Identifying and categorizing information-seeking behaviors in the networked environment: an exploratory study of young adults

Citation

(1999), "Identifying and categorizing information-seeking behaviors in the networked environment: an exploratory study of young adults", Internet Research, Vol. 9 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/intr.1999.17209eaf.002

Identifying and categorizing information-seeking behaviors in the networked environment: an exploratory study of young adults

Identifying and categorizing information-seeking behaviors in the networked environment: an exploratory study of young adults

Principal Researchers: William E. Moen, PhD and Janet Rose Walker, School of Library and Information Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76201. E-mail: wemoen@jove.acs.unt.edu; all correspondence to walkerjr@swbell.net

Funded by: University of North Texas Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Information Science Joint Faculty/PhD Student Research Grant Program

Information-seeking behaviors of young adults - especially in a networked environment - have been an overlooked area of information science research. As young adults gravitate towards the World Wide Web (the Web) as a primary source to resolve their information problems or for other purposes, research is needed to identify and describe the types of information-seeking behaviors exhibited by these users. Data from such research would provide a basis for categorizing effective patterns, strategies, and tactics related to different information needs.

The current research discussed here is an exploratory and descriptive study that uses a qualitative approach to identify, describe, and categorize information-seeking behaviors of young adults as they use a networked environment. The study's results can assist in the development of appropriate information literacy programs and contribute to an understanding of how GenNet, the "networked generation", is adapting to and utilizing the networked environment to resolve information problems. Funding for the study is from the Joint Faculty/PhD Student Research Grant Program of the University of North Texas Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Information Science.

Information literacy programs should prepare young people to access information in a range of formats and through various technologies. Educators teach various information-seeking strategies to help users acquire information. Understanding the existing patterns, strategies, and tactics young adults utilize in their information-seeking behavior guides the development of instruction. The Internet, with its graphical browsers and variety of search tools, creates new challenges in developing an appropriate information-seeking skills curriculum.

Background

Studies of young people's use of the Web and the Internet have focused more on searching and less on their broader information-seeking behaviors. Recent studies that examine Internet or Web use by students have typically focused on searching, an information seeking strategy using Web search engine technology (Chelton and Thomas, 1999; Fidel et al., 1999; Schacter et al., 1998). There is a common acknowledgement by Web users, however, that search engines are not the only way "we seek and find" information.

Information seekers possess unique mental models, experiences, abilities and preferences that they use to develop their own processes for defining tasks, controlling interaction with an information system, examining and extracting relevant information, assessing the progress, and determining when the information-seeking process is complete. As the information seeker continues to develop these processes through solving information problems, they reinforce and extend their mental models for the various factors and subprocesses associated with information seeking (Marchionini, 1995). This study explores the range and variety of information-seeking behaviors of young adults by examining their unique abilities to locate information.

In keeping with the concept that by using a specific group of users, one can examine the commonalities of how these users resolve information problems through their various seeking behaviors within an information use environment (IEU). Taylor (1991, p. 218) defines IEUs as "the set of those elements that (a) affect the flow and use of information messages into, within, and out of any definable entity; and (b) determine the criteria by which the value of information messages will be judged".

Research questions

To deepen our understanding of young adults' use of networked resources by exploring their networked information-seeking behaviors, the study addresses two specific research questions:

1. 1.

   What are the networked information-seeking behaviors of young adults?

2. 2.

   How can effective networked information-seeking behaviors be categorized to assist their use in appropriate situations of information need?

Focusing on young adults is useful since many information and network literacy programs attempt to teach students effective searching strategies. Yet, a focus on searching may be misplaced if more effective user behaviors involve non-searching actions. Although considered "novice" searchers in their ability to locate information, young adults may have a greater comfort and familiarity with the networked environment than typical populations studied in more traditional information retrieval research (e.g. university undergraduate and graduate students, adult professionals). GenNet youth may be creating and evolving techniques in locating networked information resources not characteristic of previously studied populations nor utilized in other media used for information retrieval.

Methodology

This exploratory research employs qualitative techniques including a questionnaire, verbal think-aloud protocols, observation, and interviews. Users' abilities to navigate the Web to locate information controlled the selection of study participants. To achieve maximum variance in the information-seeking behaviors, the study requires each participant to be knowledgeable in Web technologies and services, including navigation and search techniques. Additionally, each participant must possess the basic information literacy skills necessary to gain access to information available with print and electronic media. Because a user makes judgments about what information is useful to them at the time of need, the study requires the participants to possess skills in being active, experienced and critical users of information. This requirement allows the researchers to examine the participants' various behaviors while seeking information rather than giving emphasis specifically to the level of experience (novice, proficient, etc.) the members of the group may possess.

Twenty-one young adults attending a local area summer school program completed a preliminary questionnaire designed to collect data pertaining to their comfort level and abilities in using networked environments - specifically the Web - to locate information, and their knowledge of information literacy skills. The questionnaire also provided insight into information-seeking interests of these young adults. This information assisted in the customization of topics for the tasks performed by the participants.

