In their study Purcell et al. (2012:4) report that in a typical research assignment students are “very likely” to use the following sources (in descending order of frequency of use): Google or other online search engines, Wikipedia or other online encyclopaedias, YouTube or other social media sites, print or electronic textbooks, online databases such as EBSCO, JSTOR or Grolier, and student-oriented search engines such as Sweet Search. This section will discuss learners’ use of search engines as well as their use of other Web information sources.
2.10.1 Learners’ search engine use
While Web search engines are essential tools in the quest for online information they are, in spite of their popularity, just one of a number of channels available to users of the Web. One thinks, for example, of subject directories described under 2.4.2 above. However, the search engine, particularly Google, has invariably become the first step in accessing information resources on the Web. According to Bilal (2000:646), search engines facilitate seeking information on the Web.
Apart from Google, there are many others such as Ask, Bing, Yahoo, Dogpile, Webodia, Duck Duck Go and WebCrawler (Gil 2013). Search engines come and go; they change; and the top- rated search engine of a few years ago may not be at the top today (Vidmar 1999). Thus learners can use several search engines when searching for information. However, in Gunn’s study conducted in Canada (2003) on seeking information for school-related purposes on the Internet, it was found that, although most students knew of the existence of a number of search engines, they were often unaware of the top-rated ones. They tended to use one search engine frequently. “The search engine of choice for just over 66% of the students participated in the study was Google”
(Gunn 2003:np).
29 Bilal (2000:646) highlights that there are over 500 engines, but only a few are designed for children such as Yahooligans! and Ask Jeeves for Kids. The former’s interface is captured in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1: Yahooligans! Search engine interface, adopted from Yahooligans Inc, 2013
Yahooligans! began in 1994 as a search engine and directory, designed for children between the ages of seven and twelve. Ask Jeeves for Kids was developed in 1996 as an engine and meta- engine with the age-group target not being specified. But like Yahooligans! it is especially aimed at young people. “It allows for both keyword searching and browsing by subject categories or headings”. Retrieval from Yahooligans! includes the number of categories and the number of sites within each category. “Yahooligans! does not employ advanced search syntax, such as Boolean logic, proximity, nesting, or natural language” (Bilal 2000:647). [Note: Yahooligans! has been discontinued as from the end of April 2013 (Wikipedia 2014:np).]
2.10.2 Learners’ use of other Web information sources
This section will discuss learners’ use of licensed databases, Web-based curriculum resources and Wikipedia.
30 2.10.2.1 Learners’ licensed databases
In addition to the search engines discussed above school libraries can subscribe to licensed reference databases and make these available to library patrons. Krige (2009:30) points out that the databases provide the content that is most relevant for high schools. Examples of such databases include GALILEO and several Gale databases, among others Wilson Biography, LitFinder and NetLibrary (CCCPLS 2008, cited in Krige 2009:30). These databases are according to Krige (2009:31) “licensed by metadata aggregators such as EBSCO and Cengage Gale mainly since the licensed databases are the intellectual property of the owners of digital information services”. Given this, the databases are licensed and a fee has to be paid to access them. Some of these resources are briefly outlined below.
Figure 2 : GALILEO database interface, adopted from Krige (2009:37).
The GALILEO high school interface provides search options for high school students such as a federated search feature that searches across multiple databases as well as the possibility to browse by subject, material type, database or journals (Krige 2009:37). A second database is NetLibrary (see Figure 3 below).
31 Figure 3: NetLibrary Interface, as shows in Krige (2009:50)
NetLibrary is an electronic database which provides full-text eBooks, audiobooks and eJournals.
NetLibrary’s relevance to high school students is due to the fact that it offers a growing range of full-text eBooks, assisting high school students in meeting their information needs for school- related projects. NetLibrary database’s covers hundreds of subject areas with full-text eBooks and access to bestselling titles from the world’s leading publishers (Krige 2009:50). The final database briefly examined is the Biography Resource Center (BRC) (see Figure 4 below).
Figure 4: Biography Resource Center, adopted from Krige (2009:30)
32 The objective of the BRC is to offer an online biographical reference database that assists school, academic, and public library users in need of information about people active in the fields of literature, science, multicultural studies, business, entertainment, politics, sport, government, history, arts and news making. According to Krige (2009:30) the BRC website is described as a comprehensive database that provides up to date biographical information.
2.10.2.2 Web-based curriculum resources
According to the University of California (2009:np) the Web is “doomed” to be an ocean of information. There are sites that offer more specialized information for particular career fields and academic subjects for school students. Table 1 below lists just a few Web-based resources which help one to avoid having to comb the Internet/Web and which facilitate the focusing on specialised websites for school related information.
Table 1: Web-based curriculum resources
Career and Subject Resources Description Comments The Consortium for
Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP) www.comap.com
COMAP develops curriculum materials and teacher training programs that are
multidisciplinary, academically rigorous, and fun, using
mathematical tools to explore real-world problems.
Products are in print, video, and multi-media formats. Provides links to resources in
mathematics and science for educators and students. Grades 9-12.
Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
http://www.goENC.com/
Math and Science Electronics
Bioscience and Health Environmental Science Agriculture
A huge amount of curriculum related information that is easily searchable
Awesome Library
www.awesomelibrary.org
Catalogues the top 5% of all education resources, from more than 20,000 sources. Database for teachers, kids, teens, parents, librarians, and college.
Searchable by the Arts, English, Math, Social Studies, Science, Health, Technology, Languages and Geography
33 2.10.2.3 Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia that learners can consult if they have no access to subscribed databases. In line with the above, Lipczynska (2005:7) makes the point that
“Wikipedia is not claiming absolute authority on any given subject: what it does offer is considered information and the necessary tools to stimulate further research”. The author states that the site unquestionably has great reference value and should be treated similarly to other reference sites that is, as a starting point for, or as a valuable part of, wider research (Lipczynska 2005:7). Howard (2009:np) is of the opinion that teachers should master how to use Wikipedia as a source rather than banning it. He adds that, even if it is forbidden to use Wikipedia as a source, many students consult it as it provides a starting point for research on unfamiliar topics (Howard 2009:np).