JOURNAL OF INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
ISSN 2231-8836
No
Content
Page
1
A Semantic Web-based Approach for Enhancing Oral History
Management Systems
Ahmad Zam Hariro Samsudin, Shah Jahan Miah & Michael McGrath
1-14
2
Strategic Management of Records and Risks for the Sustainability of Organizations
Azman Mat Isa, Raja Abdullah Yaacob & Nordiana Mohd Nordin
15-28
3
Knowledge Of Information Commodity-Based Business Towards
Income Generation Among Bumiputera Entrepreneurs
Nora’ayu Ahmad Uzir, Irni Eliana Khairuddin & Norliya Ahmad
Kassim
29-34
4
The Relationship of Sources of Knowledge and Knowledge Creation
Khalid Abdul Wahid, Mohd Nasir Ismail, Sawat Wanarat & Tipparat
Laohavichien
35-50
5
Internet Usage Behaviors among Young Teenagers
Noraizan Amran, Farrah Diana Saiful Bahry, Norizan Anwar and
Rosiah Abu Bakar
51-62
6
Evaluating Library Collections and Support Services for Distance
Learning Programme: A Study of e-PJJ Students Perceptions of
PTAR, UiTM, Malaysia
Halimatun Saadiah Roselley and Fuziah Mohd Nadzar
63-74
7
Information Seeking Behavior Among Undergraduate Students In
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia
Che Rusuli, M.S., Raja Abdullah Yaacob, and Norazlin, H.
75-90
8
Graduates’ Information Seeking Behavior
Maslinda Mohd Nadzir, Juhana Salim & Azizah Jaafar
91-104
9
The Functional Requirements for Trusted Electronic Records
Nurussobah Hussin, Rusnah Johare & Adnan Jamaludin
105-116
i
Journal of Information and Knowledge Management, Vol 3, No 1, 2013 : 91-104
GRADUATES’ INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOR
Maslinda Mohd Nadzir
School of Computing, UUM College of Arts and Sciences, Universiti Utara Malaysia,
06010 UUM Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia
e-mail: maszlin@gmail.com
Juhana Salim
Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600
Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
e-mail: js@ftsm.ukm.my
Azizah Jaafar
Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600
Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
e-mail: aj@ftsm.ukm.my
Abstract: Past studies on information seeking behaviour among students showed that
some students are weak in the process of searching for information. The problem should
be resolved as there are students who are not exposed to the knowledge of searching for
information. This study emphasizes on information seeking behaviour among graduate
students involved in research activities. This paper aims to identify graduates’ information
seeking behaviour. Based on past research, factors influencing information seeking
behaviour are graduate’s field of study, learning styles and information skills. Thus,
information seeking behaviour conceptual framework developed in this study consists
of the individual factors that influence information seeking behaviour which comprises
of information needs, selection of information sources, methods used to search for
information and the use of information. The findings of this study showed that majority of
graduate students’ prefer to search for their needed information in electronic environment.
Information seeking behaviour patterns among graduate students that has been identified,
can be used by system analysts to develop a system which can be used by students
in the processes of seeking for information to support their research. The improvement
on students’ information seeking behaviour will be able to help in building quality human
capital.
Keywords: Graduates, information seeking behavior, information needs, and information
sources.
INTRODUCTION
Graduate students are a group of active information seekers and are expected to
familiarize themselves with the Web and information sources available at the library in
order to find information relevant to their needs. In searching for information effectively and
efficiently, students’ understanding of their information needs and the variety of available
information sources is very important. Nevertheless, most students are not aware of the
various information sources available which can be used to find information (Shanahan 2007; Maizatul et al. 2008). Although Web is one of the preferred sources used to
obtain information, students often experience difficulties when searching for information
using the Web (Lee, 2008; Shenton, 2008).Previous studies concluded that the lack of
knowledge on information seeking behaviour is one of the factors that contributed to the
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Maslinda Mohd Nadzir, Juhana Salim, Azizah Jaafar
failure in finding relevant information (Sinnasamy 2006; Ajiboye and Tella 2007). As part
of the learning process, students should use multiple sources of information to obtain the
required information effectively. The approach involved in obtaining relevant information
should begin by identifying the needed information, selecting the appropriate information
sources and searching the required information by using appropriate search tools and
strategies. However, there are students who are not familiar with this approach which is
also known as information seeking behaviour. According to Harder et al. (2010) information
seeking behaviour is the behaviour of students during the process of collecting and using
the information they have accessed. Studies have shown that very often students have
difficulty in finding information to meet their information needs (Lee, 2008; Shenton, 2008).
