A comparative analysis of the web information seeking behaviour of students and staff at the University of Zululand and Durban University of
Technology
Dear Respondent
I am seeking your help in a survey on the analysis of the web information seeking behaviour of students and staff at the University of Zululand and the Durban University of Technology. I am interested in knowing how the World Wide Web (web) affects the way students and staff search for and acquire information. The main purpose of this research is to better understand your information needs and to analyze the way in which electronic environments, in particular the web, meets them.
I kindly ask for your time to complete the following questionnaire and return it at your earliest convenience. Your free and frank feedback will be taken as an important contribution to the present research work. The results of this questionnaire are essential to the completion of my Masters degree. I assure you that the information you provide will be accorded the highest confidentiality and used solely for the purposes of this study.
NB: Technical terms appearing in the questionnaire are explained using footnotes.
Your invaluable effort in completing this survey is greatly appreciated.
Thanking you in advance for your time.
Ntando Nkomo (Mr.) Masters Student Student Number: 200711315
Department of Library and Information Science (035)902 6484 Mobile: 0842735420 Email: [email protected]
SECTION A BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Please tick where appropriate
1. Gender Male Female
2. University affiliated to UNIZUL DUT
If DUT indicate Campus M. L. Sultan Steve Biko Ritson City
3. Faculty ………
4. Department ………
5. Please indicate your level of study (students) Undergraduate
Honours
Post graduate certificate Post graduate diploma Masters
Doctorate Post Doctorate
6. Please indicate your rank/position/designation (members of staff) Junior Lecturer
Lecturer
Senior Lecturer Associate Professor Professor
Senior Professor
SECTION B Please tick where appropriate
7. If given the option, how would you prefer to obtain information/materials relevant for your work, research or studies?
Print copy Electronic copy
Both: Print & Electronic
8. What determines your choice of an information source in your line of work?
Accuracy Reliability Relevance Convenience Accessibility Proximity
Understandability Timeliness Speed Authority
Other………
9. Do you have access to the Internet? YES NO
If your answer to above is NO, explain why and thereafter do not proceed.
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If YES, how do you gain access to the Internet?
Wired office terminal (desktop or laptop)
Wired computer laboratory, library or information centre Wired home PC
Wired dormitory PC
Wired both home PC and office PC
Wireless office terminal (desktop or laptop)
Wireless computer laboratory/ library or information centre Wireless office computer
Wireless home computer
Wireless both home PC and office PC
Other………
10. Which of the following Internet connection types do you use?
Dial-Up/ regulator modem connection DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
ADSL (Asymetric Digital Subscriber Line) Cable Modem Connection
Satellite Connection
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) Wireless
I don’t know
Other………
11. Are you satisfied with your connection/method of access to the Internet in terms of processing speed? Check against the access method you have only.
Method of Access Satisfaction
Yes No Not Sure Wired office terminal (desktop or laptop)
Wired computer laboratory, library or information centre Wired home PC
Wired dormitory PC
Wireless office terminal (desktop or laptop)
Wireless computer laboratory, library or information centre Wireless home PC
Wireless home PC and office PC Wireless dormitory PC
Other………...
12. Do you as a student have enough time and access to the Internet from whichever
facility you use? YES NO
If NO, Why?
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13. Do you as a staff member have enough time among your other duties to seek information from the web?
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14. For what purposes do you seek information on the World Wide Web?
Check all that apply Assignments
Research
Entertainment (e.g. downloading music/ playing online games) Communication/Networking (e.g. email, net meeting, chatting) Study
Teaching
General awareness
Other………
15. Which of the following channels of information do you rely on most when seeking information on the web and how often do you use them?
Check against each of the channels below that which applies to you
Channel/ Source Frequency
Never Less than once a month
Weekly Daily
Online Public Access Catalogues (OPACs) e.g. Unicorn
Online Databases1 (Full text Journal Sources like EBSCO, Emerald)
Search Engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo) Document delivery & Current awareness Subject Portals2
Discussion lists, Newsgroups3 Websites
1 Usually a large collection of data organized especially for rapid search and retrieval by a computer. It lists articles and may include abstracts or full text articles.
2 A web-based mechanism for accessing a collection of high quality, evaluated resources identified to support research in a particular discipline where the resources are evaluated and described by information specialists in the field, such as science librarians; a subject portal is considered to be a website which as an entry point to other websites by being an aggregation of subject specific links.
3 Permit widespread sharing of information among people with similar interests.
Electronic document delivery services4 Other………
16. Do you think you possess the necessary skills to use the Internet/World Wide Web?
YES NO More or less
17. . Have you ever received any formal training or orientation on how to use the World
Wide Web? YES NO
If “YES”, do you think that such training was useful?
YES NO Somehow
If “NO”, do you think that such training would have been useful?
YES ` NO Somehow
18. Suggest what you think can be done to equip more people (students and staff) with web information seeking skills in your institution.
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19. Which of the following statements best define how you go about seeking information on the web?
I usually do not seek information from the web
I usually seek information from the web with the assistance of an intermediary/proxy (e.g. Librarian, Lab assistant, etc.)
I usually get assistance from a friend or colleague I usually do the searching myself
4 A service for the ordering and delivery of documents by electronic means or otherwise; the term document delivery more specifically means the supply of journal articles and other copies on a personalized basis, with the library charging the user or his academic department for the fees that are involved.
20. If you indicated that you usually do the searching yourself above (question 19), how often do you normally use the steps listed below when seeking information on the web?
Step Frequency
Very Often
Often Seldom Never
Identify a need/task definition - when you determine the need for information (e.g.
assignment, research problem, etc.)
Choose a channel/source - think of all the places you might go to find resources that would help you answer your questions (e.g. search engines) Define search query, for example by identifying or gathering keywords (brainstorming)
Combine the terms/keywords using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) or combine terms using natural language (your own terms)
Evaluate results - determine whether the search process was a success
Use of information or synthesis (write your report, assignment, etc.)
Finish or redo again (conclude your search)
21. In general, do you find what you are looking for on the web?
No
Not as much as is always needed Enough
More than was needed
22. How would you rank the World Wide Web in terms of relevance to your work?
Very relevant Relevant Slightly relevant Irrelevant
23. Please indicate the amount of time you spend on the web per day in information- gathering activities.
Less than 15 minutes 15 minutes - One hour One hour – two hours Two hours - four hours More than four hours
24. What challenges, if any, do you face when searching for information on the World Wide Web in the university?
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...
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Suggest what can be done to address the challenges you have stated above.
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25. Do electronic sources make it easier or more difficult to gather and use information?
Easier (I have more time for other tasks.)
About the same (I spend about the same amount of time on information gathering with or without electronic sources.)
More difficult (It takes more time to gather and sort through information.)
Much more difficult (There is too much information for me to sort through efficiently.)
26. Has the Internet and World Wide Web affected your use of or visits to other information sources (e.g. books and print journals) YES NO
If YES, please explain how?
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Additional comments regarding the issues above
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Thank you very much for your valuable comments /suggestions and time.