the internet can not only vary depending on the task’s requirements, but also on the number of iterations students need to perform to reach an answer. These findings provide some evidence that challenge the assumption that students simply lack the competencies to search for information on the internet; rather, it seems that they show an awareness of different strategies, which they decide to use based on the context and purpose of the task, making their search behaviour more elaborated and complex than is usually portrayed by researchers in the field. Based on this, implications and further research lines are also discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This research was possible thanks to support from the projects: Fondecyt N° 1151044 Identification of the characteristics of Internet research tasks that promote higher cognitive processes and better search strategies in high school students; Fondef N° ID15I10264 Development of digital skills through a system that supports the design and management of school assignments based on solving information and communication problems using the Internet; and financing provided by the program Formation of Advanced Human Capital through the grant 21140227 for the National Doctorate Program 2014.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of ICT in Education, Universidad de La Frontera, Montevideo 0830, Temuco, Chile

    J. Enrique Hinostroza, Andrea Ibieta, Christian Labbé & María Teresa Soto

  2. Department of Psychology, Universidad de La Frontera, Avenida Francisco Salazar 01145, Temuco, Chile

    Andrea Ibieta

Authors
  1. J. Enrique Hinostroza
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  2. Andrea Ibieta
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  4. María Teresa Soto
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Correspondence to J. Enrique Hinostroza.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Information search tasks

Task design was based on the following criteria:

  • The topics were selected from different areas of general knowledge with enough variety to avoid the possibility that a student could know about all the topics.

  • For each topic, four types of task were designed which demanded increasing numbers of searches and cognitive processing (based on Bloom’s taxonomy):

    • Locate one or more facts, definitions or figures.

    • Locate several facts, definitions or figures and select some of them based on certain criteria.

    • Locate several facts, definitions or figures, compare them, and present the results.

    • Locate several facts, definitions or figures, compare and analyse them, and elaborate an answer based on the results of the analysis.

With this design, we expected to represent all the different types of search task that students could face during their study, including: finding objective data, critically analysing source information, etc. The specific tasks were the following:

Topic of session 1: Life expectancy

  1. 1.

    Define briefly, in your own words, the method used for calculating the age to which people may live in different counties.

  2. 2.

    The life expectancy in Chile has increased steadily over the last 10 years. Describe at least three scientific reasons which affect the increase in life expectancy in Chile.

  3. 3.

    Life expectancy has increased all over the world. Find the difference in years between the countries with the highest and lowest life expectancy in South America. Identify the main reason for this difference and explain how it could be improved in the country with the lowest life expectancy.

  4. 4.

    Name the five countries that show the highest life expectancy and explain the main consequences (at least three) of the progressive increase in the life expectancy.

Topic of session 2: Cinema

  1. 1.

    Which three actresses were paid most last year?

  2. 2.

    What is the plot of the most nominated film by the most nominated director for an Oscar award?

  3. 3.

    Name the five films which came out in 2015 which had the highest percentage profits.

  4. 4.

    Find the prizes, equivalent to the Oscar for actors, of equal importance for musicians, stage actors, painters, writers and scientists. Justify your answer.

Topic of session 3: General arts

  1. 1.

    Name three works of art by Claude Monet and the price they would fetch in the market today.

  2. 2.

    What are the procedures for determining the value of new and old paintings?

  3. 3.

    Compare the painting styles of Picasso, Goya, Rembrandt and Salvador Dalí. Look for a painting by each painter which deals with the same subject.

  4. 4.

    If you had to organise an art fair with one painting by each famous painter, which would you show if you had to choose the highest-value painting in each style? Include at least the following styles: Abstract, Pop, Realism, Surrealism and Impressionism.

Topic of session 4: Drugs

  1. 1.

    Name the active components of the drug Mentix and the side effects of each.

  2. 2.

    What are the action mechanisms of Mentix in the central nervous system?

  3. 3.

    Look for food that keeps you awake and active (discarding drinks such as coffee, tea, mate, soft drinks and bottled tea beverages, coca leaf). Select three and compare the mechanisms which produce the desired effect.

  4. 4.

    If a friend asked you to recommend whether or not he should use Mentix, what physical and psychological variables would you investigate to base your answer on?

Appendix 2

Table 1 Definition of codes used in each category
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Hinostroza, J.E., Ibieta, A., Labbé, C. et al. Browsing the internet to solve information problems: A study of students’ search actions and behaviours using a ‘think aloud’ protocol. Educ Inf Technol 23, 1933–1953 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-018-9698-2

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