Hula Kahlal – S3236327 ISYS2442
Information Seeking Behaviour: A Comparison between Business and Engineering Undergraduate Students in Tertiary EnvironmentsResearch Project – ISYS2442
Hula Kahlal – S3236327
Table of Contents
Abstract: 1
1. Introduction: 1
2. Literature Review: 2
2.1. Technological Revolution: Impacts on student’s learning styles, expectations and capacities: 2
2.2. Models of Information Seeking Behaviour: 4
2.2.1. Wilson’s model of Information Seeking Behaviour: 5
2.2.2. Dervin’s sense-making model: 6
2.2.3. A process model based on Ellis’s characteristics: 6
2.2.4. Kuhlthau’s model of the Information Search Process (ISP): 8
2.3. The Presence of the Academic Library in the Digital Era: 10
3. Methodology: 12
4. Results: 13
4.1. Age of Participants: 14
4.2. Methods used to search information for a university task 14
4.3. The use of Google and other search engines: 16
4.4. The use of the academic library 18
4.5. Feelings associated with Information Searching Process (ISP): 20
5. Discussion: 23
5.1. Methods used to search information for a university task 23
5.2. The use of Google and other search engines 23
5.3. The use of the academic library 24
5.4. Feelings associated with the Information Searching Process (ISP): 24
6. Conclusion 26
Appendices: 27
Bibliography 29
References 31
Table of Figures
Figure 1 - Wilson's Model 5
Figure 2 - Dervin's Model 6
Figure 3 - Ellis's Characteristics 6
Figure 4 - Kuhlthau's Model 8
Figure 5 - Combined Model 9
Figure 6 - Age of Participants 14
Figure 7 - Methods used to search information - Business students 14
Figure 8 - Methods used to search information - Enginering students 15
Figure 9 - Use of Google and other search engines - Business students 16
Figure 10 - Use of Google and other search engines - Engineering students 17
Figure 11 - Use of the academic library - Business students 18
Figure 12 - Use of the academic library - Engineering students 19
Figure 13 - Feelings associated with ISP - Business students 20
Figure 14 - Feelings associated with ISP - Engineering students 21
Table of Tables
Table 1 - Comparison between Kuhlthau's model and research findings 25
IV
Hula Kahlal – S3236327 ISYS2442
Abstract:
The aim of this research paper is to closely investigate the topic of information seeking behaviour of teriary students in their academic environments, focusing mainly on the impacts of technlogical advancements on students’ capacities, expectations and learning styles, and also the presence of the academic library in the life of a teriary student. This is done through an online survey conducted online, targeting mainly Business and Engineering students for the purpose of revealing the common patterns between the two groups when searching information for a university task. Factors like age and gender are also determined to examine wether such factors impact on the information searching behaviour of students.
1. Introduction:
Over the past decades, many researcheres have put so much effort and time to study information seeking behaviour of humanbeings, and have developed a number of theories and models discussing their research findings.
This research project focuses on the information seeking behaviour of Business in comparison to Engineering undergradutes in academic environments and hopes to unveil any common patterns amongst undergraduates when gathering information. The reason for choosing this topic to investigate is because several researchers have come up with a variety of models, trying to explain the stages of information searching process and the behaviours associated with each stage. Those models conflict at some stages and overlap at others, which gradually developed the researcher’s interest in exploring this topic in-depth.
The data gathering stage for this reasearch is done by conducting an online survey to gather real world data from students themselves, instead of relying on surveys conducted by other researchers. Challeneges expected to be faced in conducting an online survey is trying to get the number of responses desired in the desired time limit.
The literature review discusses the technological revolution and how it has greatly impacted on the learnig styles, expectations and capacities of those generations that grew up dernched in the ICT world. Some researcheres believe that the ICT revolution impacted negatively on the younger generations’ learning capacities and their information literacy; in other words, some researchers suggest that students know how to find information, but don’t know how evaluate the content found. The literature review also discussses how those technological advancements should be a motive for educational institutions, may that be schools, universities and even libraries to alter the way they teach students, considering their characterisitcs, learning styles they prefer and their expectations. Addintionally, the literature review examines the presence and role of academic libraries in the digital era. Some research suggests that tertiary students view library resources and databases as being too professional in terms of language and structure that “can only be understood by information experts” as they believe.
In this literature review, 4 main theories and model studied by well known authors in the area of information seeking behaviour are discussed, and the differences and similarities among them are also examined, and how these theories complement each other in other ways.
2. Literature Review:
2.1. Technological Revolution: Impacts on student’s learning styles, expectations and capacities:
Over the past few decades, it has been witnessed that the economy is moving in a tremendous pace towards what’s called the “knowledge economy” in which knowledge is both the engine and the product of the economic growth (Kozma 2003). The production, distribution, integration and the use of new knowledge is known as the “information society”, a term explaining the social transformation due to the emergence of computer and communication technologies, due to which our lives have transformed in a remarkably short time in many different aspects: the way we socialise, shop, obtain knowledge and information and manage them, and so on... (Kozma 2003). Scientists suggest that the brains of the new generation have been “rewired “as a result of growing up in a digital environment, if this is true, then existing institutions such as schools, universities, libraries and other educational institutions have to undergo a fundamental change or face marginalisation (Nichlas, D, Rowlands, I & Williams, P 2010).
Nicoles, Rowlands and Williams (2010) suggest the following:
- The information literacy and information technology skills of younger generations have not improved
- The speed of young people’s web searching meant that little time spent on evaluating the information (accuracy, authority, etc...) in other words, they skitter along the digital surface, leading to information promiscuity
- Younger generations lack the knowledge of what the internet actually is (due to the use of highly branded search engines) which also lessens their motivation to use library resources, and use search engines instead.
