Applicability of solitary model of information behavior in students’ collaborative learning assignments
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-10-2018-0108 |
| Published date | 11 March 2019 |
| Date | 11 March 2019 |
| Pages | 190-207 |
| Author | Faraja Ndumbaro,Stephen Mutula |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library & information services |
Applicability of solitary model of
information behavior in
students’collaborative
learning assignments
Faraja Ndumbaro
Department of Information Studies, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam,
United Republic of Tanzania, and
Stephen Mutula
Department of Information Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban,
South Africa
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to present results of a study which examined students’collaborative
information behavior (CIB) in comparison with behavioral patterns illustrated in Wilson’s (1996) model of
informationbehavior.
Design/methodology/approach –A total of six groups of undergraduatestudents; four from Sokoine
University of Agriculture(SUA) and two from Ardhi University (ARU) were purposively selected. Data were
collectedusing semi participant observation, critical incidentinterviews and focus group discussion methods.
Findings –Results indicate that students’CIB is mainly shaped by collaborative learning environment,
learning tasks objectivesand requirements. Despite its wider applicability in differentdomains and contexts,
Wilson’s (1996) model is partially appropriate in modeling students’group-based learning information
behavioralactivities. Person(s) in context and active and passive information seeking are aspectsof the model
which are observedto be relevant in students’CIB.
Practical implications –The study has implications on teaching and learning practices in higher
learninginstitutions.
Originality/value –The study provides new insights on how students exhibit different information
behavioralpatterns during collaborative learning. The studyfills a gap on how solitary models of information
behaviorcan be used to model students’informationbehavior in team-based learning.
Keywords Undergraduate students, Group learning, Collaborative learning,
Collaborative information behaviour, Models of information behaviour
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
While the history of collaborative learning (CL) is dated back to over 200 years (Gaillet,
1994), in higher learning institutions, CL has been used as an educational approach to
learning and teaching for over 40 years (Barker,2015). CL stemmed from the need to address
challenges brought by increased students’enrolment (Gaillet, 1994), promoting students’
critical thinking and enabling acquisition of higher level of thought (Nelson, 1994;Godat,
2012). CL provides students with opportunities to engage in social learning and social
construction of knowledge through active interactions and dialogic conversations
(Ndumbaro, 2016). Dependingon learners’degree of interactions, different concepts are used
ILS
120,3/4
190
Received20 October 2018
Revised24 January 2019
Accepted3 February 2019
Informationand Learning
Sciences
Vol.120 No. 3/4, 2019
pp. 190-207
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-10-2018-0108
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2398-5348.htm
to describe this learning approach. These include group learning, social learning,
cooperative learning,team-based learning and peer-learning (Davidson and Major, 2014).
Different degree programs in Tanzanian public universities require their students to
engage in group-based credit-earning assignments as partial fulfillments of their degrees.
Students’involvements in group learning provide suitable context for studying
collaborative information behavior (CIB) in education domain, particularly how solitary
models of information behavior can be used to model students’CIB. Within the same vein,
Vakkari (2003) underlines the importance of framing studies of students’information
behavior within the contextof learning assignments.
Research in Library and Information Science has developed substantial number of
solitary models of informationbehavior. Some of these models include Wilson’s (1981,1999,
1996) models of information behavior (IB), Nied
zwiedzka’s (2003) model of IB, Ellis’(1989)
model of information seeking process (ISP)and Kuhlthau’s (1991) ISP model. One of the key
common assumptions of these models is that IB is a set of activities taking place when an
individual interacts with information systems or information sources to satisfy his or her
information need (Saleh, 2012). Solitary models of IB portray information user as a lonely
individual seeking information to meet cognitive, physiological or affective information
needs.
While considerable attention has been paid to develop conceptual models of IB,
applicability of these models in group-based learning settings has not been extensively
tested. Few studies have examined the suitability of solitarymodels during students’group
learning (Hyldegård, 2006a;Saleh, 2012;Shah and González-Ibáñez, 2010;Kim and Lee,
2012;Kubmann, et al., 2013) focusing on information seeking and information searching
processes. This study examined students’CIB including shared information needs,
collaborative information seeking (CIS), information sharing, collaborative information
evaluation and use. The aim is to examine how different contextual factors influence
students’CIB and how applicable is Wilson (1996) model of IB in modeling students’CIB.
The study was guided by the following researchquestions:
RQ1. What are students’CIBsin the context of group-based learning?
RQ2. How do students’CIBs illustrate the behavioral patterns described in Wilson’s
(1996) model of IB?
Conceptual framework
This study draws its conceptual framework from Wilson’s (1996) model of IB. Wilson’s
(1996) model is a general and interdisciplinarymodel of IB. The model describes information
user and context of informationneeds are central to the understanding of IB. The reasons for
using Wilson’s (1996) model are twofold:First, the model is comprehensive, as it consists of
different components of information behavioral activities. Such broader view of IB is in
conformity with the focus of this study which focused on different aspects of students CIB.
Second, the model has been used as a frameworkof analysis in other several related studies
(Hyldegård, 2006a;Nied
zwiedzka, 2003).
Builds upon the foundation of Wilson’(1981), Wilson’s (1996) pictures the cycle of
information activities from the rise of information need to the phase where information is
being used (Nied
zwiedzka, 2003). Wilson’s (1996) model views context of IB as a
“constructed meaning”understoodfrom information user or person-in-contextpoint of view.
The model describes person-in-context as a solitude situation in which individual
experiences a gap between situation and information use (Wilson and Walsh, 1997). The
Applicability
of solitary
model
191
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