Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Comparison on information‑seeking behavior of postgraduated students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and University of Isfahan in writing dissertation based on Kuhlthau model of information search process

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Mahnaz Abedi
. Hasan Ashrafi-rizi 1
. Firoozeh Zare-Farashbandi 1
. Rasoul Nouri
. Akbar Hassanzadeh 2

1 Health Information Technology Research Center

2 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract
Introduction: Information‑seeking behaviors have been one of the main focuses of researchers
in order to identify and solve the problems users face in information recovery. The aim of this
research is Comparative on Information‑Seeking Behavior of the Postgraduate Students in
Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Isfahan University in Writing Dissertation based on
Kuhlthau Model of Information Search Process in 2012. Materials and Methods: The research
method followed is survey and the data collection tool is Narmenji questionnaire. Statistical
population was all postgraduate students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Isfahan
University. The sample size was 196 people and sampling was stratified randomly. The type of
statistical analyses were descriptive (mean and frequency) and inferential (independent t test
and Pearson’s correlation) and the software used was SPSS20. Results: The findings showed
that Isfahan Medical Sciences University followed 20% of the order steps of this model and
Isfahan University did not follow this model. In the first stage (Initiation) and sixth (Presentation)
of feelings aspects and in actions (total stages) significant difference was found between
students from the two universities. Between gender and fourth stage (Formulation) and the
total score of feelings the Kuhlthau model there has a significant relationship. Also there
was a significant and inverse relationship between the third stage (Exploration) of feelings
and age of the students. Conclusion: The results showed that in writing dissertation there
were some major differences in following up the Kuhlthau model between students of the
two Universities. There are significant differences between some of the stages of feelings
and actions of students’ information‑seeking behavior from the two universities. There
is a significant relationship between the
fourth stage (Formulation) of feelings in the
Kuhlthau Model with gender and third stage
of the Feelings (Exploration) with age.

Keywords

Graduate students
information‑seeking behavior
Isfahan University of Medical Sciences
Isfahan University
Kuhlthau model of information search process
writing dissertation
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 4, Issue 4
Summer 2014
Pages 1-8

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