Information-seeking behaviour and academic success in higher education. Which search strategies matter for grade differences among university students and how does this relevance differ by field of study?

Autor/inn/en	Weber, Hannes; Becker, Dominik; Hillmert, Steffen
Titel	Information-seeking behaviour and academic success in higher education. Which search strategies matter for grade differences among university students and how does this relevance differ by field of study?
Quelle	In: Higher education, 77 (2019) 4, S. 657-678Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; gedruckt; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0018-1560; 1573-174X
DOI	10.1007/s10734-018-0296-4
Schlagwörter	Studiendauer; Studienerfolg; Studienverhalten; Studentenschaft
Abstract	Today, most college students use the Internet when preparing for exams or homework. Yet, research has shown that undergraduates' information literacy skills are often insufficient. In this paper, we empirically test the relation between information-seeking strategies and grades in university. We synthesise arguments from the literature on information-seeking behaviour and approaches to learning in tertiary education. Building on the distinction between deep- and surface-level learning, we develop a classification of online search strategies and contrast it with traditional information behaviour. Multivariate analyses using a two-wave online survey among undergraduate students at a German university indicate that using advanced online information-seeking strategies is a significant and robust predictor of better grades. However, there are notable differences between subject groups: Traditional information behaviour is still crucial in the humanities. Advanced search strategies are beneficial in all settings, but only one in four students uses these early on, while this share increases to around 50% over the course of studies.(HRK / Abstract übernommen).
Erfasst von	Hochschulrektorenkonferenz, Bonn
Update	2019/4