Annotated Bibliography of Resear

Annotated Bibliography of Research on the Information-Seeking Behavior of Adolescents

Chris Wieman

Scope Note:

This bibliography is a survey of sixteen peer-reviewed papers that explore the information seeking behavior of adolescents. The principal groups studied include junior high and high school students and are variously described by the authors as adolescents, teenagers, or young adults. These case studies appeared in print and online academic journals within the time period 1973 to 2006. This survey includes the work of primary scholars in the field like Carol Kuhlthau, Denise Agosto, Ross Todd and many others, all of whom explore a field that touches all disciplines and individuals. From their research, these authors ask other scientists, librarians, and teachers to recognize the humanity in each student and to approach each information exchange with patience, professionalism and concern.

Because the study of information seeking behavior is a fairly new discipline, the majority of the papers selected were written during the past ten years. In addition, this focus helps introduce the scholar to the most relevant contemporary data as quickly as possible. A few older articles are also included to help the scholar to understand the history of the scientific study of these behaviors. This discipline, and the research selected, range from a time when information was exchanged primarily through speech and print to the present day in which new media and technologies inspire continual analysis and interpretation.

Bibliography:

Agosto, D. (2002). Bounded rationality and satisficing in young people's web-based decision

making. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 53, 16-27. Retrieved May 28, 2007, from Wiley Interscience database.

“This study investigated Simon's behavioral decision-making theories of bounded rationality and satisficing in relation to young people's decision making in the World Wide Web, and considered the role of personal preferences in Web-based decisions. It employed a qualitative research methodology involving group interviews with 22 adolescent females. Data analysis took the form of iterative pattern coding using QSR NUD*IST Vivo qualitative data analysis software. Data analysis revealed that the study participants did operate within the limits of bounded rationality. These limits took the form of time constraints, information overload, and physical constraints. Data analysis also uncovered two major satisficing behaviors - reduction and termination. Personal preference was found to play a major role in Web site evaluation in the areas of graphic/multimedia and subject content preferences. This study has related implications for Web site designers and for adult intermediaries who work with young people and the Web.”

Comment:

I selected this article because it uses scientific experimentation to analyze the information-seeking behavior – specifically on the web – of young people. The author builds upon the work of other behavioral scientists and incorporates their theories into her study and makes suggestions for designers of interfaces for young people’s web sites.

Database:

Wiley Interscience

Search Strategy:

Author Search. Dr. Marion recommended the scholar and author Denise Agosto as a source. Searched ERIC and ECO via FirstSearch using “author” field as “agosto denise e” after browsing for the correct structure under the “author phrase” index button. Article was found in ECO. Retrieved full text article from Wiley Interscience via SFX.

Agosto, D., & Hughes-Hassell, S. (2005). People, places, and questions: An investigation of the

everyday life information-seeking behaviors of urban young adults. Library & Information Science Research, 27, 141-163. Retrieved May 29, 2007, from http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/ewhitmir/agostoandhugheshaskell.pdf

“This article presents preliminary findings from a research grant on the everyday life information-

seeking (ELIS) behaviors of urban young adults. Twenty-seven teens aged 14 through 17 participated in the study. Qualitative data were gathered using written activity logs and semi-structured group interviews. A typology of urban teens’ preferred ELIS sources, media types, and query topics is presented. The typology shows friends and family as preferred ELIS sources, cell phones as the preferred method of mediated communication, and schoolwork, time-related queries, and social life as the most common and most significant areas of ELIS. The results indicate a heavy preference for people as information sources and that urban teens hold generally unfavorable views of libraries and librarians. The conclusion lists questions that information practitioners should consider when designing programs and services for urban teens and calls for researchers to consider this often-ignored segment of the population as potential study participants.”

Comment:

Like the previous Agosto article, I included this because it deals with the information seeking behavior of adolescents with scientific analysis and makes program design suggestions for librarians. Also, it is particularly appealing because the population sample is taken from Philadelphia. The article also deals with a demographic – urban youth – that is often neglected or overlooked, so this work is commendable.

