This user study is based on empirical data collected from an online survey conducted between April 7 and May 28, 2005 at Virginia Tech. The goal of this comparative study is to investigate how graduate students from diverse ethnic groups discover, select, and use various information sources, and to obtain insights into international graduate students’ information seeking behavior, especially its similarities and differences compared with the information locating patterns used by their American peers.
A literature review revealed a ten year gap in similar studies of information seeking behavior of international graduate students. Comparison studies of the differences between American and international graduate students had not previously been done.
• A web-based anonymous survey was published on Survey Monkey from April
7 to May 28, 2005.
• Cover letter and the survey link was sent to graduate students via their listserv.
• Survey questionnaire consisted of 4 sections:
1.
Section I was structured to elicit demographic information about the study group.
2. Section II sought to investigate general information about searching patterns.
3. Section III focused on library activities.
4. Section IV is an open-ended question for final comments.
The authors employed statistical hypothesis testing techniques to study the following three areas:
1.
Compare the information needs and information seeking behavior of international graduate students compared with American graduate students
2.
Investigate the relationship between English language proficiency of international graduate students and their information seeking behavior
3. Investigate the relationship between length of stay in the United States of international graduate students and their information seeking behavior
New Library Services
Listening
Reading
16
9
English Proficiency
Poor/Fair Good Very Goo d/Excellent
18.8%
10.6%
24
Writing 21 24.7% 26 which have been increasing steadily for the past 10 years.
21
28.2% confidence in their English skills. This corresponds with evidence from TOEFL scores,
30.6%
24.7%
45
38
55
48.2%
52.9%
44.7%
64.7%
The data indicates that graduate students whose primary language isn’t English, have strong confidence in their English skills. This correlates with TOEFL scores which have been rising for the past 10 years.
International Freq.
%
American Freq.
%
Initial Information Channels
Classm ates
/Professors
/Librarians
9
9.90% reference textbooks/ resources lecture notes
2
2.20%
7
Addison Catalog VT E-resources Internet
12 15 45
Other
1
7.70% 13.20% 16.50% 49.50% 1.10%
22
9.80%
10
4.50%
11
4.90%
20
8.90%
91
40.60%
65 5
29% 2.20%
Almost half of international respondents said they initiated searching from the Internet, while American respondents tended to search VT E-resources first
International
American
Search Addison Catalog
Never/Seldom
Freq. %
6 6.6%
Occasionally
Freq.
10
%
11%
28 12.5% 59 26.3%
Often/Very often
Freq. %
75 82.4%
137 61.2%
International
American
Visit University Libraries from Jan.-April, 2005
Never/Seldom
Freq. %
7
66
7.7%
29.5%
Occasionally
Freq.
23
73
%
25.3%
32.6%
Often/Very often
Freq. %
61
85
67%
37.9%
International students use library services, both in online and physical visits, more than their American counterparts.
Library Services
Interlibrary Loan
Microfiches, Microfilms
Online(Addison) Catalog
Online Database Literature Search
Open Stacks
Reference Counseling (in person)
Reference Counseling (online)
Reference Workshop/Orientation
Self-service Copy Machine
International
(New to me)
87.9%
71.4%
46.2%
59.3%
26.4%
44.6%
46.2%
52.7%
44%
American
(New to me)
45.5%
18.3%
16.5%
34.8%
12.5%
24.2%
16.5%
23.7%
5.8%
Chi-Square
47.635
81.799
30.248
15.980
9.037
11.423
30.248
25.133
47.635 p value p<0.001 p<0.001 p<0.001 p<0.001 p<0.003 p<0.001 p<0.001 p<0.001 p<0.001
Significantly more international respondents felt new to all these library services than their
American peers, which indicates that a quite large academic library service gap exists between the United States and other countries
Differences in Frequency of Library Activities
Library Activities
Search academic related resources
Study/Do research (using library resources)
Study/Do research (using my own resources)
Use the reserve service
Group study/project
Meet friends
International
(often/very often)
74.7%
70.3%
48.4%
22%
9.9%
8.8%
American
(often/ver y often)
47.8%
40.6%
24.6%
8%
2.2%
0.9%
Chisquare
19.063
24.794
22.878
17.469
10.078
27.941 p value p<0.001 p<0.001 p<0.001 p<0.001 p<0.006 p<0.001
International respondents use university libraries much more often than American respondents. Unlike many American students, many international respondents not only use library for study and research, but also as a social gathering place.
How Useful is Library in Your Information Seeking process
Freq. % Freq. % Freq . %
3 3.3% 10 11.0%
13 5.8% 55 24.6% 156 69.6%
International and American respondents have similar answers for most general evaluation questions on survey, but international respondents value the use of the library in their information seeking process more highly .
4.28
• Impact of language/culture communication barriers and technology barriers on international students’ access to library information has decreased as English proficiency for international graduate students has increased.
• A gap exists in university library services between American and foreign libraries. International graduate students have had less library instruction than their American peers. Perhaps instruction at the graduate level would be helpful.
• Library electronic resources and Internet searching are the top starting point for information seeking for both groups of graduate students.
• International graduate students use the library much more actively and often than their American peers.
• There are differences in the way international and American graduate students begin searching for library resources. VT international graduate students preferred a Internet search engines, while American VT graduate students start with VT Eresources.
Bender, D.J., E.M Bayne, and R.M. Brigham. 1996. Lunar condition
[1] Institute of International Education, “Interest in International Education Exchange Remains
Strong in the Aftermath of September 11th according to IIE survey,” Institute of International
Education, 2002.
[1] Open Doors, “Open Doors 2004: International Students in the U.S.,” Open Doors, 2004 .
[1] Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, “University Enrollment Profile 2005”
[1] Sara Baron and Alexia Strout-Dapaz, “Communicating with and empowering international students with a library skills set,” Reference Services Review 29, no. 4 (2001): 314-326
This research was funded by a grant from the Virginia Tech University Libraries
Travel and Research Committee. The authors wish to acknowledge assistance from graduate school officials: Monika Gibson, Ruth Athanson, and Sherri Turner, and to express appreciation to the following Virginia Tech librarians: Paul Metz, Althea
Aschmann, Margaret Merrill, Dave Beagle, Vicki Kok, Bruce Obenhaus, Michelle
Young, Luke Vilelle, and Professor of Information Science at University of
Missouri, Columbia: John Budd
Liao, Y., Finn, M., and Lu, J. (2005). Behavior of international graduate students vs. American graduate students: A user study at Virginia Tech 2005. College and
Research Libraries, 68(1), 5-25