| The researcher presented 30 students from two Southeastern universities with the following hypothetical situation. "Pretend that your close friend or relative had acquired HIV/AIDS. Where do you go on the Internet to get information?" Students used a tape recorder to record their comments as they searched, using the "think aloud" protocol, which allows for the collection of data while an event is taking place. The researcher transcribed their "think alouds" and analyzed them using grounded theory, a process allowing a theory or model to emerge from the data The model revealed that students progress through a three-stage process as they forage (search) for HIV/AIDS information. The researcher discusses the three stages, "anxiety" "knowledge," and "help," and what they mean for health policymakers, health science librarians, health Web site designers and editors, who want to improve the quality of online health information, and consumers' ability to evaluate it. |
