Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
SpringerLink
Log in

Think-Aloud Exploratory Search: Understanding Search Behaviors and Knowledge Flows

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Research and Innovation Forum 2020 (RIIFORUM 2020)

Part of the book series: Springer Proceedings in Complexity ((SPCOM))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

This paper describes an experiment that uses Concurrent Think-Aloud protocol (CTA) and person-to-person interviews to map searching behaviors and knowledge flows during search sessions. The findings are: (1) the most used searching strategy during exploratory searches was the “Metacognitive Domain”; and (2) online searching experts have a fair ability to deal with ideas prompted by browsing the search results. The main contributions of this research lie in the understanding of the process in which people find, access, decide what content is useful and apply online data to their different information needs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Set of terms used to reformulate queries within a session, determined by a user’s decision-making process regarding whether to include, exclude, modify or keep the set of terms.

  2. 2.

    A set of implemented user search strategies, which determine a Web search pattern.

  3. 3.

    Lookup searches return discrete and well-structured objects such as numbers, names, short statements, or specific files of text or other media.

  4. 4.

    Consists of learners using Web search engines as a technology to drive their learning process.

References

  1. A. Aula, K. Nordhausen, Modeling successful performance in web searching. J. Am. Soc. Inform. Sci. Technol. 57(12), 1678–1693 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.20340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. N. Hariri, M. Asadi, Y. Mansourian, The impact of users’ verbal/imagery cognitive styles on their Web search behavior. Aslib J. Inf. Manage. 66, 401–423 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-02-2013-0019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. T. Kelley, B. Capobianco, K. Kaluf, Concurrent think-aloud protocols to assess elementary design students. Int. J. Technolo. Des. Educ 25(4), 521–540 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. C. Liu, J. Gwizdka, J. Liu, T. Xu, N.J. Belkin, Analysis and evaluation of query reformulations in different task types. Proc. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci. Technol. 47(1), 1–9 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1002/meet.14504701214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. I. Madjid, C. Stéphane, M. Daniel, The effect of individual differences on searching the web. Proc. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci. Technol 40(1), 240–246 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1002/meet.1450400130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. G. Marchionini, Exploratory search: From finding to understanding. Commun. ACM 49(4), 41–46 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1145/1121949.1121979

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. S. Monchaux, F. Amadieu, A. Chevalier, C. Mariné, Query strategies during information searching: Effects of prior domain knowledge and complexity of the information problems to be solved. Inf. Process. Manage. 51(5), 557–569 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2015.05.004

  8. I. Reisoğlu, A. Çebi, T. Bahçekapılı, Online information searching behaviours: examining the impact of task complexity, information searching experience, and cognitive style. Interactive Learning Environments, pp. 1–18 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1662456

  9. M. Tibau, S.W.M. Siqueira, B. Pereira Nunes, T. Nurmikko-Fuller, R.F. Manrique, Using query reformulation to compare learning behaviors in web search engines, in 2019 IEEE 19th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT), vol. 2161-377X, pp. 219–223 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1109/ICALT.2019.00054

  10. M.J. Tsai, C.C. Tsai, Information searching strategies in web-based science learning: the role of internet self-efficacy. Innov. Educ. Teaching Int 40(1), 43–50 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1080/1355800032000038822

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Marcelo Tibau & Sean W. M. Siqueira

  2. Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Bernardo Pereira Nunes

Authors
  1. Marcelo Tibau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sean W. M. Siqueira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bernardo Pereira Nunes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcelo Tibau .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Research & Innovation Institute (Rii), Warsaw, Poland

    Anna Visvizi

  2. Effat University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Miltiadis D. Lytras

  3. Faculty of Computing and Information Technology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Naif R. Aljohani

Appendices

List of Online Information Searching Strategies’ Indicators

Behavioral (Behav)

  • Control

    • C1: Using the most familiar or known search engine in the first place.

    • C2: Searching by typing the name of the search engine on the browser.

    • C3: Entering the name of the website on the search engine.

    • C4: Entering the name of the website on the address bar.

    • C5: Using the “home” button to return to the beginning of the search.

    • C6: Using the “next” and “previous” buttons of the browser.

    • C7: Using Boolean logic operators for narrowing/widening the search parameters.

    • C8: Doing a customized search with the help of the images, videos, maps, and other similar features of the search engine.

    • C9: Utilizing the advanced search options of images, videos, maps, and other similar features of the search engine.

    • C10: Utilizing the advanced search options of the search engine.

  • Disorientation

    • D1: Giving up in the case of failure to find an answer.

    • D2: Using search terms that are not given in the search task.

    • D3: Not having any idea about what to do when doing an Internet search.

    • D4: Feeling bad in the case of failure to retrieve the desired information.

Procedural (Proced)

  • Trial and Error

    • TE1: Modifying the keywords.

    • TE2: Using different search engines.

    • TE3: Opening different websites.

  • Problem-Solving

    • PS1: Doing one’s best to resolve any problem that occurs during a search.

    • PS2: Trying to find out the possible reasons for any problem that occurs during a search.

Metacognitive (Metacog)

  • Purposeful Thinking

    • PT1: Narrowing down the searching field (subject).

    • PT2: Accessing additional websites from a main website.

    • PT3: Simultaneous information searching from different sources.

    • PT4: Doing in-site search.

  • Select Main Ideas

    • SMI1: Directly opening a website that is known to be relevant to a given search task.

    • SMI2: Typing specific terms about the search task.

    • SMI3: Following the search suggestions of the search engine.

    • SMI4: Following the outputs of in-site search.

    • SMI5: Looking through the hyperlinks provided on a website.

    • SMI6: Looking through the titles on a website.

    • SMI7: Keeping an account of the information relevant to the search task found on a website.

    • SMI8: Looking for specific words in a website by means of Ctrl + F.

  • Evaluation

    • E1: Evaluating the relationships between the retrieved pieces of information.

    • E2: Comparing and contrasting the pieces of information retrieved from different websites.

    • E3: Determining whether a piece of information from a website is worth referencing.

    • E4: Assessing how to combine and present the data gathered from the Web.

Users’ Searching Behavior Tables

See Tables 23.4, 23.5 and 23.6.

Table 23.4 User 1 searching behaviors in Task 1
Full size table
Table 23.5 User 4 searching behaviors in Task 1
Full size table
Table 23.6 User 2 searching behaviors in Task 2
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Tibau, M., Siqueira, S.W.M., Nunes, B.P. (2021). Think-Aloud Exploratory Search: Understanding Search Behaviors and Knowledge Flows. In: Visvizi, A., Lytras, M.D., Aljohani, N.R. (eds) Research and Innovation Forum 2020. RIIFORUM 2020. Springer Proceedings in Complexity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62066-0_23

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62066-0_23

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-62065-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-62066-0

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation