Students’ Attitudes towards Web Searching

Recent information and communication technology (ICT) has a great impact on students’ behavior towards searching for information on their own. Nowadays almost all Japanese university students have a chance to use the web even before entering universities. The accessibility of the websites has made it possible to utilize various language learning materials and the websites specifically provide them with elaborate educational contexts. As a result, learning to how to use information on the web effectively is an indispensable part of higher education. However, there has been little research investigating students’ behavior concerning how to formulate basic information search strategies and critically evaluate information sources. The present study aims at understanding the preferred strategies used by Japanese university students when searching for specific information on the web to accomplish certain tasks. This exploratory study will focus on describing students’ cognitive demanding tasks which require using various strategies appropriately in a limited time frame.