An empirical study on Chinese adolescents’ web search behavior
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-04-2015-0047 |
| Date | 09 May 2016 |
| Published date | 09 May 2016 |
| Author | Dan Wu,Weiping Cai |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Records management & preservation,Document management |
An empirical study on Chinese adolescents’ web search
behavior
Introduction
Internet penetration among adolescents continues to rise: research has shown that in 2012, 95% of
American teens aged 12–17 went online (Pew Research Center, 2012), and similar statistics are
reported for Britain (Prigg, 2012). Compared with these two countries, the proportion in China is
lower. According to statistics from the CNNIC (China Internet Network In formation Center), in
2012 almost 66.4% of adolescents used the Internet (CNNIC, 2013), but b y 2013 the percentage
had reached 71.8% (CNNIC, 2014), which shows a consistent growth in Internet penetration.
Faced with the growing number of adolescents online, it is important to study adolescents’ web
information behavior and improve their information literacy. Nowadays, many countries attach
importance to adolescents’ information literacy education. For example, the United States was the
earliest initiator of information technology education, and the Big 6 model that develops students’
information literacy has been widely used in the American primary and secondary curriculum.
Britain officially included information technology education in the national curriculum in the
1980s. In comparison, China came late to information literacy education, so there is a need to
conduct research on Chinese adolescents’ web information behavior to understand their
information search skills.
The convenience of the Internet encourages more a nd more adolescents to rely on the web to
obtain information. Studies show that using the Internet is the most common way for adolescents
to search for information (Madden et al., 2007; van Aalst et al., 2007; Bowler, 2010). When
searching on the web, adolescents’ search behaviors have b oth general and individual features. In
addition, a number of factors affect adolescents’ web search behavior, including the structure of
the search type, gender, age, and cognitive ability. Research has been conducted in some countries
of North America and Europe on adolescents’ web search behavior, whereas there have been no
empirical studies in this field in China. The current research explores Chinese adolescents’ web
search behavior with the a im of providing educators and future researchers with a complete
understanding of adolescents’ web information behavior.
Literature review
Adolescents’ web search behavior
A number of studies have focused on adolescents’ search behavior on the Internet. Early research
mainly explored novice adolescents’ web search behavior owing to the limited access to the
Internet. Fidel et a l. (1999) examined high school students’ online search b ehavior for homework
assignments. They found that students performed focused and flexible searches, and enjoyed
searching on the web, but that there was still a need to develop their online search skills. Large
and Beheshti (2000) reported sixth-grade students’ experience of searching for information online.
The results revealed that the students were inefficient in using the web to find the required
information. Bilal (2000, 2001, 2002b) studied children’s cognitive, physical, and affective
behaviors when they conducted three different types of tasks using the Yahooligan! search engine.
The results exposed the students’ inadequate skills in locating, using, and analyzing information
effectively.
As the Internet became more popular, researchers examined its use by more experienced
adolescents. Guinee et al. (2003) analyzed secondary school students’ Internet search strategies
and identified common patterns in their search processes. Madden et al. (2006) examined
adolescents’ search strategies and factors affecting their performance. Druin et al. (2009) explored
children’s search behavior using keyword interfaces. In an analysis of a query log produced by
children, Duarte Torres et al. (2010) reported their search queries and sessions. These studies
showed that although adolescents enjoyed searching for information on the web, they encoun tered
many barriers to effective information search and use.
Several studies have explored adolescents’ web search behavior from different angles.
Agosto (2000b) found that the theories of bounded rationality and satisficing were related to
adolescent females’ decision-making, and that per sonal preference played a role in evaluating
websites. Subsequently Agosto (2002a) put forward a theoretical model of the criteria that
adolescents used when they e valuated websites. Pickard et a l. (2014) investigated high school
students’ evaluative criteria about information on the web. Foss et al. (2013) conducted a study of
adolescents’ Internet searching process, and developed a framework of search roles according to
the search trends that the students exhibited.
Factors influencing adolescents’ web search behavior
Wersig and Seeger (1975) pointed out that information needs and information-seeking processes
depend on the task of the user, because the task imposes information requirements that must be
met in order for the task to be completed. Studies have identified different types of search tasks,
including simple and complex tasks (Hirsh, 1999), closed and open tasks (Marchionini, 1989)
Several studies that investigated the effect of task type on adolescents’ search behavior have
suggested that different types of tasks influence search behavior. However, the findings from these
studies were not always consistent because of the different purposes and subjects of the studies.
For example, Hirsh (1999) found that the success of fifth-grade students decreased with the
increase of the complexity of the sear ch tasks. Schacter et al. (1998) examined the effects of task
structure on elementary school students’ web information-seeking behavior. They found that fifth-
and sixth-grade students preferred to browse rather than employ analytic-based search strategies,
and that students performed bet ter on ill-defined tasks than on well-defined tasks. B ilal (2002b)
investigated the information-seeking behavior and success of seventh-grade students in using the
Yahooligans! search engine. They concluded that the students were more successful on full
self-generated tasks than on fact-based and research-oriented tasks.
In a few studies that examined adolescents’ web search behavior, the impact of gender was
explored. Large et al. (2002) investigated the gender differences in collaborative web searching.
The results revealed differences b etween boys and girls in some aspects, including the use of
hypertext links and the time spent on individual pages. In general, boys were more active than
girls. Another study found that boys browsed significantly more and engaged in more
information-seeking processes than girls (Schacter et al., 1998). Roy and Chi (2003) noted that
boys tended to filter information at an earlier stage than girls, and that girls were more linear and
thorough navigators than boys.
Because cognitive ability, expression ability and problem-solving ability vary with age, users
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