An Exploratory Study of Students' Judgements of the Relevance and Reliability of Information

Abstract

This qualitative investigation is situated in the field of information seeking and use, and, more broadly, in decision making. In a naturalistic setting and across a range of curriculum areas, it investigated the behaviour of secondary school students undertaking information search tasks. Research questions focused on students' criteria for deciding on the relevance and reliability of information. Participants were thirty-seven students between 14 and 17 years of age from a school in south-eastern Australia. The study collected data from students' journals; structured and semi-structured interviews; video-stimulated recall interviews; think-aloud reports; video screen captures; and questionnaires. Analysis of data was influenced by a grounded theory approach with an emphasis on thematic categorisation. ... The study supplements the limited number of Australian studies of students' ISP (information search process) and addresses the lack of studies worldwide that focus on information seeking and use behaviour from the perspective of decision making. The investigation has implications for information literacy education, particularly critical thinking skill development.