Information Behaviour Of Students Research Articles

Information-Seeking Behaviors of First-Semester Veterinary Students: A Preliminary Report

Although emphasis in veterinary education is increasingly being placed on the ability to find, use, and communicate information, studies on the information behaviors of veterinary students or professionals are few. Improved knowledge in this area will provide valuable information for course and curriculum planning and the design of information resources. This article describes a survey of the information-seeking behaviors of first-semester veterinary students at Purdue University. A survey was administered as the first phase of a progressive semester-long assignment for a first semester DVM course in systemic mammalian physiology. The survey probed for understanding of the scientific literature and its use for course assignments and continuing learning. The survey results showed that students beginning the program tended to use Google for coursework, although some also used the resources found through the Purdue libraries' Web sites. On entering veterinary school, they became aware of specific information resources in veterinary medicine. They used a small number of accepted criteria to evaluate the Web site quality. This study confirms the findings of studies of information-seeking behaviors of undergraduate students. Further studies are needed to examine whether those behaviors change as students learn about specialized veterinary resources that are designed to address clinical needs as they progress through their training.

Collaborative information behaviour in undergraduate group projects: A study of engineering students

This paper reports on ongoing research investigating the collaborative information behaviour of undergraduate engineering students who are working on a course-based engineering project. It presents data collected through a web-based survey undertaken at the end of a senior multidisciplinary design engineering course in a Canadian University. The survey was completed in March 2010 by 42 individual students and included 33 questions relating to both individual and group activities during the project. The findings show that students engaged in more collaborative activities during the information need identification stage and the final stage in which information was employed to write the final report. The open-ended questions showed students' preferences to approach other people as information channels to guide them to relevant information that are appropriate to the project task. Different strategies towards collaborative activities were also identified among student groups. Collaborative activities were found to be at their highest during the task formulation stage at the early stage of the project and at a lesser level during the selection of the design solution.

Information anxiety, information behavior, and minority graduate students

Increasing numbers of minority students now attend American graduate programs, however, attendance does not guarantee graduation, and graduation rates for minority students in masters and doctoral programs are low. This poster presents the preliminary findings from an ongoing study examining the information behavior of black graduate students. It suggests that students are affected by information anxiety, which creates a barrier to obtaining and using information for academic work. The study also considers participants' views on how race may affect information gathering, access, and sharing.

Use of the University Library, Elibrary, VLE, and Other Information Sources by Distance Learning Students in University College Dublin: Implications for Academic Librarianship

This paper reports on a study of the information behavior of Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS) distance learning students in the Quinn School of Business, University College Dublin (UCD). In order to gain a better understanding of the information behaviors of distance-learning students, the study sought to answer the following research questions: • What are the main sources of information for the BBS distance learning students? • What are student perceptions of the virtual learning environment (VLE), Blackboard employed by the Quinn School of Business? • To what extent, if any, is there evidence of collaborative information behaviors and practices? The full cohort of BBS distance-learning students was surveyed. A total of 55 out of 136 (40.4%) responded to the survey. Data were collected by means of a self-completion online questionnaire. The paper presents the findings of the study and considers implications for academic librarianship. The chief sources used by the students to assist them with study are web search engines (primarily Google) and content from the VLE (Blackboard). Search engines and the university elibrary are the main sources used by the students when conducting an information search for their course, however the students also rely significantly on their lecturers with regard to acquiring information for their coursework. The study also found that collaboration with regard to information sharing is a major facet of the information world of this cohort of students.

The information literacy instruction assessment cycle

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to present the Information Literacy Instruction Assessment Cycle (ILIAC), to describe the seven stages of the ILIAC, and to offer an extended example that demonstrates how the ILIAC increases librarian instructional abilities and improves student information literacy skills.Design/methodology/approachEmploying survey design methodology, the researcher and participants use a rubric to code artifacts of student learning into pre‐set rubric categories. These categories are assigned point values and statistically analyzed to evaluate students and examine interrater reliability and validity.FindingsBy engaging in the ILIAC, librarians gain important data about the information behavior of students and a greater understanding of student strengths and weaknesses. The ILIAC encourages librarians to articulate learning outcomes clearly, analyze them meaningfully, celebrate learning achievements, and diagnose problem areas. In short, the ILIAC results in improved student learning and increased librarian instructional skills. In this study, the ILIAC improves students' ability to evaluate web sites for authority.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focuses on librarians, instructors, and students at one institution. As a result, specific findings are not necessarily generalizable to those at other universities.Practical implicationsAcademic librarians throughout higher education struggle to demonstrate the impact of information literacy instruction on student learning and development. The ILIAC provides a much needed conceptual framework to guide information literacy assessment efforts.Originality/valueThe paper applies the assessment cycle and “assessment for learning” theory to information literacy instruction. The ILIAC provides a model for future information literacy assessment projects. It also enables librarians to demonstrate, document, and increase the impact of information literacy instruction on student learning and development.

