Review Journal Information searching strategies in web-based science learning: the role of internet self-efficacy

Information searching strategies in web-based

science learning: the role of internet self-efficacy

Meng-Jung Tsai, Center for Teacher Education, National Taipei University, Taiwan

Chin-Chung Tsai, Center for Teacher Education, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan

 

 

The purpose of this study was to explore students’ information searching strategies in Web-based science learning activities and further examine the influence of students’ Internet self-efficacy on these strategies. One of the greatest benefits of Web-based learning activities is to allow students to participate in learning as active and self-directed participants. However, students with experiences only of traditional didactic teaching methods may have problems adapting to this new approach. According to Bandura (1996), self-efficacy influences people’s choice of activities, how much effort they will expend, and how long they will sustain effort in dealing with stressful situations. Self-efficacy expectations toward emerging traditional computer-based learning systems are likely to influence how participants use the system (Hill et al., 1987; Oliver and Shapiro, 1993; Kinzie et al., 1994). Users with low self-efficacy lack confidence in their ability to use the system to achieve desired results; therefore, they are more likely to accept rather than question system-generated information. In contrast, users with high self-efficacy tend to be more persistent in their learning and more confident in their ability to use the system (Murphy, 1988).

 

Web-based learning activities often involve information searching tasks, as web-based environments are connected with information sites worldwide. However, it appears to be difficult for Internet novice users to search information effectively and efficiently through the web Borgman, 1986; Marchionini, 1995). Disorientation is one of the problems that novice explorers tend to have while navigating within a hyperspace (Dias et al., 1999). It has been reported that users’ cognitive strategies, especially information processing skills, determine a successful search on the Internet (Hill and Hannafin, 1997; Hess, 1999; MacGregor, 1999). It is, therefore, important to examine the influence of students’ Internet self-efficacy on their information searching strategies in Web-based science learning environment. In summary, the purpose of this study was to explore a group of college students’ information searching strategies in Web-based science learning activities and examine the role of students’ Internet self-efficacy on these strategies.

 

In-depth case studies and comparisons were used to analyses subjects’ Web-based searching and learning achievement, online searching strategies and the role of Internet self-efficacy. The results showed evidence that high Internet self-efficacy students had better information searching strategies and learned better than those with low Internet self-efficacy in a Web-based learning task. This study further proposed a framework for analyzing Web-based searching strategies. It includes three domains: behavioral, procedural and metacognitive. The behavioral domain, showing student basic manipulation and navigation on the Internet, includes the strategies of ‘control’ and ‘disorientation.’ The ‘trial and error’ and ‘problem solving’ strategies, showing student content-general searching approaches on the Internet, are categorized into the procedural domain. The metacognitive domain, indicating student self-control and higher order content-related cognitive activities on the Internet, contains ‘purposeful thinking’, ‘selecting main idea’ and ‘evaluating information’ strategies. This study also reflected the importance of explicitly helping students acquire better metacognitive Web searching strategies.