Database:

World Wide Web

Search Strategy:

Mixed: Keyword search and luck. From the Drexel OPAC, searched “information seeking” and found two books of articles on my topic that served as references: Youth information-seeking behavior: theories, models, and issues and Youth information-seeking behavior II: context, theories, models, and issues. This Agosto/Hughes-Hassell article a part of the second book. I located a it online via Google Scholar using “agosto d” in the “return articles written by” field while in the process of looking for a different Agosto article, “Modeling the everyday life information needs of urban teenagers” in the “with all of the words” field.

Branch, J. L. (2000). Investigating the information seeking processes of adolescents: The value of

using Think Alouds and Think Afters. Library & Information Science Research, 22, 371-392. Retrieved May 20, 2007, from Elsevier Science Direct JAI database.

“Five participants completed retrospective and concurrent verbal protocols (Think Afters and Think Alouds) to evaluate the methods for the study of the information-seeking processes of 12–15-year-old students using Microsoft Encarta 98. After a short training session in the Think Aloud Method, they completed four activities of differing complexity. The data provided support for the use of verbal protocol analysis to uncover information-seeking processes of these students. The Think Alouds and Think Afters provided data about the behavioral, cognitive, and affective processes. Think Afters provide different data than the Think Alouds, and both are important to understanding how adolescents interact with CD-ROM encyclopedias. Participants were able to find the information to answer each of the four search activity questions but used a variety of search terms, categories, and strategies. Some participants reached a level of frustration after a number of “dead ends” and needed encouragement from the researcher. The frustration was more apparent in the younger participants. Effective reading strategies are very important to successful location and evaluation of information in CD-ROM encyclopedias.”

Comment:

Behavioral analysis is very difficult to standardize and the measurements of its criteria are challenging to set and maintain. I included this article because it analyses and discusses methods used to investigate information seeking behavior, including concurrent and retrospective verbal protocol analyses.

Database:

Elsevier Science Direct JAI

Search Strategy:

Citation searching (footnote chasing). I found this source cited in the Jennifer Branch article “Information-seeking processes of junior high school students: a case study of CD-ROM encyclopedia use (in the northwest territories of Canada).” I found the full-text article in Elsevier Science Direct JAI.

Branch, J. L. (2001). Information-seeking processes of junior high school students: a case study

of CD-ROM encyclopedia use (in the northwest territories of Canada). School Libraries Worldwide, 7, 11-27. Retrieved May 26, 2007, from Wilson OmniFile FT Mega Edition database.

“This research sought to examine the information seeking processes employed by Canadian junior high school students from Inuvik, Northwest Territories and Beaumont, Alberta when using CD-ROM encyclopedias and when completing inquiry-based learning activities. The first study revealed that participants needed both instruction and practice to develop the skills and strategies needed for full-text searching of CD-ROM encyclopedias. The participants tended to use search terms only from the original question, had difficulty selecting topics and articles from the retrieved list, and did not read long articles as carefully as short articles. The second study revealed that students needed support throughout the inquiry-based learning experience and that using Kuhlthau's Information Search Process model as a guide for affective stages was useful. Participants needed time to explore, discuss, and read before finding a focus for their inquiry. Both studies found that participants wanted time to talk and discuss and that instruction was important to help students move forward in their searching and learning.”

Comment:

Like the previous Branch article, this study deals with a technology for research that is rapidly becoming obsolete: the CD-ROM. Despite the focus on old technology, the behaviors analyzed are universal to all current computer-based research methods and their interfaces. This research is especially worthy because it seeks to remind educators/librarians that their patrons are human beings, and to best educate them one must be understand, allow and encourage human interaction in the course of learning.

Database:

Dialog (Library Literature and Information Science)

Search Strategy:

Keyword search. Searched “high()school and information()seek?” in the Library Literature and Information Science database. This delivered a vein of 19 content-rich results including this one.

Edwards, S., & Poston-Anderson, B. (1996). Information, future time perspectives, and young

adolescent girls: Concerns about education and jobs. Library & Information Science Research, 18, 207-223. Retrieved June 3, 2007, from Elsevier Science Direct JAI database.

