scholarly journals Information seeking abroad: an everyday-life study of international students

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1298-1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morten Hertzum ◽  
Jette Seiden Hyldegård
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Life Study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how four international students at a Danish university cope with their study-related and everyday information needs, behaviorally as well as affectively, and how their information seeking blends with their cross-cultural adaptation. Design/methodology/approach Each of the four participants contributed ten diaries and took part in three interviews during the first semester of their stay. Findings International students’ information needs and seeking behavior are shaped by their host university but also by cross-cultural, personal and situational issues. While the cross-cultural issues set international students apart from domestic students, the personal and situational issues create individual differences that call for more individually tailored support. The studied international students lacked information about both study-related and everyday issues. These two types of issues were intertwined and experienced as equally stressful. However, study-related information needs were more important, whereas everyday information needs were more difficult to resolve. In addition, participants tended to feel on their own when it came to finding needed information, but studying abroad also had elements of personal growth in meeting life’s challenges. Research limitations/implications More participants are needed to investigate how international students’ information seeking evolves over time. Originality/value This study contributes detailed information about international students’ study-related and everyday information seeking during their first semester abroad. The study has implications for everyday-life studies of international students’ information behavior and the international classroom in general.

International Students’ Information Needs and Seeking Behaviours throughout the Settlement Stages

Libri ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
JungWon Yoon ◽  
EunKyung Chung
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
International Students ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Academic Goals ◽  
Interview Survey ◽  
Students Success

AbstractFor international students who need to settle down to new environments, the information they use in their everyday life plays an important role. This study is aimed at understanding international students’ information needs and information-seeking behaviours within their campus and everyday life, throughout the settlement stages. An interview survey, which asked about international students’ information behaviours for critical incidents during three settlement stages, was conducted. At the pre-arrival and settlement stages, most of the international students’ information needs were related to their daily rather than their academic or campus life, and people (relatives/friends) in the United States and the Internet were their main sources of information. As they began to settle down, their information needs and sources of information became diverse; social media use was especially noticeable after they settled down. At the pre-arrival stage, their information needs were broad, and their satisfaction with Internet search experiences was relatively low. However, as they settled down in the United States, their information needs became specific, and they felt more confident with search experiences. In order to support international students’ success in meeting academic goals, it seems that it is necessary to provide them with everyday life information that could help them settle down and adjust to a new country.

Mapping the everyday life information needs of Catholic clergy

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 549-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Dankasa
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Catholic Clergy ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Everyday Life Information Seeking ◽  
Model Apply

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the pattern of everyday life information needs of a group of people in an area with limited access to information, and to investigate how the major dimensions of the everyday life information seeking (ELIS) model apply to information needs in the contexts of the Catholic clergy. Design/methodology/approach – The study applied the concurrent triangulation strategy of mixed-methods research. Data from 15 episodic interviews and surveys of 109 Catholic clergy in Northern Nigeria were collected and analyzed. Findings – A map of the everyday life information needs was developed. Three types of everyday life information needs were identified: essential needs; circumstantial needs; and occasional needs. The information needs of these clergy did not fit into the two major dimensions of Savolainen’s ELIS model. Research limitations/implications – The study was conducted only with Catholic clergy serving in the Northern Catholic dioceses of Nigeria. Originality/value – Although the ELIS model has been applied in several studies, not much attention has been given to comparing how the major dimensions of the model apply to information needs of a group of people in a variety of contexts. This study contributes to the ELIS model by pointing to other contextual situations where seeking orienting and practical information may not be sufficient to account for the everyday life information needs of some types of users.

Role of social media in information-seeking behaviour of international students

2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 643-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suraya Hamid ◽  
Sarah Bukhari ◽  
Sri Devi Ravana ◽  
Azah Anir Norman ◽  
Mohamad Taha Ijab
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
International Students ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviour ◽  
The Social ◽  
Future Direction ◽  
Source Of Information

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the information-seeking behaviour of international students in terms of their information needs and to highlight the role of social media. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, a systematic literature survey was conducted in order to investigate information-seeking trends among international students while using social media. As a result, an exhaustive systematic literature review (SLR) was carried out in order to investigate social media as a source for the observation of the behaviours of international students. For this purpose, 71 articles were selected from various well-known sources after an intensive SLR process of searching, filtering and enforcing the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Findings As an outcome of this study, the information-seeking behaviour of international students was highlighted with respect to social media as a source of information. In addition, this research identifies the information needs of the international students and categorizes them by the roles played by the social media in fulfilling the information needs. Practical implications A comparative study that highlighted the dearth of studies which merge the social media and information-seeking behaviour of international students as well as identify the future direction for the researchers and for benefits of international students. Originality/value A detail SLR which highlights the need of shifting the information seeking behaviour from libraries to social media in regard to the new environment for international students.

scholarly journals The everyday life information seeking behaviours of first-time mothers