Shanahan (2007) showed that some students are still weak in finding relevant information.
Sinnasamy (2006) and Ajiboye and Tella (2007) research on information seeking behaviour
found that students have a low level of knowledge on information seeking behaviour and
require more knowledge about the processes of finding information. During the process
of finding information on the Web, students will take a long time to find the information
needed if there is no guidance from more experienced individuals such as supervisors,
due to the lack of knowledge on information skills (Maizatul et al. 2008). Students need
the information skills knowledge to guide them in the process of finding information. Fister
(1992) found that those students who do not have basic information skills tend to use trial
and error in finding the information to carry out their research process.
Studies have shown that students are more comfortable using common information
sources that they are familiar even though the information sources do not contain relevant
information to fulfil a particular task (Kim & Sin, 2007).The problem should be overcome
and emphasis should be given on the study of information seeking behaviour in order to
assist students in finding information that matches their information needs and to support
their research (Long & Shrikhande, 2007). Nevertheless, Limberg and Sundin (2006)
pointed that limited number of research have been done on information seeking behaviour
among students who are users of information. Thus, research on factors influencing
information seeking behaviour and the selection of information sources is essential (Kim
& Sin, 2007). Previous studies on information skills behaviour of graduate students did
not encompass the aspects of information needs and sources and information search
process and use. Though there are several models on information seeking behaviour
of students, with the exception of Ellis Model, the models focused on information search
processes. Based on the statement of the problems and the recommendations made by
previous researchers, the study focusing on students’ information seeking behaviour is
important in order to identify the behavioural pattern in helping students find information
effectively to support their research. This study aims to identify and develop a framework
on the information seeking behaviour of graduates as it can be used as a guide in the
development and improvement of information systems and services which is consistent
with students’ information seeking behaviour.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The study on the behaviour of students and academics in higher institutions has become
the focus among Information Science and Library community since the last few decades.
In the mid-1980s, most user studies involved a more holistic approach (Pettigrew, Fidel &
Bruce, 2001). A study by Ellis (1989) focused on a small group to study the information
seeking behaviour. Ellis used semi-structured interviews to collect data and grounded theory
by Glaser and Strauss’s to analyse the data. Ellis study identified patterns of information
seeking behaviour among social scientists that includes six generic features, namely:
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Graduates’ Information Seeking Behavior
starting, chaining, browsing, differentiating, monitoring and extracting. Starting features
include searching activity at the initial stage, such as identify key information sources by
referring to a friend, doing a literature review and using index and abstracts. Chaining
refers to identify related information sources through citations and references. Browsing
involves identifying relevant journals in the field of study and reviewing the journals. At
differentiating stage, the acquired information is be compared, filtered and evaluated.
Then, the development of research in the field of study is being observed by monitoring
information sources such as journals, newspapers, books and conference articles.
Lastly, extracting stage will be conducted. Ellis’s studies gave an impact as she showed
the importance of identifying information seeking behaviour which has been influenced
by recent developments in information technology and identifying the implications of the
findings can help improve systems and services to support research processes.
Previous researchers have developed information search models which include information
search phases. Information search models were developed in various fields such as
medicine, education and business. One of the models is Information Search Process
model developed by Kuhlthau (1989). The model is based on learning theory and has been
used in various studies about learning processes and problem solving by students and
library users (Ingwersen & Jarvelin, 2005). Another model is known as Big 6 model which
was developed by Eisenberg and Berkowitz in 1990. This model can be used in situations
that require information in order to solve a decision making problem. The model consists
of six key skills, namely: the definition of task, strategies for seeking information, location
and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation. These skills aimed at enabling
students to use those skills in their learning process and specifically in completing tasks
and solving problems.
Juhana (1999) has proposed a model that integrates cognitive skills, thinking skills and
strategies in the process of research. This model is known as Integration of Cognitive
and Strategy in Information Skills Model. The model components are intended to support
individual in the process of finding relevant research information (Juhana, Junaidah
& Azizah, 2007). The components are cognitive skills, strategies and critical reading
incorporated in the research process. The consolidation of the components seeks to enable
students to obtain information that meets the requirements of their tasks when searching
for information.
