Developing scales for information‐seeking behaviour
| Pages | 46-69 |
| Published date | 19 January 2010 |
| Date | 19 January 2010 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/00220411011016362 |
| Author | Caroline F. Timmers,Cees A.W. Glas |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Developing scales for
information-seeking behaviour
Caroline F. Timmers
Institute of Marketing & International Management,
Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Enschede, The Netherlands, and
Cees A.W. Glas
Department of Research Methodology, Measurement and Data Analysis,
Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, University of Twente, Enschede,
The Netherlands
Abstract
Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to describe the development of an instrument designed
to measure information-seeking behaviour of undergraduate students during study assignments.
Design/methodology/approach – Literature research, internal consistency and reliability
computed with Cronbach’s Alpha (
a
), Factor Analyses with Varimax rotation, and item response
theory form the approach to examining the subject.
Findings – Four scales were found within a 46-item survey on information-seeking behaviour: a
ten-item scale for applying search strategies (
a
¼0.68), a 14-item scale for evaluating information
(
a
¼0.74), a six-item scale for referring to information (
a
¼0.81) and a 12-item scale for regulation
activities when seeking information (
a
¼0.75).
Originality/value – The four scales for information-seeking behaviour can be used to monitor and
evaluate this behaviour of students in higher education.
Keywords Information,Literacy, Information research, Highereducation, The Netherlands
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Students in higher education are expected to be information literate. However, many
students seem to rely on one-keyword searches to find the answers to all their
questions at the top of the search result pages, using Google as an oracle of modern
times. Various studies and reports stress the importance of information literacy as a
key for success in information societies and indicate the consequences of a lack of
information literacy (ALA, 1989; AWT, 2005; Drucker, 1993; Van Deursen and Van
Dijk, 2008).
This study focuses on an aspect of information literacy, that is, information-seeking
behaviour. Little is known about information-seeking behaviour of Dutch undergraduates.
To determine the need for support of Dutch undergraduates in acquiring desired
information-seeking behaviour it is necessary to be informed about both current
undergraduate behaviour and desired undergraduate behaviour. This research aims to
develop a reliable and valid measurement instrument to study information-seeking
behaviour of undergraduates. The instrument should be cost-efficient and usable for
undergraduates with a wide variety of backgrounds. Data collected with the instrument
can be used to decide whether learning support is necessary and if so, which support is
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0022-0418.htm
JDOC
66,1
46
Received 22 December 2008
Revised 29 May 2009
Accepted 30 May 2009
Journal of Documentation
Vol. 66 No. 1, 2010
pp. 46-69
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0022-0418
DOI 10.1108/00220411011016362
needed. The instrument might also be used to monitor student progress over time and to
investigate the effects of interventions.
The next paragraph describes the conceptual framework of this study.
Subsequently, findings of previous research on information-seeking behaviour of
undergraduates are described, followed by the research methods used to develop and
evaluate the measurement instrument. The paper concludes with a summary of the
findings and a discussion section.
Information literacy
Information literacy is a broad and multidimensional concept. This literacy is based on
a wide variety of knowledge, skills and actual behaviour relating, among others,
localisation, evaluation and effective use of information. Furthermore, information
literacy encompasses personal, social and ethical dimensions of interacting with
information (Boon et al., 2007).
Information literacy is a concept for which there is no satisfactory translation in
Dutch. Instead a term that translates to information skills is mostly used. The term
information problem solving skills is used in more recent Dutch research
(Brand-Gruwel et al., 2005). The term information skills is used to refer to different
sets of skills. These can be summarized by the following three conceptualizations
(Boekhorst, 2003). The ICT conceptualization refers to skills needed to use ICT to
retrieve and disseminate information. These skills are called operational and formal
skills by Van Deursen and Van Dijk (2008). The information (re)sources
conceptualization refers to skills needed to find and use information independently
or with the aid of intermediaries. The information process conceptualization refers to
the process of recognizing the need for information, retrieving, evaluating and using
information to acquire or extend knowledge. Initially the term information skills was
mostly used to refer to the ICT skills. Accordingly, the focus of policy makers was on
providing citizens access to computers and the internet. Van Deursen and Van Dijk
(2008) have tested operational, formal and information skills of 109 subjects by giving
them several assignments. They found that the “digital generation” (age 18-29)
performed significantly better on the operational and formal skills assignments than
older age groups. However, this was not the case for the information skills
assignments. They also found that information skills did not grow with years of
internet experience and amount of time spent online weekly. This leads to the
assumption that being on and connected to the internet does not guarantee the
development of information skills. These findings support the shift in focus of policy
makers towards the information process concept. This concept is the most
comprehensive as it includes both ICT and the information (re)sources concept. The
three concepts mentioned above correspond with five out of the seven faces of
information literacy described by Bruce (1997). The explanation of the information
process conception given by Boekhorst (2003) also corresponds with the knowledge
construction and the knowledge extension conceptions, due to the addition of using
information “to acquire or extend knowledge”. The information process conception and
the wisdom conception were not addressed.
Several frameworks have been developed that describe information literacy within
the context of higher education. Boon et al. (2007) compared three frameworks
developed by the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL,
Information-
seeking
behaviour
47
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