Bridging Gaps in College Students’ Source Perception and Use

Kim, Kyung-Sun (김경선); EunYoung Yoo-Lee (유이은영); Nahyun Kwon (권나현)

doi:10.3743/KOSIM.2013.30.3.007

Bridging Gaps in College Students’ Source Perception and Use

Journal of the Korean Society for Information Management
Abbr : JKOSIM
2013, 30(3), pp.7~21
DOI : 10.3743/KOSIM.2013.30.3.007
Publisher : 한국정보관리학회
Research Area : Interdisciplinary Studies > Library and Information Science
Received : May 20, 2013
Accepted : September 6, 2013
Published : September 30, 2013

Kim, Kyung-Sun ¹, EunYoung Yoo-Lee ², Nahyun Kwon ³

¹University of Wisconsin - Madison
²North Carolina Central University
³명지대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The study examines two aspects that relate to undergraduates’ selection and use of information sources for their academic assignments: (1) sources perceived useful vs. sources frequently used, and (2) source characteristics considered important as selection criteria vs. selection criteria used as reflected in characteristics of frequently used sources. A survey of 251 undergraduate students attempted to address the gaps between what students think they should do and what they actually do with regard to source selection. Characteristics of frequently used sources were analyzed to find out the criteria used for source selection. Friends/family were among the frequently used sources although they were not perceived as useful. Unlike other sources suffering gaps between the perceived usefulness and the use behavior, Web sources were the ones not only perceived most useful but also used most frequently. When the important selection criteria were compared with the characteristic of sources used often, students did not seem to actually use the selection criteria they thought important. While students considered some characteristics related to information quality (e.g., accuracy, comprehensiveness) as important criteria for source selection, the actual criteria they applied for choosing information sources could be described as ‘convenient’ or ‘accessible’ (e.g., efficient/time saving, easy to use, familiar, accessible). Based on the findings, suggestions were made to help bridge such gaps through information literacy programs and information systems design.

KEYWORDS

information use, source selection, college students, information literacy, selection criteria, source perception

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

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Journal of the Korean Society for Information Management 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.31

Bridging Gaps in College Students’ Source Perception and Use

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Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

Journal of the Korean Society for Information Management 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.31

Bridging Gaps in College Students’ Source Perception and Use

ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS

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