“This article examines how young adolescent girls manage their information seeking when dealing with concerns related to future jobs and future education. The study found that information seeking is influenced by the fact that girls think they are “too young” or it is “too early” for them to get answers to their questions. They are also constrained by their perceptions that adults, such as parents, teachers, and librarians, think it is “not the right time” for information seeking. The findings are compared with those which investigate adolescents' perspectives of the future and the article addresses implications for professional practice.”

Comment:

This article is unique among this bibliographic survey in that it looks at the challenges facing educators who seek to reach adolescent girls. The authors consider the prevailing beliefs of educators and other authority figures about the attitudes of adolescent girls and the best times to teach them about important topics like health and career development. They also attempt to understand the real motivations and beliefs of the girls in their study.

Database:

Elsevier Science Direct JAI

Search Strategy:

Citation searching (footnote chasing). I found this source cited in the Todd article “Adolescents of the information age: Patterns of information seeking and use, and implications for information professionals.” I found the full-text article in Elsevier Science Direct JAI.

Fidel, R. et al. (1999). A visit to the information mall: Web searching behavior of high school

students. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 50, 24-37. Retrieved June 2, 2007, from Wiley Interscience database.

“This article analyzes Web searching behavior for homework assignments of high school students through field observations in class and at the terminal with students thinking aloud, and through interviews with various participants, including the teacher and librarian. Students performed focused searching and progressed through a search swiftly and flexibly. They used landmarks and assumed that one can always start a new search and ask for help. They were satisfied with their searches and the results, but impatient with slow response. The students enjoyed searching the Web because it had a variety of formats, it showed pictures, it covered a multitude of subjects and it provided easy access to information. Difficulties and problems students encountered emphasize the need for training to all involved, and for a system design that is based on user seeking and searching behavior.”

Comment:

This article offers a detailed description of a study of web-using high school students. It is presented simply, and offers a good, simple, and not terribly long introductory article to the process of user study of information seeking behavior of a particular demographic. Having been written eight years ago, readers can note how the problems analyzed in this article and the suggestions made by its authors reflect changes in the ease of web browsing. Whether or not it was truly influential, this article suggests the real changes that have occurred since 1999 that make conducting research on the web much more easy and intuitive.

Database:

Wiley Interscience

Search Strategy:

Citation searching (footnote chasing). I found this source cited in the Elana Broch article “Children's search engines from an information search process perspective.” I found the full-text article in Wiley Interscience

Guinee, K., Eagleton, M. B., & Hall, T. E. (2003) Adolescents' internet search strategies: Drawing

upon familiar cognitive paradigms when accessing electronic information resources. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 29, 363-374. Retrieved May 19, 2007, from EBSCOhost Professional Development Collection database.

“The goal of this study was to evaluate and describe the Internet search strategies of adolescent learners. Participants were 161 middle and high school students. Collected data included students' descriptions of the search process, observations of student searching behaviors, and audit trail lists of search strings used by students. The students demonstrated three approaches for locating information on the Internet, seven methods for constructing search strings, and four techniques for recovering from unsuccessful search attempts. The results suggest that when conducting research on the Interact, adolescents tend to resort to familiar cognitive schemata: starting with what they know, maintaining paradigms from the physical world, and adhering to time-tested practices. This information can be used to develop scaffolded instructional environments for adolescents that support more effective Internet searching”

Comment:

This article explores similar ground as the Fidel et al. article above, although a few years down the line. It seeks to establish a “baseline” of internet research strategies typically employed by adolescents and describes common mistakes and best practices for correction by educators. The authors hope to lay a groundwork for more complex research to come.

Database:

Dialog (Library Literature and Information Science)

Search Strategy:

Searched “high()school and information()seek?” in the Library Literature and Information Science database. This delivered a vein of 19 content-rich results including this one. The record did not include full-text, so I used SFX on the Drexel Library site to connect to EBSCOhost Professional Development Collection to retrieve a .pdf of the article.

Julien, H. E. (1998). Adolescent career decision making and the potential role of the public library

(survey of Canadian high school students). Public Libraries, 37, 376-8. Retrieved May 12,

2007, from Wilson OmniFile FT Mega Edition database.

