ERIC Number: ED518546
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Study of Secondary Students' Decision-Making Processes with Respect to Information Use, Particularly Students' Judgements of Relevance and Reliability
Watson, Curtis L.
International Association of School Librarianship, Paper presented at the School Library Association of Queensland and the International Association of School Librarianship Conference incorporating the International Forum on Research in School Librarianship (Brisbane, QLD, Australia, Sep 27-Oct 1, 2010)
This report details an ongoing investigation of the decision-making processes of a group of secondary school students in south-eastern Australia undertaking information search tasks. The study is situated in the field of information seeking and use, and, more broadly, in decision making. Research questions focus on students' decisions about the relevance and reliability of information. Data collected include video screen captures, think-aloud reports, and interviews. Qualitative data analysis developed a preliminary grounded theory to describe decision-making processes. Students depended on system-provided relevance cues, rejected particular resource categories, examined remaining items for general and specific relevance, and primarily used a process of corroboration to assess reliability. Selected implications for educators are raised. Interview topic guides are appended. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)
Descriptors: Grounded Theory, Search Strategies, Foreign Countries, Data Analysis, Secondary School Students, Information Skills, Information Literacy, Decision Making, Decision Making Skills, Cognitive Style, Protocol Analysis, Information Seeking, Value Judgment
International Association of School Librarianship. P.O. Box 83, Zillmere, Queensland 4034, Australia. Tel: +61-7-3216-5785; Fax: +61-7-3633-0570; e-mail: iasl@iasl-online.org; Web site: http://www.iasl-online.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: International Association of School Librarianship (IASL); School Library Association of Queensland Inc. (SLAQ)
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A