While all the models addressed the importance of the information search process
specifically in identifying key information sources, there is a distinct difference between the
model by Ellis and the models by Kulthau as well as Eisenberg and Berkowitz. The former emphasized on patterns of information seeking behaviour incorporated in the research
process that are intended to support individual in the process of finding relevant research
information. Kulthau along with Eisenberg and Berkowitz models incorporate stages in
information skills in their learning process and specifically in completing tasks, solving
problems rather than behaviour in seeking information. Having the knowledge on the
behaviour of graduate students in seeking information is an advantage as the knowledge
will guide the students in the process of finding information in support of their research
processes. On the contrary, Fister (1992) found that those students who do not have
basic information skills tend to use trial and error in finding the information to carry out
their research process. Apart from developing model in information skills, other research
on information skills behaviour tend to focus on factors that are related to information
seeking behaviour amongst students which include: information needs and sources, field
of study and learning styles. A study conducted by Ucak and Kurbanoglu (1998) in Turkey
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Maslinda Mohd Nadzir, Juhana Salim, Azizah Jaafar
found an association between students’ information seeking behaviour with field of study.
Engineering students preferred journals as a source for information than students from
the field of Humanities who use books in order to obtain the required information (Ucak &
Kurbanoglu, 1998). Learning styles is also one of the factors influencing students’ information seeking
behaviour. Wood et al. (1996) are among the researchers who discovered the basic
relationship between learning styles with information seeking behaviour. Students with
different learning styles use different strategies for finding information (Wood et al., 1996;
Heinstrom, 2005). According to Heinstrom (2005), students with deep learning styles will
try to find the required information by using a variety of ways to get information. On the
contrary, students with surface learning styles put less effort in information search and are
easily satisfied with the information obtained.
There were studies that relate the use of information sources with information seeking
behaviour. The study conducted by Ajiboye and Tella (2007) showed that students at the
University of Botswana do not use many resources in the library. Based on their findings,
students have less knowledge about the source of information and face some difficulties
in using these resources. Wright et al. (2005) pointed out that research on students’
information seeking behaviour need to be undertaken in order to understand how students
acquire, manage and use information.
Given the lack of students’ knowledge about the behaviour needed in finding information
such as in the Ellis, Big 6 and Information Search Process models, and on the selection of
appropriate information sources, this study find the need to focus on graduates’ information
seeking behaviour. In the early stages of this study, a review of past research on information
seeking behaviour has been done to construct graduate information seeking behaviour
conceptual framework that supports research.
INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOUR
Information seeking behaviour among individuals occured whwn there is the need to find
information to overcome any information gap. According to Wilson (1981), each individual
must be concerned with their lack of knowledge and try to find information to meet their
information needs. Information seeking behaviour primarily covers individual information
needs, information search, selection and use of information suitable with the needs of the
individual (Williamson & Watson, 2007).
The process of searching for information comprises of several basic steps, such as
identify information needs, selecting sources of information, changing information needs
to concept, determine strategies for finding information and evaluating the selected
strategies (Large, Tedd & Hartley, 1999). These steps can be used as a guide for carrying
out information search processes more effectively. In the context of this study, graduates’
information seeking behaviour will be identified based on the graduate information seeking
behaviour conceptual framework developed in this study. Thus, it is important to identify the
information needs of graduates, information sources used to search information, method in
searching for information and how graduates use the acquired information.
In the academic setting, information need of graduate students basically refers to the
need to obtain the relevant information to support their studies specifically to support their
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Graduates’ Information Seeking Behavior
research processes. Thus, it is important to identify the information needs of searchers. If
not, the search will begin with no clear instructions, and relevant search results may also
be left out. Instead, irrelevant information will be collected. Past research showed that
graduates are not aware of what information is relevant and necessary (Shanahan, 2007).
The searching processes will be of minimal impact due to the unawareness of information
need. In relation to information needs, graduates’ information seeking behaviour includes
information source.
Information Needs and Information Source
Once information needs are identified, information sources that will be used, need to be
selected. Many guides and directories that are available either electronically or printed,
online databases, CD-ROMs and Internet resources can be used. It is important to select
sources relevant to the needs of the information.
There are a variety of information sources that have the potential to be used in helping
to create a task, plan, solve problems, and get new ideas for making dynamic changes,
especially toward the development of society. In order to retrieve information to meet
information needs, it is important to know generally where it came from and how it is
organized in the fields being searched. Students should be aware of various sources of
information available and the type or feature of its content. Sources of information can be
categorized into three types: primary sources, secondary and tertiary levels. In searching for
information, there are various tools or information sources that can be used as databases,
encyclopedia, CD-ROM, Internal Databases, Online Databases and the Internet. All these
information sources can provide satisfactory results if a person is really skilled in searching
and has a good search strategy. Based on the analysis of past research related to
information seeking behaviour, a conceptual framework on Information Seeking Behaviour
(ISB) is construsted as shown in Figure 1.0 in order to identify graduates’ information
seeking behaviour. The research objectives and research questions in this study were
also given consideration in constructing the conceptual framework. The ISB conceptual
framework is divided into three main sections and is explained in the following sections.
i.