“This article reports the results of a study that looked at career decision making by adolescents…The purpose of this research was to explore adolescents' information seeking for career decision making, with a view to improving information services for this group…The study looked at where adolescents turn when seeking help for their career decisions. Data also were gathered to find out whether the help that they get is useful, and to learn how adolescents use the information they find. Inseparable from information seeking are the barriers that people come across when trying to access information. Therefore, the study also explored the barriers that adolescents face as they try to get help.”

Comment:

This article describes research undertaken to understand the multitude of external and internal factors effecting adolescents career research behavior. The conclusions share similar qualities as several other articles in my survey, namely, the suggestion that librarians/educators strive to be as approachable and sympathetic as possible if they hope to help adolescent students.

I found another article by the same author that reports on the same study in a different format (JASIST, 1999) and another from 1997 that is the author’s Ph. D. dissertation. My selection and the JASIST article appear to be somewhat interchangeable.

Database:

Wilson OmniFile FT Mega Edition

Search Strategy:

Citation searching (footnote chasing). I found this source in the recommended Donald Case book Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior. In the index, the terms “adolescent” and “teenager” led me to this article cited by Case in the body of his book. I found the full-text article in Wilson OmniFile FT Mega Edition.

Kuhlthau, C. C. (1991). Inside the search process: Information seeking from the user's

perspective. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42, Retrieved May 26, 2007, from Wiley InterScience database.

“Discussion of the information search process (ISP) from the user's perspective focuses on a model of the ISP derived from longitudinal studies of high school and college students. Cognitive and affective aspects of the ISP are discussed, and their implications for future research are suggested.”

Comment:

This article, while not dealing specifically with adolescents, is an important introduction to basic concepts of the information search process (ISP) and is an important place for any student of information seeking behavior to begin. The author is an authority in the field of behavioral science and – I have found - is cited by most authors in this survey. The concepts outlined here are universal and apply to any user group.

Database:

Dialog (ERIC)

Search Strategy:

Keyword search. Searched “high()school and information()seeking” and combined the result with “and librar?” I then combined these results with “user()stud?” and “user()study” but this dropped my results to zero. I tried simply “user” instead and found this article among 7 others. The record did not include full-text, so I used SFX on the Drexel Library site to connect to Wiley InterScience to retrieve a .pdf of the article.

I also found this source in the recommended Donald Case book Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior. In the index, the terms “adolescent” and “teenager” led me to appropriate articles cited by Case in the body of his book.

Pappas, M., & Geitgey, G. (1994). Observing student searches in an electronic encyclopedia.

Book Report, 12, 13-14. Retrieved May 26, 2007, from EBSCOhost Business Source Premier.

“Presents the author's observation on students using a CD-ROM encyclopedia which might help in discussing strategies for teaching research skills. Manner of using an electronic encyclopedia in gathering information; Role of the teacher in the search process; Role of the library media specialist; Two-part role of the librarian…observed three sets of students: sophomores in two college-prep English classes; eighth-grade health students; and seniors in a job-oriented program. Our observations provided much useful information about the way students, teachers, and library media specialists use electronic encyclopedias. In spite of students' affinity for the electronic resources, librarians should not assume students have the needed knowledge and skills for searches. Left on their own, most students remained at the browse level and failed to proceed to a more analytical search process. Librarians should also offer training to teachers before the teachers' students work with the electronic encyclopedia.”

Comment:

This article, like the Trumbull & Gay below, has value when taken in the context of a historical example of a user study of students and technology as they were nearly fifteen years ago. Authors’ intentions and conclusions are similar to those of the contemporary studies. It is valid within the continuum of evolving electronic reference resources and adolescent students.

Database:

EBSCOhost Business Source Premier

Search Strategy:

Citation searching (footnote chasing). I found this source cited in a Jennifer Branch article that I did not include in my bibliography: “Instructional Intervention is the Key: Supporting Adolescent Information Seeking.” I found the full-text article in EBSCOhost Business Source Premier.

Todd, R. J. (2003). Adolescents of the information age: Patterns of information seeking and use,

and implications for information professionals. School Libraries Worldwide, 9, 27-46. Retrieved May 7, 2007, from Wilson Web database.

