24 indicates that school work was the teens’ first and foremost reason for seeking information.
Nkomo (2009:119) suggests that information needs can largely be grouped into three main categories namely: study or research, work or teaching, and communication and entertainment.
The second category is arguably not applicable to high school learners although leaners might well find that information on possible future careers is useful.
Nkomo (2009:74), in his study of university students in South Africa, reports that “while most of the respondents from Unizul [University of Zululand] (39; 27%) used the Web for assignments, their counterparts at DUT [Durban University of Technology] primarily sought information for research purposes (25; 36%)”. While Nkomo’s findings relate to university students, they provide a picture of how the Web is used in generally academic settings. Similarly, Latrobe and Havener (1997), writing at a time when the Internet was in its earlier stages of development, point out that high school students sought information of general nature or linked with academics, future plans, relationships, current lifestyles and health.
25 retrieve information needed for their assignments, they were inclined to change to another topic.
Similarly, students recorded information of any kind at all, as long as it seemed to be in some way connected to the topic of their assignment. This practice led to some unlikely answers. Students participating in his study were quick to scan sites to determine if they were relevant and often they would not even view the complete page.
In their study of Web searching strategies of South African students, Walton, Marsden and Vukovic (2001: np) stated that the key problems for both novice and experienced Web users arose from a lack of understanding of the nature and scope of Web searching. According to the authors, novices battled significantly with Web navigation. The authors noted that spelling, typing and domain knowledge were prime causes of errors for more experienced Web users. Both new and experienced Web users encountered problems in interpreting the information they found as a result of their limited global knowledge, reading problems, lack of familiarity with the Web layout conventions, and the Web’s slow responses. Interestingly, “both novices and experienced Web users often faced challenges when the goals of their searches diverged significantly from dominant paradigms or assumptions on the Web” (Walton, Marsden and Vukovic 2001: np). It seems that users tended to lose the focus of their search after which they followed whatever it was that the Web presented them with. Walton, Marsden and Vukovic (2001:np) focused specifically on university students but, once again, in the view of the researcher, their findings can be generalized to include senior high school learners a number of whom will be “university bound”
in their next academic year.
2.8.2 Users’ information-seeking steps
How information on the Web is accessed will for the purpose of this thesis be addressed by Wilson’s theory of information searching behavior. As mentioned in section 2.2.3. Wilson (2000:263) describes information searching behavior as “a sub-set of information-seeking, particularly concerned with the interactions between information user (with or without an intermediary) and computer-based information systems, of which information retrieval systems for textual data may be seen as one type”. Jansen and Rieh (2010) point out that “information searching behavior is a sub-set of information seeking, referring to the actions involved in interacting with an information search system” (Wilson’s information-seeking behavior theory alluded to in this section is part of the theoretical framework that will be discussed later in this chapter).
26 Users’ information-seeking steps are illustrated by Ellis (1989), Ellis, Cox and Hall (1993), and Ellis and Haugan (1997). They put forward a model of information-seeking behavior based on studies of the information-seeking patterns followed by social scientists. While Wilson’s information-seeking model provides the broad context, Ellis discusses the more specific steps or activities comprising the interactions between the information user and computer-based information systems. The model consists of six categories of information-seeking activities:
starting, chaining, browsing, differentiating, monitoring and extracting. Choo, Detlor and Turnbull (1998:np) pose that, “although the Ellis model is based on studies of academics and researchers, the categories of information-seeking behavior may be applicable to other groups of users” and in different environments as well, for example in an electronic environment. Choo, Detlor and Turnbull (1998:np) state that, “if we visualize the Web as a hyperlinked information system distributed over numerous networks, most of the information-seeking behavior categories in Ellis’ model are already being supported by capabilities available in common Web browser software”. They apply the model to the Web movement as follows:
Starting - Identifying websites/pages containing or pointing to information of interest.
For example, the user starts surfing the Web from one of his/her favourite starting pages or sites (these can be selected online channels of information namely, search engines and directories like Google and Yahoo, or social networking sites such as YouTube).
Chaining - Following links on starting pages to other content-related sites. For example, the user follows hypertext links to related information resources in both backward and forward linking directions.
Browsing - Scanning top-level pages: lists, headings, site maps. For example, the user scans the webpages of the sources selected.
Differentiating - Selecting useful pages and sites by bookmarking, printing, copying and pasting, etc. For example, the user subscribes to e-mail based services that alert the user of new information or developments.
Monitoring - Receiving site updates using, for example, push, agents, or profiles, and revisiting favourite sites for new information. For example, the user bookmarks useful sources for future reference and visits.
Extracting - Systematically searching a local site to extract information of interest available at that site. For example, the user searches a particular source or site for all the information presented on that site relating to a particular topic.
Choo, Detlor and Turnbull (1998:np) refer to the above activities as “Web moves” and compare these with the original formulations of traditional hard copy, namely:
27 Starting - Identifying sources of interest.
Chaining - Following up on references found in given material.
Browsing - Scanning tables of content or headings.
Differentiating - Assessing or restricting information according to its usefulness.
Monitoring - Receiving regular reports or summaries from selected sources.
Extracting - Systematically working through a source to identify material of interest.
In the present study respondents were presented with the “Web moves” listed above and asked how often they followed or used such steps (see question 18, Appendix 2).