ore, it was unusual that the students performed focused searching by keeping exploration to a minimum on the web and ignoring entertaining diversions on the screen. As the students had little experience in information retrieval on the web, they normally had curiosity to widely explore the features of the web and were supposed to be distracted with the entertainment provided by the web while searching. It was probable that the students did not show natural searching behavior when being watched. Despite the Hawthorne effect brought to this study, it was ethical to have told the students the truth that they were being studied. Therefore, the research team should have been sensitive to and cautious about the consequences of the effect on the research.Results/DiscussionOne of the strengths in the article is that the research team clearly summarized and categorized the behavior of the students when preparing for a search and during a search, by which the research team succeeded in achieving part of the purpose of this study to describe the searching behavior of the students. For instance, the research team realized that the students prepared for a search by following experience of the past or other participants. Some students considered that a previously successful search should guide them to another success in a new search, whereas most students assumed that efficient searching would be supported by following the suggestions or hints on where to start searching given by the teacher, the librarian or their classmates. For the search processes, the research team observed that all students performed focused searching and advanced through searches swiftly and flexibly. In addition, they used landmarks and assumed that one could always start a new search and ask for help. Likewise, the team accomplished suggesting changes in the design of the web so as to improve the learning experience of students. The changes included providing knowle...
