Nowadays, the Internet has become one of the most important information sources in both personal and academic life. However, the complex cognitive activities involved in the processes of gathering and processing information from the Web (Information-problem solving, IPS) are not instinctively acquired. The main objectives of this dissertation consist, on the one hand, in identifying and describing the challenges that secondary students should overcome to solve information-problems more efficiently, and, on the other hand, in studying the effect of an embedded instruction on the students’ cognitive processes involved in IPS. This research also aims to draw educational implications for the teachers to help secondary students to enhance their digital competences while learning curricular contents.

To accomplish these general objectives, four different research studies have been carried out. The first study compares and analyses three different techniques which assess IPS cognitive processes. The second study describes in detail the challenges that secondary students face with an IPS task. The need of instruction on IPS cognitive processes led us to analyse the impact on an instructional process embedded in the academic curriculum in order to help students in their difficulties (third study). The fourth study provides conclusions based on a more qualitative and in-depth analysis on the kind of processes developed by students regarding the IPS instruction received.

The main conclusions extracted from this research dissertation are the following: (a) Different techniques can give a valuable contribution to the understanding of the IPS cognitive processes and their election will depend on the objectives and the design of the research. (b) The sole access and exposure to Internet does not warrant to students a successful IPS process, but they need to become digitally literate. (c) Since School has the mission of enabling students to become active citizens, an adequate IPS instruction at school is needed in order to help students to develop their digital competences. (d) The embedded, structured and supported IPS instruction designed by the COnTIC group (UdL) has been effective in students of Secondary Educational classrooms to improve critical IPS cognitive processes. (e) Scaffolds that support IPS instruction should be carefully designed; human and technological scaffolds should be appropriately orchestrated, in order to fully take advantage of their affordances.