Analysis of personality traits affecting the information-seeking behavior of graduate students of Tabriz University

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Afshin Hamdipour
Hashem Atapour
Negin Kajaiee
University of Tabriz
Abstract
Information Seeking Behavior is a broad term encompassing a series of actions undertaken to articulate individuals’ information needs, search for information, evaluate it and select relevant data, ultimately leading to its use (Ozowa and Aba, 2017). According to Case and Given (2016), information-seeking is an integral part of human life. They note that humans frequently feel the need for information and actively seek it throughout their daily lives. In their research, which examined the information-seeking behaviors of professionals from various fields, including physicians, nurses, managers, engineers, journalists, customers, and other groups, the authors found significant differences in the information-seeking behaviors of various professions. These differences can be attributed to professional roles, work environments, and specific information needs. As a dimension of human behavior, information-seeking is influenced by numerous factors. Given the critical role of psychological aspects in shaping human information-seeking behavior and their impact on the interaction between humans and information, addressing these factors is vital. The increasing focus on user-centered (human-centered) studies in recent decades highlights the importance of such studies. This research explores personality traits that influence the information-seeking behavior of graduate students at the University of Tabriz.

Methods and Materials

This study used a descriptive-survey method. The statistical population comprised 2,826 graduate students (2,258 master’s and 568 doctoral students from 17 faculties at the University of Tabriz, excluding dependent units and the international campus, during the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. The students were enrolled in four fields: humanities, basic sciences, engineering, and agriculture. Using Cochran’s formula, the sample size was calculated to be 338 students selected through stratified random sampling. The study employed a localized version of John and Srivastava’s (1999) questionnaire for data collection. The questionnaire included two sections: six demographic items and 42 items rated on a five-point Likert scale to assess information-seeking behavior and five personality traits (Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, Neuroticism). Validity was ensured through expert review by five faculty members, and reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha, with coefficients ranging from 0.588 to 0.903. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multiple linear regression). Skewness and kurtosis coefficients that fell within ±2 confirmed the normal distribution of the data.

Results and Discussion

The findings of the present study showed that all five dimensions of personality traits (extroversion, conscientiousness, adaptability, acceptance of experience, and neuroticism with averages of 4.13, 3.94, 3.99, 4.11, and 2.69 respectively) have a significant effect on the information-seeking behavior of graduate students at Tabriz University; Specifically, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience demonstrated positive effects, while Neuroticism exhibited a negative effect. Other results showed that among information-seeking behaviors, "referring to the Internet to obtain information" has the highest priority among students, with an average of 4.72. In the extraversion dimension, "being friendly in the process of acquiring information" is the most important, with an average of 4.34. In the dimension of conscientiousness, "observance of order in the process of obtaining information" has the highest average score, with an average score of 4.22. In the adaptability dimension, "tendency to cooperate with others during information searching" has the highest score with an average of 4.29. In the experience acceptance dimension, "having an active imagination in the information seeking process" has the highest rank with an average of 4.42. In the dimension of neuroticism, "being nervous in the process of finding information" is the highest average score (3.03). The results of multiple linear regression also showed that the independent variables, extroversion, conscientiousness, adaptability, acceptance of experience, and neuroticism are significant predictors of information-seeking behavior, which explain 25.6% of the changes related to the dependent variable. Among the 5 independent variables, the conscientiousness variable, with a beta coefficient of 0.220, made a greater contribution than the other variables.

Conclusion

The findings of this study confirmed the effect of five important personality traits on information-seeking behavior. It is expected that librarians and information specialists will consider the different aspects of personality traits in information-seeking behavior and pay attention to the fact that knowledge of these issues will help them to provide effective information services to students. According to the findings of the present study, it is recommended that the libraries of University of Tabriz establish information systems based on individual student differences to facilitate an optimal environment for information searching. In addition, organizing workshops on communication skills can help students perform more effectively in information-seeking activities. These skills can be beneficial for both extroverted and even neurotic students. It is also recommended that information system designers tailor their systems and services based on the needs and personality traits of students. Furthermore, it is recommended that librarians receive the necessary training to identify students’ individual characteristics and differences and provide information services tailored to their personality traits during interactions with users. Finally, offering psychological counseling and stress management support for students can help them reduce their anxiety and improve their performance in information-seeking activities. This is particularly beneficial for students with high neuroticism levels.
Keywords
Information-seeking behavior
Information need
personality traits
Individual differences
Postgraduate students
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Human and Information Interaction
Volume 11, Issue 3
Autumn 2024
Pages 97-112