Information encountering and sharing behaviour of research students in an online environment

Understanding information behavior of diabetic patients: a case of the diabetic's institute Pakistan

Purpose

Pakistan is a developing country where one of the rapidly growing diseases is diabetes. Well-informed diabetic patients are expected to improve the quality of life, self-care behaviors and better cooperation with the health care team. The present study is designed to investigate the information behavior of diabetic patients, and to investigate the role of one institution that is working for diabetes management, treatment, education and counseling in Pakistan i.e. Diabetic's Institute Pakistan (DIP).

Design/methodology/approach

The “Embedded Design” based on the mixed methods research approach was adopted to carry out the current research. The study was mainly based on quantitative research design, quantitative data were collected through an adapted questionnaire, the supportive/supplementary qualitative data was collected through an in-depth interview of the medical director, observation record sheets and analysis of the available relevant documents i.e. prescription (prescription notepad with information), brochure and the website was applied.

Findings

Diabetic patients want to know about how to control diabetes and mostly rely on humans particularly health professionals and interpersonal networks. The use of books, journals, seminars, libraries is comparatively low. It is an important finding that health-related information is mostly required in national language by Pakistani patients. Lack of computer literacy and information overload were among the barriers that were reported by diabetic patients.

Practical implications

Health information seeking channels, formats and language preferences should be considered to design patients' cantered information services. Health information service providers i.e. government, health practitioners, health-related institutions and libraries should work in a liaison for creating health awareness. Identified barriers faced by diabetic patients are important to consider for designing health-related information services.

Originality/value

Investigating health information behavior is crucial particularly of the patients from developing countries. The study is first of its kind that is reported from Pakistan. The results of the study may help libraries, health professionals and diabetes-related organizations to design patient's centered policies and information-based services. These institutions may work together to create awareness and to help patients in managing their disease. The study findings are maybe helpful for other developing countries also.

Personal information management through ubiquitous devices: Students’ mobile self-efficacy and PIM practices

This study aims to explore personal information management (PIM) practices of undergraduate university students on ubiquitous devices such as mobile phones. The purpose was to investigate the relationship between mobile self-efficacy and mobile-based PIM practices of the respondents in terms of finding/re-finding, keeping and organizing information. This study was the offspring of a PhD project. The quantitative research design was used to conduct this study. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data from undergraduate students Regression analysis was applied to investigate the relationship between mobile self-efficacy and their mobile based PIM practices. The findings revealed that undergraduate students search, browse, and scan information through mobile phones. They used keywords, searched from recently opened file, and from send item to find/re-find information. They save their personal information in folders, use mobile applications, and take screen shot of information to keep it for future use. Current study reported “ Sharing as keeping ‘as a new phenomenon in mobile based personal information keeping (ubiquitous environment). This study also reported ‘ Ubiquity’ as an emerging trend in PIM among young generation. Study found positive correlations between mobile self-efficacy and mobile based PIM. Current study developed a model of mobile self-efficacy and PIM. Based on new phenomena “ sharing as keeping’ (which occurred in current study), a model “mobile based personal information keeping” may be developed. This study helps software developers of smartphones to develop mobile phone applications according to users’ needs. This study provides better understanding of PIM model (finding/re-finding, keeping and organizing information) through ubiquitous devices (smart phones). Although studies have been conducted to know the impact or relationship between mobile self-efficacy and PIM, but no comprehensive study has been conducted to explore the relationship between mobile self-efficacy and the holistic picture of mobile based PIM (finding/re-finding, keeping, and organizing information) especially in developing countries like Pakistan.

Research information encountering and keeping behaviour of post-graduate students of social sciences in an online environment

Purpose

Literature divides information behaviours into two forms: first, interacting information with a purpose in mind and second, encountering accidently in three environments including person to person, analogue and online environment. However, the unique information encountering and encountered information keeping behaviour of social sciences research students of Asian culture in an online environment remained unexplored. Therefore, the present study is designed to investigate the research information encountering and encountered information keeping behaviour of the students of social sciences in an online environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative approach and survey technique were used for the study. The research students were approached using a multi-stage total population sampling technique. In total, 233 returned questionnaires were entered and analysed in SPSS (version 22). Descriptive (frequencies and percentages) and inferential statistical techniques (t-tests, one-way ANOVA, effect sizes, correlations and regression) were applied to meet the objectives of the study.

Findings

The results of the study indicate that the respondents whether male or female, of MPhil or PhD, whichever frequency to use the Internet, often encounter research information. However, those who use the Internet for general browsing encounter more than those who purposively. This makes a change to the model of information encountering that the users encounter information while generally browsing and not only while actively working on foreground information searching. Moreover, the research students prefer to use simple tools on complex software based for keeping the encountered research information. The information if kept properly for use, may be useful in the course of research, ease its tasks and result in increasing the speed of research productivity.

Practical implications

The present study has theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically first, it fills the literature gap regarding research information encountering and its keeping and second, it came up with a proof that the researcher not only encounter research information while foreground information searching but while generally browsing also. Hence, information encountering model is equally applicable to research students who generally browse. Regarding practical implications, the study identifies that the research students prefer to keep using simple tools. Hence, information literacy instructors, either librarians or continuous education program designers are advised to incorporate instructional programs on the use of complex software-based tools for keeping information.

Originality/value

This is the first study in non-Western countries which investigated the research information encountering behaviour of social sciences MPhil and PhD students. The preferred tools to keep the encountered research information are first time identified in the literature.