Student information behaviours during group projects

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on a study of student information‐seeking and information‐sharing behaviours and communication during group projects. While a considerable body of literature exists on student information behaviour, less is known about the information behaviours of students working collaboratively, for example, in group projects. The aim of the study was to explore student information behaviours arising from group projects undertaken as part of their studies. The research questions were: What are the information seeking behaviours of students involved in group projects? How do students communicate with group members during group projects? How do students share information with group members during group projects? and What do students like most and dislike most about group projects?Design/methodology/approachA total of 50 undergraduate and graduate students in the University College Dublin School of Information and Library Studies responded to an online questionnaire (the response rate was 55.6 per cent) in May 2007.FindingsFindings reveal that students are embracing electronic media and resources, such as web sites, electronic journals and e‐mail, to progress their group projects. However, despite the widespread availability and convenience of these resources, communication difficulties and other problems were reported. Nevertheless, in general, the findings show that students have positive perceptions of group projects and believe that they have developed useful skills, such as teamwork skills and sharing information resources, as a result.Originality/valueThis study should be of interest to both academics and librarians, and to researchers and scholars concerned with human information behaviour, particularly in an educational context.

Information Behavior of Community College Students: A Survey of Literature

A literature review of articles discussing the information behavior of community college students finds that most of the literature focuses on what libraries and librarians can do to teach community college students information literacy. The articles discuss learning communities, bibliographic instruction, and information technology. Although these topics are important, more focus needs to be placed on the community college students themselves and their information-seeking habits.

Towards a student-centred approach to information literacy learning:

Introduction and objectives: From the vantage point of user studies and information literacy paradigm, an empirical case-study has been carried out (at the University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain) in order to establish a diagnosis of the information behaviour of translation students. It is hoped that this study will serve as a basis for the design and subsequent implementation of programs of instruction (within the paradigm of Information Literacy) specific to this interdisciplinary field. Methodology: The study is located within the qualitative paradigm, using the technique of focus group interview. Two focus groups were made up of students from different stages of their academic career. Results: A positive evolution is identified within the student group (from first to third cycle) as regards the successful acquisition of information skills. Differences are observed concerning information skills, knowledge and values between the translation students of the different cycles. Conclusions: The study highlights the progress registered by the translation students in their information competence and the resultant conceptualization: a development from knowledge towards strategy and lifelong learning.

Understanding student information behavior in relation to electronic information services: Lessons from longitudinal monitoring and evaluation, Part 1

This two-part article establishes a model of the mediating factors that influence student information behavior concerning electronic or digital information sources that support their learning. The ...

Understanding student information behavior in relation to electronic information services: Lessons from longitudinal monitoring and evaluation, Part 2

This second part of a two-part article establishes a model of the mediating factors that influence student information behavior concerning the electronic or digital information sources used to supp...

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Enriching e‐learning metadata through digital library usage analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to propose an evaluation framework for analyzing learning objects usage, with the aim of extracting useful information for improving the quality of the metadata used to describe the learning objects, but also for personalization purposes, including user models and adaptive itineraries.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents experimental results from the log usage analysis during one academic semester of two different subjects, 350 students. The experiment examines raw server log data generated from the interactions of the students with the classroom learning objects, in order to find relevant information that can be used to improve the metadata used for describing both the learning objects and the learning process.FindingsPreliminary studies have been carried out in order to obtain an initial picture of the interactions between learners and the virtual campus, including both services and resources usage. These studies try to establish relationships between user profiles and their information and navigational behavior in the virtual campus, with the aim of promoting personalization and improving the understanding of what learning in virtual environments means.Research limitations/implicationsDuring the formal learning process, students use learning resources from the virtual classroom provided by the academic library, but they also seek information outside the virtual campus. All these usage data are not considered in the model proposed here. Further research is needed in order to obtain a complete view of the seeking information behavior of students for improving the users' profile and creating better personalized services.Practical implicationsThis paper suggests how a selection of fields used in the LOM standard could be used for enriching the description of learning objects, automatically in some cases, from the learning objects usage performed by an academic community.Originality/valueFrom libraries beginnings, they have been a “quiet storage place”. With the development of digital libraries, they become a meeting place where explicit and implicit recommendations about information sources can be shared among users. Social and learning process interactions, therefore, can be considered another knowledge source.