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Loudon ◽  
Steven Buchanan ◽  
Ian Ruthven
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
First Time Mothers ◽  
Everyday Life Information Seeking ◽  
First Time

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the everyday life information seeking behaviours of first-time mothers, as they encounter new, significant and pressing information needs which arise alongside their new responsibilities. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach combined narrative interviews with participatory methods to facilitate engagement and remain sensitive to the social context. Findings – Mothers particularly valued the experiential nature of information received from peers or family members. However, fear of judgement influenced their use of interpersonal sources, both on- and off-line. Their accounts of information seeking contained instances of confusion, tension, conflict and information overload. Feeling under pressure to be “good mothers”, they withheld information needs from others, including healthcare professionals. Research limitations/implications – There was a notable absence of younger ( < 20 year old) and/or less educated mothers in the study. This corresponds to previous findings which report that very young mothers are reluctant to participate in support groups with older mothers. They remain an understudied and potentially marginalised group. Practical implications – The findings show how social support groups can mitigate for societal pressures which impact upon mothers’ information behaviour, allowing them to connect and share information within a trusted environment. The study highlights the importance of healthcare and information services professionals remaining sensitive to such pressures. Relatedly, the finding that public libraries are used very little has implications for audience engagement and service provision. Originality/value – Focused upon first-time mothers’ information behaviours during the early stages of parenthood, the study provides insight into how relationships and experiences with others influence information seeking behaviours. It provides evidence that fear of judgement can influence information seeking behaviour, helping us to understand why some information sources, although considered important and useful, can be used very little.

scholarly journals User-driven efforts in creating knowledge graph information system

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-111
Author(s):  
Stanislava Gardasevic
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Resource Discovery ◽  
The Body ◽  
Knowledge Graph ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper presents the results of a qualitative study that involved students of an interdisciplinary PhD program. The study objective was to gather requirements to create a knowledge graph information system. The purpose of this study was to determine information-seeking practices and information needs of this community, to inform the functionalities of a proposed system, intended to help students with relevant resource discovery and decision-making. Design/methodology/approach The study design included semi-structured interviews with eight members of the community, followed by a website usability study with the same student participants. Findings Two main information-seeking styles are recognized and reported through user personas of international and domestic (USA) students. The findings show that the useful information resides within the community and not so much on the program website. Students rely on peer communication, although they report lack of opportunities to connect. Students’ information needs and information seeking are dependent on their progress through the program, as well as their motivation and the projected timeline. Practical implications Considering the current information needs and practices, a knowledge graph hosting both information on social networks and the knowledge produced by the activities of the community members would be useful. By recording data on their activities (for example, collaboration with professors and coursework), students would reveal further useful system functionalities and facilitate transfer of tacit knowledge. Originality/value Aside from the practical value of this research that is directly influencing the design of a system, it contributes to the body of knowledge on interdisciplinary PhD programs.

Information experiences of Bangladeshi immigrants in Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nafiz Zaman Shuva
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Behaviour ◽  
Community People

PurposeStudies on the information behaviour of immigrants including refugees across the globe show a significant dependency of immigrants on their informal networks for meeting various settlement and everyday life information needs. Although there are quite a few studies in LIS that globally report the dependency of immigrants on their personal networks, very little is known about their experiences with their informal personal networks in the contexts of their settlement in informational terms. This paper explores the information experiences of Bangladeshi immigrants in Canada consulting informal networks including broader Bangladeshi community people in pre- and post-arrival contexts.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a mixed-method approach including semi-structured interviews (n = 60) and surveys (n = 205) with Bangladeshi immigrants who arrived in Canada between the years of 1971 and 2017. Interview data were analysed thematically, and descriptive statistics are used to describe the survey data relevant to this study.FindingsAlthough the overall scope of the original study is much larger, this paper features findings on the information experience derived from an analysis of the interview data with some relevant references to the survey data when deemed appropriate. This paper provides insights into the information experiences of Bangladeshi immigrants within their personal networks, including friends, family and ethnic community people. The findings of this study show that participants sometimes received discouraging, unhelpful or wrong information from their personal networks. The multiple dimensions of the information experiences of the study participants show the many consequences for their settlement lives. For some participants, settlement was particularly impacted by the concept of “information sharing fear” that emerged from the interviews. Information sharing fear relates to concerns that sharing information about the challenges faced by newcomers could be considered by potential immigrants as a kind of active “discouragement”. Participants described being sensitive to charges of envy or jealousy when they shared information related to challenges newcomers face, as friends and family see them as trying to prevent competition for social status.Originality/valueThe findings related to the information experiences of immigrants consulting informal networks has potential implications for research in various discipline such as LIS, migrational studies and psychology that explore the benefits of social networks in newcomers' settlement. The study also sets a ground to take a more holistic approach to the information experiences of newcomers, not just naming the sources newcomers utilize in settlement and everyday life contexts. The study also provides some future directions to comprehensively understand the culturally situated information behaviour of various immigrant groups.