“This article provides an overview of the field of human information behavior as it shapes and affects the provision of quality information services and products to children and adolescents. It is a diverse, dynamic, and complex field and one shaped by many situational, personal, social, and organizational factors. This review sets the theme for this issue's focus on adolescents' information seeking and use. It briefly explores some of the key themes, theories, and challenges and explores how these shape the professional responsibilities and actions of school librarians.”

Comment:

This article provides a sound introduction to the state of the contemporary study of information seeking behavior of young people, and serves as the introduction to a special volume of School Libraries Worldwide that is devoted to the subject. The issue is recommended to scholars interested in a wider understanding of the topic.

Database:

Dialog (Library Literature and Information Science)

Search Strategy:

Keyword search. Searched “information and seeking and behavior” then combined the resulting set with “(adolescents or teenagers or teens or young(w)adults).” The record did not include full-text, so I used SFX on the Drexel Library site to connect to Wilson Web to retrieve a .pdf of the article.

Todd, R. J. (2006). From information to knowledge: Charting and measuring changes in students'

knowledge of a curriculum topic. Information Research, 11, Retrieved May 20, 2007, from http://informationr.net/ir/11-4/paper264.html

“The research reported here was part of a large research and development project that sought to design and test instruments for tracking how students build knowledge of a topic through the school library, ultimately to be used by school teams to accumulate evidence of how school libraries make an impact on learning. In the broader context of information seeking and use, this project sought to understand more about how students use found information as a result of information seeking: specifically, how they build on existing knowledge and transform found information into personal knowledge, and how their knowledge of a topic changes. Methodologically, this project sought to explore approaches to the elicitation, representation and measurement of new knowledge and the interactions of cognitions, behaviors and feelings in this constructive process.”

Comment:

I found many articles by Ross Todd that were either too broad for my topic, or too difficult to track down online. As he appears to be a key scholar in the field, I felt that my bibliography would be incomplete without at least two of his pieces. I was pleased to find this article when I diverted away from the paid databases in my first Google Scholar search. This source, which is also the most current in this bibliography, also introduces a free online journal, Information Research.

Database:

Information Research (“An open access, international, scholarly journal, dedicated to making accessible the results of research across a wide range of information-related disciplines.”)

Search Strategy

Author search. Searched Google Scholar with the advanced feature, with “adolescent” selected under “with all of the words” and “Todd, Ross” selected under “return articles written by.” This was the 25^th of 27 results (many of which were not by Ross Todd).

Trumbull, D., & Gay, G. (1992). Students' actual and perceived use of navigational and guidance

tools in a hypermedia program.. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 24, 315-328. Retrieved May 26, 2007, from EBSCOhost Business Source Premier.

“This paper reports on exploratory research that examines the ways students used a hypermedia system. Outcome measures include the ways students learned to use the system, the strategies they used to search for information, the amount of relevant information located by their searches, and user perceptions about the system and their use of it. Forty-one students used four search modes for searches of a highly visual, interactive program Findings suggest that hypermedia system designers must develop a variety of interfaces to facilitate user searches, while attending to user needs, the task, and the environment. A visual metaphor proved to be an effective basis for the design of one search mode. Crucial questions are raised regarding user disposition and characteristics affecting search mode choice.”

Comment:

This article, like the Pappas & Geitgey above, has value when taken in the context of a historical example of a user study of students and technology as they were fifteen years ago. Authors’ intentions and conclusions are similar to those of the contemporary studies. It is valid within the continuum of evolving electronic reference resources and adolescent students.

Database:

EBSCOhost Business Source Premier

Search Strategy:

Watson, J. S. (1998). "If you don't have it, you can't find it." A close look at students' perceptions

of using technology. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 46, 1024-1036. Retrieved June 2, 2007, from Wiley Interscience database.

“Rarely do adults ask students to reflect on their learning. This study looks closely at a sample of eighth-grade students' perceptions about their experiences with technology, especially the use of the World Wide Web. Employing a phenomenological methodology of both examining a single student story and analyzing a collection of student voices, several themes and questions emerge. Students' personal attributes of self confidence, resilience, and openness to learning about the new technologies, and their skills in reading the Web and managing information, may offer new questions for teachers and information professionals.”

This article describes an information study of a small group of young adolescents (8^th grade) as they use the then-current technologies of their classroom. The author employs extensive interviewing of the students.