Based on their level of knowledge and experience, all 21 students were potential study participants. The researchers designed the study for a set of 16 participants. The N of 16 was determined by the desire to have each participant perform two different tasks from a set of four classes of information need (see below) to maximize variations in information-seeking behaviors among the participants. Owing to the exploratory nature of the study and time constraints with administering this type of methodology (each task takes approximately 15-30 minutes to perform), the study only utilizes four classes of information need as behavioral enhancements. However, by using 16 participants, the researchers could observe each task being performed by half of the participants. This provided an opportunity for the researchers to collect data on the various behavioral patterns, strategies, and tactics employed.

Information seeking instrument development

The researchers prepared four sets of scenarios each containing information problems to solve. Participants utilize information-seeking behaviors to locate information to resolve the information problems. The scenarios require participants to complete tasks of varying levels of complexity and allow them to indicate an evolution of their seeking process. The different scenarios, reflecting different classes of information need, encourage participants to perform a variety of seeking behaviors they commonly or uncommonly use while trying to acquire information from the Web. The following is an example scenario:

You are working as a summer intern for Texas' local sports radio station, "The ticket". Your assignment for today requires you to research baseball players' statistical information for tomorrow's game between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees. During inning changes, the announcers usually converse about various players and how they performed in seasons past. Your task is to find a listing of the opposing baseball players' statistics.

The scenarios lay out the complexity of the task, which is essential in engaging the participant's desire to utilize their various information-seeking behaviors for the researcher to examine.

The tasks are set up on the basis of the type of information needed by the user to solve their problem. The task includes an articulation, usually stated as a question, and the mental and physical behaviors of interacting with search systems and reflecting on outcomes. As information seekers define the information problem, they identify constructs and terminology to create their seeking process. These constructs and terminology vary in number and in degree of abstractness, and these variations determine the complexity of the task (Marchionini, 1995, p. 36). The task then drives the information-seeking actions, which allows for the expansion of their behavioral process to resolve the information problem.

Taylor (1991, p. 230) compiled eight classes of information use generated by the needs perceived by users in particular situations. The following four classes informed the contents of the scenarios the participants used to stimulate various information-seeking behaviors:

1. 1.

   Instrumental: The need to find out what to do and/or how to do something. Example task: Find a recipe on how to make oatmeal raisin nut cookies and a image to show what your cookies should look like after you bake them.

2. 2.

   Factual: The need for and consequent provision of precise data.Example task: When did Nolan Ryan pitch his first no-hitter game?

3. 3.

   Confirmational: The need to verify a piece of information.Example task: Herbert Hoover was the 25th President of the United States of America.

4. 4.

   Motivational: The need to find additional information based on personal involvement with a task.Example task: Now that you have found the answer to the question about Nolan Ryan's first no-hitter, what other things about his career did you find interesting.

Data collection and analysis

As the participants perform their tasks, they engage in talk-aloud verbal protocols to describe and explain their behaviors as they advance through their information seeking. Talk-aloud protocols are useful when researchers are interested in preserving the "temporal properties of the cognitive system" (Ericsson, p. 376). Participants verbalize their steps while seeking information specific to the task. To capture all the data provided through the talk-aloud protocol process, researchers record sessions in audio and video.

Upon completion of the online session, participants proceed to an interview session where they have an opportunity to clarify any actions taken to locate information. The interview also allows the researcher to uncover additional information and participant's reasoning and explanation for the information-seeking behavior utilized.

The study is currently in the data preparation and analysis stage. Transcription of the data from the audio and videotapes has begun. Data analysis will consist of categorizing various seeking behaviors utilized by the participants while completing their tasks. The researchers will use Marchionini's processes of locating information as a basis for initial categorization of the participants' information-seeking behaviors (Marchionini, 1995, pp. 72-4):

• •

  Patterns. Behaviors that can be discerned over time and across different information problems and searches.

• •

  Strategies. Sets of ordered tactics consciously selected, applied, and monitored to solve an information problem. Strategies can be general and flexible (browse strategies) or highly specialized and well-defined (analytical strategies). Strategies are the approach that an information seeker takes to a problem.

• •

  Tactics. Discrete intellectual choices or prompts manifested as behavioral actions during an information-seeking session.

• •

  Moves. Finely grained actions manifested as discrete behavioral actions.

Marchionini asserts that searchers possess substantial knowledge related to the factors of information seeking which causes them to develop distinct patterns of searching and to use a variety of strategies, tactics, and moves. The researchers will categorize the information from the transcribed data according to these various processes performed by the participants. Since this is an exploratory study, the researchers will also examine the data for the emergence of new categories as well as operationalizing further the Marchionini classes.

Through categorizing the information behaviors, the researchers will create descriptions of the various seeking processes participants use to obtain the answer to their information need and formulate how they can be used in learning about the information seeking process.