“I'm afraid”: the cultural challenges in conducting ethnographic fieldwork and interviews in Myanmar

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvin Hoi-Chun Hung ◽  
Aung Myo Min
Keyword(s):  
Power Distance ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Social Convention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Challenges ◽  
Ethnographic Fieldwork ◽  
Fieldwork Experience ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Perceived Power

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the cultural issues and difficulties encountered when conducting ethnographic fieldwork and interviews in Myanmar and to discuss the measures to overcome such challenges. It aims to provide insight for foreign researchers seeking to collect rich, meaningful and reliable data while establishing fruitful relationship with Burmese participants.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on results from a research on cross-cultural dispute resolution in a Chinese-invested enterprise in Myanmar. The authors reflect on their fieldwork experience to present examples of cultural challenges, as well as the strategies used to deal with those challenges.FindingsThis paper finds that when conducting ethnographic fieldwork and interviews in Myanmar, researchers should take into consideration “anade” – an important Burmese social convention, perceived power distance between researchers and Burmese participants, roles of cross-cultural interpreters and possibility of cultural stereotypes, especially in a multicultural site. Measures need to be taken to adjust fieldwork arrangement and interview style, reduce perceived power distance and address the impact of prevalent stereotypes. Furthermore, researchers should properly conduct training and discussion sessions with Burmese interpreters to ensure they provide accurate yet culturally informed interpretation.Originality/valueThe cultural challenges in conducting ethnographic fieldwork and interviews in Myanmar remain under-explored. This paper addresses the knowledge gap and discusses various Myanmar-specific cultural issues that await researchers.

The effect of socio-demographic characteristics on the information-seeking behaviors of police officers

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 350-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Idris Guclu ◽  
Ali Can
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the information-seeking behaviors of police officers who work in police stations in the context of staying current. Leckie et al.’s (1996) model of the information-seeking behavior of professionals is tested. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative research design was employed for data collection. The sample includes 642 cases. It is both descriptive and exploratory. Findings – Police officers first rely upon their personal knowledge and experience, then their colleagues and then official documents. On the other hand, they rarely consulted informants, libraries, journals, books, and attendance at conferences as information sources. There were significant differences in the information sources used by police officers based on their gender in the context of staying current. Lastly, the results of this study indicated that service years in policing and the roles in police station were significantly correlated with the information sources used by police officers regarding staying current. Originality/value – This study, being the first, provides a huge theoretical base for future studies. It contributes to the discipline of information science by validating a theoretical model in a different context. In addition, it contributes to public safety by understanding the frontline police officers’ information needs and information-seeking behavior.

scholarly journals Cultural adaptation in cross-national buyer-seller relationships

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 837-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gøril Voldnes ◽  
Kjell Grønhaug
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Cultural Sensitivity ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Business Relationships ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Business Managers ◽  
Global Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Market

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how buyers and sellers in cross-cultural business relationships manage cultural differences to ensure functional, successful business relationships. Failure to consider specific cultural issues may lead to the failure of business ventures crossing national borders. To succeed in today’s global business market, it is critically important to understand and manage cultural differences. Adapting to each other’s cultures is one way of managing cultural differences between business actors. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative, explorative approach examining both sides of the exchange dyad was adopted to obtain insight into adaptation as perceived by both buyer and seller. Findings – The results of this study indicate that mainly Norwegian sellers adapt to the Russian culture and way of conducting business. This is explained by power asymmetry between partners, as well as cultural barriers and lack of cultural sensitivity from the Norwegian partners. Still, the business relationships function well. Practical implications – Knowledge of and applying strategies for managing cultural differences should be helpful for business managers engaged or planning to engage in business ventures with Russia and Norway – especially those doing so for the first time. Originality/value – The study provides new and important information about West-East business relationships and how to manage cultural differences in cross-cultural business relationships. The study shows that business relationships can function well in spite of the absence of some factors previously found to have detrimental effects on these relationships. In addition, the study investigates both sides of the buyer-seller dyad, which is a limitation in previous studies of adaptation.

How college students use the Web to conduct everyday life research

First Monday ◽  
2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison J Head ◽  
Michael B. Eisenberg
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
College Campuses ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Everyday Life Information Seeking ◽  
Almost All

This paper reports on college students’ everyday life information-seeking behavior and is based on findings from 8,353 survey respondents on 25 U.S. college campuses. A large majority of respondents had looked for news and, to a slightly lesser extent, decision-making information about purchases and health and wellness within the previous six months. Almost all the respondents used search engines, though students planning to purchase something were more likely to use search engines, and those looking for spiritual information were least likely to use search engines. Despite the widespread use of search engines, the process of filtering relevant from non-relevant search results was reportedly the most difficult part of everyday life research. As a whole, these students used a hybrid information-seeking strategy for meeting their everyday life information needs, turning to search engines and Wikipedia almost as much as they did to friends and family. A preliminary theory is introduced that describes the relationship between students’ evaluation practices and their risk-associated searches.

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