| As Information and Communication Technology (ICT) allows learners to access much more information than ever before, it has become significantly involved in learning and teaching. Accordingly, even though information search has become a new important problem solving capability, there is not much known about what types of individual characteristics constitute a successful information search behavior (ISB) and how they may influence one's learning eventually. This study mainly investigated which of the two factors, (1) natural characteristics (cognitive style) and (2) acquired knowledge (domain knowledge) had a stronger influence on search behavior, and what types of effect these had on search activities. To measure search behavior, the search task score, the total length of time to complete the given tasks, the number of URL nodes visited, and the number of keywords typed were collected and analyzed. Besides, the years of Web surfing experience, the weekly Web surfing hours, gender, and participants' interests toward their own major were examined to discover any moderating effects with the major variables.;To answer the research questions given, sixty-one students from two distinctive fields, Biology and Psychology, were examined employing an empirical cross-method research methodology. The study findings suggested that domain knowledge was the main predictor corresponding to search task score. It was not however related with any other search activities. Also, if the weekly web surfing hours reached to a certain level, it appeared to have a positive effect on participants' task score of their domain. In the meantime, cognitive style did not have any effect on search performance but interacted with a search activity, the weekly web surfing hours, and this interaction affected a certain searching behavior, the total length of time to complete the task. There was no correlation found between two sets of main variables: domain knowledge and cognitive style. |
