Abstract:
This study reports the usage of three commercial Internet search engines in
information seeking among trainee teachers at a teacher training institute in
Malaysia. It attempts to investigate the information seeking behavior of the
trainees via three Internet search engines (Google, Yahoo and MSN) as gateways
to information for research in academic learning using two cohorts of trainee
teachers. The study surveyed 166 trainee teachers undergoing a 5-year Bachelor’s
Degree program and compares the statistical differences on gender, programs
and years of computer technology experiences. The results revealed that there
were significant differences between gender for all the three search engines.
Furthermore it also indicated that there was a significant difference between
TESL and PISMP group for Yahoo and MSN but not for Google. A significant
difference was also observed between years of computer technology experiences
and the frequency of usage in the case of MSN. Post hoc test revealed a significant
difference in the Internet search between those with more than 7 years of
experience with those with less than 2 years experience and those between 2-4
years computing experience. The results provide insight into TESL and PPISMP
trainee teachers’ use of the Internet search engines as a tool in information
seeking when approaching research for their academic learning activities.
Implications on the impact of the Internet to the trainee teachers’ academic
learning in approaching research needs were discussed.