Research process and problems in finding information
It is important for researchers to study and understand the processes involved in the
research. Before starting the process of identifying information, what should students
/ researchers think is the questions and associate it with the knowledge that is already
known. This research process is followed by identifying potential sources of information. In
identifying of relevant sources, students need to develop search strategies that enable
students to detect relevant information. There is a need to make a difference to the required
information skills regarding the use of electronic information resources from print information
resources. Before using the information that has been identified, students should analyse
the information which has been identified in advance. The process involved analysing
critical information so that the evaluation on the information received can help students
identify other aspects that need to be traced in order to answer questions they may have.
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Maslinda Mohd Nadzir, Juhana Salim, Azizah Jaafar
Research process
Information seeking behaviour
Problemsin
searching
information
Information needs
Individual factors
Field of study
Learningstyles
Information skill
Information search
processes
Information source
Information search
Information use
Figure 1.0 Information seeking behaviour conceptual framework
ii. Students’ individual factors
This section focuses on three individual factors that include field of study, learning styles
and information skills. This research focuses in finding the relationship between the
individual factors and the information seeking behaviour.
iii. Information seeking behaviour
This section focuses on identifying the information seeking behaviour of students involved in
research. Information seeking behaviour comprises of several aspects: information needs,
selection of information sources, methods use to search for information and the use of
information. All these aspects were identified in order to determine graduates’ information
seeking behaviour.
METHODOLOGY
The first part of this study used survey through online questionnaire as a method for data
collection. An instrument for the survey is a set of a questionnaire which was developed to
identify graduates’ information seeking behaviour. The entire construct developed for
the survey instrument were derived from the literature review and constructed by using
Lazarsfeld’s Scheme. The questionnaire has been validated in terms of content and face
validity. The sample for this study was drawn from the population of graduate students
enrolled at the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (FKAB) and Faculty of Information
Science and Technology (FTSM) at the National University of Malaysia (UKM). The sample
included doctoral and masters’ students. A total of 193 graduate students (87 doctoral
students; 106 masters’ students) responded to the online questionnaire, out of which 154
graduate students are involved in research when the survey was conducted.
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Graduates’ Information Seeking Behavior
The findings of the survey discussed in this paper covers the first part of the survey which
aims to identify graduates’ information seeking behaviour that comprises of information
needs, information source, information search and information use.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
a) Graduates information needs
The types of information needed by graduate students are identified based on analysis
of the feedback from the questionnaire. Therefore, the finding of the analysis is shown in
Table 1
Average
(n = 154)
Standard
deviation
Information related to past research in the field studied
4.12
.741
Information about how to do literature review
3.82
.925
Item
Information about writing a thesis
Information about methods of data analysis
Information about data collection
Information about academic writing
Information about how to prepare research proposal
Information about the sampling method
Information about how to identify research problems
Information to determine the objectives of study
Information about how to define research topic
Information about the source of information in the field of study
Information to form research hypothesis
3.94
3.72
3.66
3.29
.794
.987
.916
.935
3.28
1.013
3.14
.957
3.23
3.12
3.12
3.04
2.95
.987
.956
.963
.757
.975
Table 1 Type of information needed by graduate students
As shown in Table 1, the information considered most important by graduate students was
the type of information that received the highest average (4.12) which is “information related
to past research in the field studied”. The findings also showed that the type of information
that received high average which is above 3.5 and considered important by graduate
students when carrying out their research is information about: writing a thesis (3.94), how
to do literature review (3.82), methods of data analysis (3.72) and data collection (3.66).
In addition, the type of information considered important includes academic writing (3.29),
how to prepare research proposal (3.28), sampling method (3.23), how to define research
topic (3.12) and source of information in the field of study (3.04). On the other hand, the
type of information that received the lowest average and is considered less important by
graduate students is “information to formulate research hypothesis” (2.95).
The results of this study indicate that information on previous studies in the field of
research is very important and needs to be obtained by graduate students. By obtaining
the information, graduate students will have an idea of the trend of research in their field
of study that will enable them to differentiate their research contributions with previous
research. They will also be able to do a comprehensive literature review for their research.
