Dissertation Information for Kathleen Elisabeth Kelpien Dunn NAME: - Kathleen Elisabeth Kelpien Dunn
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science
SCHOOL:
- University of Southern California (USA) (1984)
ADVISORS: - Bruce Bennion
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - Roger Greer - Wesley Eugene Bjur
MPACT Status: Fully Complete
Title: PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS AND SOURCE LINKAGES IN UNDERGRADUATE INFORMATION-SEEKING BEHAVIOR: A FACTOR ANALYTIC AND MULTIPLE CORRELATION STUDY
Abstract: Information professionals deal with a specific type of human behavior, information-seeking behavior. In spite of this, the literaure shows that relatively little research has been directed at determining the underlying psychological variables related to information-seeking. This dissertation offers empirical evidence to build our theoretical understanding of the psychological factors that contribute to information-seeking behavior.
This study determines empirically through the use of exploratory research methods the internally perceived needs that motivate undergraduates to seek information related to the subject matter of their classes, but beyond class requirements; it is also designed to uncover possible relationships between these needs and the sources used by undergraduates to answer their class-related questions.
Data was collected through 2 sets of interviews. From the results of these interviews, a questionnaire was developed, pretested, and administered to a straified, random sample of undergraduates at Loma Linda University, Riverside, California. Factor analysis and canonical correlation analysis were used to analyze the data.
The needs identified as motivating the search for information are: Need for Other-Approval, Need for Success in a Chosen Profession, Need for Self-Extension, Need for Self-Approval, Need for Intellectual Stimulation, and Needs Related to a Successful College Experience. The sources used to satisfy these needs were: Family, Friends, Libraries, Expert, and Personal Materials. The study concluded that certain statistically significant relationships exist between needs that initiate information searches and the sources approached to provide information. Undergraduates with strong needs for other-approval and self-extension are likely to choose friends and family as sources of information, and undergraduates with strong needs for intellectual stimulation and professional success are likely to seek information from libraries and from people they perceive to be experts in a given subject area.
The results of this study are significant in that they identify specific psychological variables that can be re-examined in various contexts to increase our understanding of the psychology of information-seeking behavior.
| |
MPACT Scores for Kathleen Elisabeth Kelpien Dunn A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-07-25 19:06:07
Advisors and Advisees Graph
generating graph, please reload |