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http://dx.doi.org/10.14699/kbiblia.2022.33.1.259

An Exploratory Study of Information Search Behaviors of International Students in Korea  

Yoon, JungWon (전북대학교 문헌정보학과)
Publication Information
Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science / v.33, no.1, 2022 , pp. 259-277 More about this Journal
Abstract
This study aims to understand international students' web search behaviors. During the experiment, fifteen international students were asked to conduct three search tasks which includes six search questions. Depending on the characteristics of search task, there were differences in search performance and search behavior. It was commonly found that participants with higher Korean fluency showed higher search performance; however, prior knowledge about the search topic did not always affect the search performance. In the search tasks that required navigation through menus and links within one web domain, participants often overlooked the correct answers, even if they were at the webpages containing the correct answer. Also, some participants did not realized that they found wrong answers. For enhancing information seeking behaviors among foreigners in Korea, the followings were suggested: 1) to design websites which are easy for non-native speakers to navigate, and 2) to use social media as a means of interactive communication.
Keywords
International Students; Information Search Behavior; Web Search; Retrieval in Non-native Language; Search Performance;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 7  (Citation Analysis)
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