Toward a model of children's information seeking behavior in using digital libraries

  • Authors:

  • Dania Bilal;Sonia Sarangthem;Imad Bachir

  • Affiliations:

  • University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN;University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN;The Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the second international symposium on Information interaction in context
  • Year:
  • 2008

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Abstract

This paper presents an empirical model of Arabic-speaking children's interaction with the International Children's Digital Library (ICDL). The model is based on data collected from ten children ages 6--10 who interacted with the ICDL to find information for assigned and self-generated tasks. Two contexts influenced children's information seeking behavior: 1. the non-naturalistic laboratory environment where they used the ICDL as volunteers rather than as part of their everyday life or as a requirement for an assignment, and 2. the international and multicultural nature of the ICDL that provided access to an Arabic book collection, but did not support analytical searching in Arabic. The model presents 7 modes that characterized children's information seeking behavior and the range of moves associated with them. Underlying the behavior is the children's information need and their affective states that consisted of uncertainty and anxiety in the beginning and certainty and satisfaction upon completing the tasks.