Teachers' Online Searching in Science

• Author / Creator

  Brown, Carol A.M

• Given the prevalence of web use by teachers and students and the need for all citizens to be information literate, teachers across curricula are expected to model and develop information literacy and web searching skills within their classrooms. Unfortunately, little is known about how teachers search for and evaluate information online, especially within subject specific contexts. This study investigated teachers' cognition and metacognition related to searching for resources related to science teaching. Eleven secondary science teachers participated in the study. Results highlighted that teachers drew heavily on their science knowledge or past teaching experience when generating search terms. When evaluating resources, teachers considered accuracy of science content, credibility, and the appropriateness of the resource for their teaching context, among other factors. All teachers demonstrated metacognitive knowledge; some exhibited spontaneous metacognitive awareness and control. Finally, there was evidence that participation in the research prompted teachers' metacognitive awareness.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Internet
  • Metacognition
  • Information Literacy
  • Science
  • Online
  • Teachers

• Graduation date

  Fall 2014

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Education

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3901ZP0K

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.