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Maslinda Mohd Nadzir, Juhana Salim, Azizah Jaafar
The findings obtained supported the results found in previous studies done by George
et al. (2006) and later in the research by Chu and Law (2007, 2008) which showed that
information related to past research is the information needed by graduate students to
conduct their research in order for them to become expert in their specific research area.
Accordingly, they need to select appropriate information sources which will facilitate them
to obtain their needed information throughout their research processes.
b) Selection of information sources
The information sources used by graduate students are identified based on the level of
importance of information sources used when looking for research information. Table
2.0 shows that online databases have the highest average (4.01) among all of the items
displayed and preferred by majority of graduate students when seeking for research
information.
Summary of the findings in Table 2 showed that other important sources of information for
graduate students in order to find information are: Online Public Access Catalogue (3.99),
journals (3.97), supervisors (3.95), Web (3.94), theses (3.81), lecturers (3.64), e-books
(3.64), books (3.64), proceedings (3.61), other students (3.55), research reports (3.42),
printed reference materials (3.23) and librarians (3.01). Media materials are the source of
information has the lowest average (2.82) as compared to other sources of information.
This means that majority of graduate students seldom use the media materials facilities
provided by library.
Average
(n = 154)
Standard
deviation
Online Databases
4.01
.686
Journals
3.97
.800
Item
Online Public Access Catalogue (GEMILANG)
3.99
Supervisors
3.95
Web
3.94
Theses
3.81
Lecturers
3.64
e-books
3.64
Books
3.64
Proceedings
3.61
Other students
3.55
Research reports
Printed reference materials
Experts
CD-ROM
.809
.892
.869
.765
.965
.785
3.01
.997
1.028
.758
2.98
1.146
2.82
1.191
2.84
Media materials
.659
1.125
2.99
Government documents
.721
3.42
3.23
Librarians
.621
1.030
Table 2 Type of information sources used by graduate students
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Graduates’ Information Seeking Behavior
Similar to previous studies (Chang and Perng 2001; George et al. 2006; Maizatul et al.
2008), this research confirms that graduate students use various information sources to
search for information. Even though several information sources were used to search for
information, the results of this study indicate that graduate students prefer to use online
databases as the main source of information when searching for research information.
Graduate students prefer to use online databases because online databases are accessible
outside the university network through Internet and are easier to access. By accessing to
online databases, they are able to save time and able to search for information more
efficiently. The findings of this study differs from studies done by Chang and Perng (2001)
which found that less than 20% of graduate students at Tatung University in Taiwan used
online databases as their information sources. In addition, this finding also differs from
the findings of Maizatul et al. (2008) which indicate that online databases ranked third
among the information sources used for information searching. This is because some of
the databases do not provide efficient search facilities and lack of support for information
seeking process.
Other than online databases, Web is one of the top five information sources used by
graduate students to search for research information. This finding is consistent with George
et al. (2006) findings which reported that graduate students rely heavily on the Web as their
primary information sources for searching and obtaining information. In conclusion, the
results of this study indicate that graduate students are aware and prefer to use electronic
information sources mostly online databases, online public access catalogue and Web
when seeking for information throughout their research process.
c) Methods used by graduates to search for research information
The methods used by graduate students to obtain information were analysed based on
their responses to the questionnaire. The descriptive analysis of the findings is shown in
Table 3. The findings showed that most graduate students preferred to surf the Web to get
information for their research. In addition, majority of the graduate students prefer to obtain
information by using the following methods: electronic information sources (4.37), seeking
information on the Web using search engines (4.32), seeking assistance from supervisors
(4.13) and finding information on the Web using the directory (4.09). The findings of the
study also showed that there are other useful methods used by graduate students in order
to find research information.
The methods are: referred to printed information sources (3.57), visit the UKM library (3.55),
asked other students (3.52) and review books in the UKM library shelves (3.28). Methods
that are less used by graduate students in order to find information is the item that has the
lowest average which is “get help from librarians” (2.95). It shows that graduate students
seldom ask for help from the librarians when they are seeking for information in the library.
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Maslinda Mohd Nadzir, Juhana Salim, Azizah Jaafar
Average
(n = 154)
Standard
deviation
Surf the Web
4.45
.809
Search the Web for information using search engines
4.32
.883
Item
Used electronic information sources
Asked supervisors
Search the Web for information using subject directories
Referred to printed information sources
Visit the UKM library
Asked other students
4.37
4.13
Get help from librarians
.988
4.09
1.044
3.55
1.023
3.28
1.082
3.57
3.52
Review books in the UKM library shelves
.855
2.95
1.114
1.110
1.087
Table 3 Method used by graduate students to search for information
The findings of this study indicate that most graduate students find the information for
their research by using electronic information sources particularly through surfing the Web.
