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This experiment investigated the effects of choice and response format on children's search of informational text. We compared the information-seeking performance of 42 Grade 3 children who were given a choice of books with 42 children who were not given a choice. Half of the children in the choice and no-choice conditions were instructed to record their answers on a theme board, and half were instructed to write their answers on a work sheet. Children were randomly assigned to the following conditions: (a) choice-theme board, (b) choice-work sheet, (c) no-choice-theme board, and (d) no-choice-work sheet. Prior knowledge and topic interest were included as covariates. Choice of topic facilitated both performance and process measures, whereas response format affected process measures only. Prior knowledge emerged as a significant contributor to accuracy and time to locate information. Children's text search was affected by choice and context.
Reynolds et al. (Thu,) studied this question.