Web search for instruction-related information: Why? Where? How?

In this paper I would like to outline the theoretical concept, methods and research questions of my dissertation project. Following the theory of Information Use Environment by Taylor (1991) and its interpretation in the context of Web search by Detlor (2003), this investigation looks into the information behavior of teachers when searching the Web for instruction-related information. Typical problem situations of the work context are identified as well as relevant information traits and approaches to information search and use. Furthermore, the use of several search environments with different degrees of interactive character are analyzed comparatively. Taking into consideration a variety of data sources to gain a multi-perspective view on the issue, usage data of the German Education Server (GES) are analyzed in addition to discussion fora on teacher-specific websites and complemented by qualitative interviews.