In line with the development of information technology, information is more accessible
by using electronic information sources compared to other sources of information. This
encourages graduate students to use electronic information sources when searching
for research information relevant to their needs. This findings support studies done by
Chang and Perng (2001) and George et al. (2006) which showed that most graduate
students search for information by surfing the Web because it is easy, fast and enable
them to acquire up to date information. However, the findings of this study is consistent with
Maizatul et al. (2008) findings which found that graduate students is highly dependent on
supervisors and use search engines to find information on the Web as the main strategies
to obtain information.
Summary of the findings revealed the most used information sources in seeking for
research information by graduate students is related to electronic environment. In fact, the
finding shows that most of the graduate students surf the Web as the main approach to
acquire information for their research. Graduate students also prefer to search for research
information by using electronic information sources, search engines and directories to find
information on the Web.
d) Use of information acquired
Table 4 shows that five items have an average above 4.00, three items had an average
in between 3.50 to 3.99 and one item had an average of less than 3.00. Descriptive
analysis of the findings on how graduate students use the acquired information shows
that item “evaluated information for use in research” has the highest average (4.32). In
addition, most graduate students indicated their agreement on several items which are
“analyzed information obtained to identify areas related to the research conducted” (4.29),
“synthesized for research purposes” (4.16), “used to produce new knowledge” (4.10),
“compiled accordingly” (4.05), “used to solve problems” (3.99), “used for decision making”
(3.97), and “used in knowledge sharing” (3.88).
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Graduates’ Information Seeking Behavior
Average
(n = 154)
Standard
deviation
Evaluated for use in research
4.32
.666
Synthesized for research purposes
4.16
.733
Item
Analyzed to identify areas related to the research conducted
Used to produce new knowledge
4.29
4.10
Compiled accordingly
4.05
Used to solve problems
3.99
Used for decision making
3.97
Used in knowledge sharing
3.88
Used to answer research questions
2.91
.674
.906
.765
.886
.878
.986
.717
Table 4 Graduates’ approach in using information
Summary of findings shows graduate students mostly agree that information obtained
will be evaluated for use in research. In addition, most graduate students agreed that
information obtained from the search were also analysed, synthesized, used to generate
new knowledge and compiled to be used for research. Two of the five ways graduate
students used the information acquired are consistent with the findings of Wright et al.
(2005) and Maizatul et al. (2008) which indicated that the information obtained from search
processes will be analysed and compiled by graduate students to use in their research.
On the other hand, graduate students also use the information obtained from search
process for problem solving, decision making and knowledge sharing with others. From
the findings, most of the graduate students least use the information obtained to answer
research questions related to their research.
CONCLUSION
In this study, information seeking behaviour comprises of identifying information needs,
determining the sources of information, finding the necessary information and using the
information obtained from the search process. During the information search processes,
some students have difficulty in acquiring information for their research. Based on the
literature review, some of the main problems are the lack of students’ knowledge on the
information required for conducting research and selection of appropriate information
sources in order to find information based on their research needs. Recognising the
importance to overcome the problems, this study focused on graduates’ information
seeking behaviour.
The findings of this study showed that information on past research in the field of study is
the most important information needed by graduate students during the duration of their
research. Majority of graduate students prefer to use online databases as their main source
of information. Coincidentally, most of graduate students prefer to search for information
in electronic environment by surfing the Web, using electronic sources and searching for
information through the Web using search engines and subject directories. Lastly, the
information acquired by graduate students during the search processes mostly will be
evaluated for research. The findings of the study indicated that the graduates’ information
seeking behaviour stressed on using electronic environment to seek the needed research
information.
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Maslinda Mohd Nadzir, Juhana Salim, Azizah Jaafar
The results of this study can be used by lecturers and librarians to help students find
information for assignments and learning activities, especially in the research process.
Information seeking behaviour patterns of graduate students that were identified based on
the findings can be used by system analysts to develop a system which can be used by
students in the process of seeking information whether for learning or research. Graduate
students have varying abilities and experience related to finding and using information
sources. An identification of the graduates’ information seeking behaviour can improve the
information skills program offered by the library to facilitate graduates’ information seeking
process to enable them in seeking research information more effectively. Improvement of
information seeking behaviour of students will be able to help in building quality human
capital.
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