Understanding student information behavior in relation to electronic information services: Lessons from longitudinal monitoring and evaluation, Part 2

AbstractThis second part of a two‐part article establishes a model of the mediating factors that influence student information behavior concerning the electronic or digital information sources used to support learning. This part discusses the findings of the Joint Information Systems Committee User Behavior Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (1999–2004) and development of a model that includes both the individual (micro) and organizational (macro) factors affecting student information behavior. The macro factors are information resource design, information and learning technology infrastructure, availability and constraints to access, policies and funding, and organizational leadership and culture. The micro factors are information literacy, academics' information behavior, search strategies, discipline and curriculum, support and training, and pedagogy. We conclude that the mediating factors interact in unexpected ways and that further research is needed to clarify how those interactions, particularly between the macro and micro factors, operate.

Understanding student information behavior in relation to electronic information services: Lessons from longitudinal monitoring and evaluation, Part 1

AbstractThis two‐part article establishes a model of the mediating factors that influence student information behavior concerning electronic or digital information sources that support their learning. The first part reviews the literature that underpinned the development of the research methodology for the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) User Behavior Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, as well as the literature that has subsequently helped to develop the model over the 5 years the Framework operated in the United Kingdom, in five cycles of research that were adjusted to meet the emerging needs of the JISC at the time. The literature review attempts to synthesize the two main perspectives in the research studies: (a) small‐scale studies of student information behavior; and (b) the studies that focus on the quantitative usage of particular electronic information services in universities, often including implications for training and support. As the review indicates, there are gaps in the evidence concerning the browsing and selection strategies of undergraduate students and the interaction of some of the mediating influences on information behavior. The Framework developed a multimethod, qualitative and quantitative methodology for the continued monitoring of user behavior. This article discusses the methods used and the project‐management challenges involved, and concludes that at the outset, intended impacts need to be specified carefully, and that funding needs to be committed at that point for a longitudinal study. A research project on information behavior, intended to inform current policymaking on infrastructure provision, is inherently difficult as behavior changes lag behind provision.

A research case study for user-centred information literacy instruction: information behaviour of translation trainees

From the vantage point of user studies and information literacy studies, an empirical case-study has been carried out (at the Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain) in order to establish a diagnosis of the information behaviour of translation students. It is hoped that this study will serve as a basis for the design and subsequent implementation of programmes of instruction (within the paradigm of information literacy) specific to this interdisciplinary field. The study is located within the qualitative paradigm (using techniques including expert panel and semi-structured questionnaires to obtain direct data from the student body). Also employed are quantitative techniques for the descriptive statistical treatment of the data collected via the questionnaire, but at all events the perspective of the analysis is qualitative. All in all, a positive evolution is identified within the student group (from first to second cycle) as regards the successful acquisition of information skills. The study highlights the progress registered by the translation students in their information competence and the resultant conceptualization: a development from knowledge towards strategy and lifelong learning.

Bridging social and private interactions: Collaborative Information Retrieval in K‐12 learning contexts

AbstractUntil recently, most models of information seeking and retrieval did not take into account other searchers or peers in the social/organizational environment (Wilson, 1999). Donald Case's (2007) survey of research on information seeking, needs and behavior further illustrates this omission: in the research literature, other persons are portrayed as sources of information, but not actively involved in the search process as collaborators. The concept of Collaborative Information Retrieval (CIR), on the other hand, identifies that peers and other human intermediaries play an important role in information behavior, both in formal and informal contexts. Researchers have documented the presence of collaboration in student information behavior in school libraries; however, the CIR concept has not been directly explored in K‐12 education. The study of CIR in K‐12 education may illustrate ways to improve the efficacy of our instructional programs in information literacy, as well as suggest requirements for the design of information systems and services.

Profiling and understanding student information behaviour: Methodologies and meaning

This paper draws on work conducted under the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) User Behaviour Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to identify a range of issues associated with research design that can form a platform for enquiry about knowledge creation in the arena of user behaviour. The Framework has developed a multidimensional set of tools for profiling, monitoring and evaluating user behaviour. The Framework has two main approaches: one, a broad-based survey which generates both a qualitative and a quantitative profile of user behaviour, and the other a longitudinal qualitative study of user behaviour that (in addition to providing in-depth insights) is the basis for the development of the EIS (Electronic Information Services) Diagnostic Toolkit. The strengths and weaknesses of the Framework approach are evaluated. In the context of profiling user behaviour, key methodological concerns relate to: representativeness, sampling and access, the selection of appropriate measures and the interpretation of those measures. Qualitative approaches are used to generate detailed insights. These include detailed narratives, case study analysis and gap analysis. The messages from this qualitative analysis do not lend themselves to simple summarization. One approach that has been employed to capture and interpret these messages is the development of the EIS Diagnostic Toolkit. This toolkit can be used to assess and monitor an institution's progress with embedding EIS into learning processes. Finally, consideration must be given to integration of insights generated through different strands within the Framework.DOI:10.1080/0968776030110104