Unpacking cognitive skills engaged in web-search: how can log files, eye movements, and cued-retrospective reports help? An in-depth qualitative case study

Abstract

Unpacking cognitive skills engaged in web-search: how can log files, eye movements, and cued-retrospective reports help? An in-depth qualitative case study Search the Internet with a specific purpose has become an important activity. Educational research informs that a better understanding of the cognitive skills involved in this activity is needed, but it is not clear which research techniques can be used for this purpose. One student performed a web-search task and was registered by three different techniques: log files, eye movements, and cuedretrospective reports. With a qualitative analysis, we attempt to provide a twofold contribution: (1) a thorough analysis about the information retrieved from the three techniques separately, and (2) developing a methodology for integrating the information captured from the three techniques. Results showed that log files and eye movements gave insight into cognitive outcomes of skills, and cuedretrospective delivered self-explanations of cognitive and regulation activities. This integration provided an overall and comprehensive picture of the cognitive skills performed and allowed building a synergism among the information captured from each technique.

Embedded Information Problem-Solving Instruction to Foster Learning from Digital Sources: Longitudinal Effects on Task Performance

“…Although we have hypothesised that progressive development of IPS skills in the experimental group could account for the effectiveness of their task performance throughout the project [20,58], in this study we have not analysed the impact of IPS instruction on the development of IPS skills and subskills. In future research work, our intention is to obtain more empirical evidence to support this statement, using a series of techniques to collect and analyse the data, such as log files, eye tracking, think-aloud protocols, cued retrospective reports or a combination of them all [73], and by so doing, be able to apprehend the strengths and weakness of the execution of the IPS process, skills and subskills in greater detail and/or in a qualitative way. The ongoing learning activities during the web-search process could also be analysed in a more in-depth manner [74].…”