Influence of task context and task complexity on students' task model quality, search behavior and search outcome

Searching for information with a search engine requires students to develop a coherent representation of their search goal. According to the RESOLV model of purposeful reading, students can draw on clues from the task context and the task instructions. This study examined the influence of task context and task complexity on students' initial task model, and the interplay between task context and students' task models on search behavior and outcomes when using a search engine. Ninety university students searched for information for two simple and two complex search tasks, conducted in both academic and non-academic contexts. Students' initial task models were mostly composed of core topic elements and of the surface-level actions required to search for information. Planning, regulation and standards of coherence were less frequently included in students' initial task models. For simple tasks, higher standards of coherence promoted deeper navigation. For the complex tasks, the academic context and task complexity increased students' standards of coherence and source processing. The academic context also fostered more navigation during simple tasks and improved search outcomes for students who struggled to understand the core topic in complex tasks. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.