CASTlog: A Comprehensive Log of Children’s Interactions with the Child Adaptive Search Tool
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54195/irrj.26178Keywords:
children information retrieval, resource, dataset, query log, child-system interactionAbstract
Children are increasingly interacting with search tools and exploring information online, whether it is for academic purposes or just for fun. Young searchers tend to favor search tools designed for adults and, as a result, face unique barriers to information access at all stages of the online search process. There have been many explorations into the obstacles children encounter during information retrieval (IR), but there is a lack of available data that can support further research from multiple perspectives and engage the larger IR community, resulting in stifled progress towards addressing the unique needs of young searchers. To address this lack of data, we introduce CASTlog a new dataset that captures the search queries of children ages 6-12 and the user-system interactions as searchers complete various kinds of online information discovery tasks. We also provide statistics of the data and an initial data analysis informed by empirical explorations based on the dataset. CASTlog serves as a foundational resource for researchers and practitioners focused on developing search tools that address the information needs of children.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Christine Pinney, Casey Kennington, Katherine Landau Wright, Sole Pera, Jerry Alan Fails (Author)
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