However, Barnes, Ferries and Marateo (2007) suggest that younger generation are very education oriented and have the motivation to learn. Yet, they have different learning styles from their predecessors. The authors described this generation as being “unique” due to the fact that they’ve grown up in a digital environment, not only they’re accustomed to the use of technology, but they’re drenched with it. They also suggest that by the time the “NetGeners” reach the age of 21, they will have already spent:
- 10,000 hours playing video games
- 200,000 hours on e-mail
- 20,000 hours watching TV
- 10,000 hours on cell phones
- Under 5000 hours reading
Having been raised in a media and digital era, the new generations, or the “NetGeners” as described by the authors develop a unique way of thinking, communicating and learning, and they tend to be more independent in the way they learn and seek information, which introduces a variety of educational options and activities, bringing in a whole of different questions of what, where and how younger generations learn, instead of only focusing of what kind of education they obtain.
Net Age students prefer more diverse forms of communication and report being easily bored with the traditional learning techniques (Oblinger & Oblinger 2005). They express their need of immediacy which educational institutions may not be able to serve this learning need. Students of the Net age use the World Wide Web to seek immediate answers to their questions, which influenced their learning expectations and made them more independent when obtaining information, differentiating them from their predecessors that acquired information from educators and library resources (Tapscott 1998). Although the Net age students tend to be more independent when seeking for information, but they lack information literacy and do not necessarily understand how the internet actually affects their learning capacities and habits of seeking information in different ways (Oblinger & Oblinger 2005). Which proves the point mentioned earlier in some research that technological revolution has not improved the information literacy of the digital generations (Nichlas, D, Rowlands, I & Williams, P 2010).
2.2. Models of Information Seeking Behaviour:
According to Ajiboye and Tella (2007), information is data that has been processed to be well understood and to satisfy the user’s query. They go further in their definition to say that ‘information is data value in planning, decision making and evaluation of any programme. They conclude that information is crucial to man’s survival’ (Abjiboye & Tella 2007 p. 41).
Information need is understood in information science as ‘stemming from a vague awareness of something missing and as culminating in locating information that contributes to understanding and meaning. It is an anomalous state of knowledge, or a gap in individual’s knowledge in sense making situations. For a person to experience an information need, there must be a motive behind it’ (Ajiboye & Tella 2007 p.42).
Over the years, information science has produced numerous theories and models that explain the information seeking behaviour. With the advancing technologies, theories of information seeking behaviour have overlapped in parts, and conflicted in others.
2.2.1. Wilson’s model of Information Seeking Behaviour:
Figure 1 - Wilson's Model
This is the simplified model of Wilson that is commonly described as the Macro-model. In his model, Wilson shows how the information need arises, the actual searching process for information and the testable information behaviour; for example, the information needs differ depending on the work roles or personal characteristics. Therefore, this model can be viewed a well established theory (Wilson 1999).
The limitation of the model is that ‘all of the hypotheses are only implicit and are not made explicit. Nor is there any indication of the processes whereby context has its effect upon the person, nor of the factors that result in the perception of barriers, nor of whether the various assumed barriers have similar or different effects upon the motivation of individuals to seek information’ (Wilson 1999). However, the very fact that the model is lacking in certain elements stimulates thinking about the kinds of elements that a more complete model ought to include (Wilson 1999).
This model reflects the survey questions asked about how the tertiary students’ information need arises once an assessment task is given and how their searching method and behaviour differ depending on their personal characteristics.
2.2.2. Dervin’s sense-making model:
Figure 2 - Dervin's Model
Dervin’s model is not only seen as an Information Seeking Behaviour model, but ‘a set of assumptions, a theoretic perspective, a methodological approach, a set of research methods, and a practice’ (Wilson 1999). The model consists of four different aspects. The first aspect is Situation, when the information problem arises. The second aspect is gap, which describes the individual’s awareness of the current situation, and the preferred situation. The third aspect is Outcome, which reflects the results of the sense-making process, and finally, Bridge, which is a closing-gap element (Wilson 1999).
Dervin’s model is highly relevant to the research conducted as it shows the steps of the process that students go through when searching for information, the situation: reflecting the task given to the student, gap: reflecting the gap in which information searching process starts by thinking of what could be relevant to the task given, searching general information, evaluating and filtering the information found by measuring its relevance and lastly, the outcome: reflecting the results of the information searching process (i.e. the filtered information that the student uses to answer a specific task question).
2.2.3. A process model based on Ellis’s characteristics:
Figure 3 - Ellis's Characteristics
Ellis’s explanations of the different behaviours involved in Information Seeking Process is not put as a pictorial model like the previous theories discussed. He explains the stages using the term “features” as he claims that the effect of the different behaviours form a set of stages. Below are the steps of “features” of his theory (Wilson 1999):
- Starting: a person seeking information, for example, asking some knowledgeable colleague
- Chaining: following footnotes and citations in known material
- Browsing: 'semi-directed or semi-structured searching'
- Differentiating: identify the differences in information sources as a way to filter the information obtained
- Monitoring: keeping up-to-date or current awareness searching
- Extracting: selecting the relevant information to the person’s information needs
- Verifying: checking the accuracy of information
- Ending: ending the information seeking process, which may be defined as 'tying up loose ends' through a final search
According to Ellis, the interaction between any two features of his model depends greatly on the circumstances a person with the information needs has. But no matter what the circumstances are, the process must start with the Starting feature, and end with the Ending. This model suggests that each feature is a different behaviour of the process and may vary in sequence depending on the individual’s unique circumstances.