International students information seeking

This research is related to analyse that for new international students, what types of information they are most concerned about and what kinds of information sources they use frequently to get things they want. Additionally, by the time they stay at the host country, after international students adjust the new environment more and more, what changes will happen with their behaviour of searching information.

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Some abbreviations will be mentioned in the next content:

• ELIS – Everyday life information seeking
• LIB – Local information behaviour
• Time 1 – first year in the host country
• Time 2 – second year in the host country

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As international students, the list of most common requirements for those who are newcomers in a host country:

1. Housing
2. Groceries
3. Retail stores
4. Banks
5. Local geography
6. Public transportation
7. Navigating direction To develop their general living adjustment to new environments

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More specifically, referring to Chi Young Oh & Brian S. Butler’s research about International newcomer students’ needs, which include various types of local information and their information seeking behaviours during adjustment to new environments. These could be summarized below:

Type of information for seeking:

• Housing
• Grocery store
• Retail store
• Café/Restaurant
• Health related
• School related
• Banks/ATMs
• Transportation
• Routes/Streets
• Leisure/exercise
• Entertainment
• Event/festivals

In Time 1, Housing and Banks/ATMs were two types of significant information for international student to seek. In Time 2, those two types of information were less important and entertainment related information became more popular to seek.

In time 1, new international students used mobile, online, and geospatial information technologies, such as smartphone/mobile maps, web, online maps and location-based services (e.g. bus app) frequently. For social information sources, new international student preferred to ask senior co-national students for those kinds of information.

In time 2, mobile, online and geospatial information technologies were still popular, but senior co-national students became less popular for IS to choose.

Additionally, including paper maps, offline media, wandering around by students themselves and finding by chances, these non-digital information sources involving offline information seeking and activities were no longer choices for most of International students. They still preferred to use mobile, online and geospatial technologies.

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Difference in LIB changes by Gender

Both male and female less cared about information of housing and banks in Time 2, and searching of entertainment-related place was increased significantly.

Male

For information source use, fellow co-national students and senior co-national students decreased obviously. Use of fellow other national students increased significantly.

Female

The using frequency of 5 types of information sources decreased in Time 2. No one specific type of information sources was used more frequently compared with Time 1.

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References: https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3017565&CFID=992865501&CFTOKEN=54310874