McGill Study Finds Flaws with
Internet Use by Elementary Students
The Internet is a valuable learning tool, but the information it provides is often overwhelming to students and difficult for them to process, says a study conducted recently by McGill University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Studies.
Examining the use of the Web by two Montreal 6th-grade classes over several months, the study revealed that students found it frustrating and difficult to narrow searches down to information relevant to their projects. Unlike information in encyclopedias and textbooks specifically written for their age group, information on the Internet is generally not presented in a suitable way for a 6th-grade student, the study showed. “It’s equivalent to letting them loose in an enormous research library rather than in the children’s section,” said Andrew Large, GSLIS professor and principal investigator for the study.
The study concludes that information-seeking skills are acquired, not intuitive. Repeated searches do not enhance these skills; they must be taught by teachers and librarians. Guidance in the form of pathfinders on the Web itself is also recommended.
Posted November 1, 1999.
|
