Exploring the relationships between work task and search task in information search

Yuelin Li

Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2009, vol. 60, issue 2, 275-291

Abstract: To provide a basis for making predictions of the characteristics of search task (ST), based on work task (WT), and to explore the nature of WT and ST, this study examines the relationships between WT and ST (inter‐relationships) and the relationships between the different facets of both WT and ST (intra‐relationships), respectively. A faceted classification of task was used to conceptualize work task and search task. Twenty‐four pairs of work tasks and their associated search tasks were collected, by semistructured interviews, and classified based on the classification. The results indicate that work task shapes different facets or sub‐facets of its associated search tasks to different degrees. Several sub‐facets of search task, such as Time (Length), Objective task complexity, and Subjective task complexity, are most strongly affected by work task. The results demonstrate that it is necessary to consider difficulty and complexity as different constructs when investigating their influence on information search behavior. The exploration of intra‐relationships illustrates the difference of work task and search task in their nature. The findings provide empirical evidence to support the view that work task and search task are multi‐faceted variables and their different effects on users' information search behavior should be examined.

Date: 2009
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.20977

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:jamist:v:60:y:2009:i:2:p:275-291

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)1532-2890

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology from Association for Information Science & Technology
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().