The Role of Purpose, Approach-Avoidance, Self-Efficacy, Intolerance of Uncertainty, and Locus of Control in Undergraduates' Source Selection

摘要

The primary objective of this research study poster is to explore differences in sources selected by undergraduate students in relation to two factors: 1) purpose of search, and 2) scores on the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI) based on sources undergraduate students select for both course-related and everyday-life information-seeking purposes. Also considered are differences in self-efficacy, intolerance of uncertainty, and external locus of control scores reliant upon sources selected initially during a search process. Two main research questions were the focus of this study. First, what types of information sources do undergraduates tend to use first during an everyday-life or course-related search, and is context important? Second, do certain user characteristics influence the selection of the first source selected during information searches? A series of chi square and one tailed t tests were performed to examine these research questions in depth. The overarching goal of this research is to use these results to better understand and structure information services for undergraduates.