Post-graduate students and learning environments: Users’ perceptions regarding the choice of information sources

ARTICLE IN PRESS The International Information & Library Review (2008) 40, 94–103

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Post-graduate students and learning environments: Users’ perceptions regarding the choice of information sources Anna Saitia,, Georgia Prokopiadoub a

Department of Home Economics and Ecology, Harokopio University, 70 El. Venizelou Street, 17651 Athens, Greece University of Athens, Greece

b

KEYWORDS Information; Libraries; Internet; Learning environment; Knowledge; Higher education

Summary The purpose of this paper is to investigate, through empirical analysis, whether or not post-graduate students choose information technology or other information sources such as home institution libraries for the purposes of learning, expanding their knowledge and/ or completing their studies. A survey was conducted to gather primary source data for the paper. Questionnaires were administered to 211 education post-graduate students. Results showed that Greek post-graduate students from different fields of study chose the Internet as their primary information source for a number of reasons but mainly: for the provision of creditable and up-to-date information, for easy access to information at home, for the time of day they can access the material and for fast information retrieval. Although the Greek post-graduate students believed the Greek information network to be satisfactory up to a degree, this paper identifies that greater access to Internet resources, training programs providing students with tools to effectively use the network’s resources and more online databases, combined with a historical and statistical database of libraries’ online catalogs are key issues in improving both information source performance and the link between strategy and implementation. & 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Introduction According to the system approach, organizations are complex social systems, involving a number of interrelated variables and functioning within a larger dynamic environment. This approach views organizations both as a complete Corresponding author. Tel.: +30 210 9549202;

fax: +30 210 9577050. E-mail address: [email protected] (A. Saiti). 1057-2317/$ - see front matter & 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.iilr.2008.02.003

system and as a part of a larger environment. Since the organization is continually in dynamic interaction with both its internal and external environment, the cooperation between these different system components—which face a variety of challenges—is of crucial importance to obtain the best results in key areas of organizational activity. In the educational context, academic institutions, such as universities, are organizations and hence complex social systems which form part of a larger open environment and consist of interrelated sub-systems. Among the main elements (sub-systems) of a university (an open system)

ARTICLE IN PRESS Post-graduate students and learning environments are students, university professors, buildings, infrastructure, learning environments, software, project management, material substructure, etc. Learning environments and the use of information sources are crucial among the factors that determine the optimal effectiveness of education performance as a system, since, when these requirements have been met, a balance among the various influential parts (sub-systems) is secured. Education systems, by spreading knowledge through the use of the available sources, ensure that they satisfactorily meet or exceed the demands and requirements of the labor market, and are adaptable to changes of specific requirements in the external environment and the demands of the situation. The concept of a learning environment is significant for the successful functioning and survival of a learning organization, and in the absence of it an organization will collapse. It is impossible at present for learning organizations to function without appropriate learning environments since the optimal effectiveness of organizational performance is contingent on its continuous use of and growth in knowledge. Various definitions of a learning environment can be found in literature. However, many researchers agree on its constructivist characteristics (Halttunen, 2003; Resnick, 1989; Wilson, 1996). Learning environments are places in which individuals transform information and become the bearers of the values, attitudes and beliefs held to be important by society and by the institutions in which they find expression. A learning environment serves at least one main purpose: the acquisition of the skills necessary to find any information required for students’ studies. These environments precondition the cooperation of students (learners) by using a variety of tools and information sources so as to achieve their learning aims and knowledge development (Wilson, 1996). Academic libraries1 serve as a learning environment to students, faculty and staff by providing information and loaning printed and non-printed material in an effort to promote and support learning, teaching and research. The emergence of technology in education in recent years has given students the chance to learn and develop their knowledge more quickly and easily, and ultimately to use technology in every aspect of their academic studies. The use of information technology in the learning process may be an effective means of ensuring that participants receive an efficient and viable education. In order to function efficiently, academic libraries should have a flexible and efficient lending system, good cooperation with other academic libraries, and easy access for students to approach both the printed and non-printed material. The current and future application of the Internet within and for the libraries expands the services of the academic libraries, eliminates physical distance, and supports learners with information skills (Chao, 2002; 1 In the Greek context, the term ‘‘academic libraries’’ refers to both University libraries and Technological Institution libraries. Given that (a) in Greece the post-graduate programs are provided solely by the Universities and (b) there, research is largely geared towards post-graduate students and their choice of information sources, for the purpose of this study the term ‘‘academic libraries’’ shall refer to university libraries.

95 Tenopir, 2003). Currently, with the implementation of the Web in the academic libraries of most of the universities all over the world, locating information sources provides no barriers for students who cannot afford to leave home or their post in a job or those for whom the classes are not available at a convenient hour (Saitis & Saiti, 2004). Since the use of information technology provides post-graduate students with benefits such as the expansion of their knowledge and the receiving of quality job-related and self-improving education without loss of time, it creates new opportunities in education for post-graduate students and prospective post-graduate students. Taking into consideration that universities are learning organizations and that knowledge and information are the benchmarks of an educational system, the development of sophisticated learning environments becomes key for the successful functioning and survival of higher education. Indeed, most learners, and post-graduate students in particular, do turn to information sources that are convenient to approach. However, while students’ perceptions on the use of technology are generally positive, there is still a slight preference for the use of traditional information sources. Thus, a question arises as to whether or not postgraduate students choose information technology or other information sources such as home institution libraries for the purposes of learning, expanding their knowledge and/or completing their studies.

The purpose of the paper A number of researchers (Burton & Chadwick, 2000; Cader, Debryshire, Smith, Gannon-Leary, & Walton, 2006; Friedlander, 2002; Gannon-Leary, Walton, Cader, Derbyshire, & Smith, 2006; Graham & Metaxas, 2003; Liu, 2004; Liu & Huang, 2005; Metzger, Flanagin, & Zwarun, 2003; Tenopir, 2003; etc.) have conducted studies to investigate the type, nature and range of information sources and explored the reasons why students choose these information sources for their educational needs. Many have found that the majority of students have chosen Web-based information sources such as Cader et al. (2006), Gannon-Leary et al. (2006), Graham and Metaxas (2003), Liu (2004), Liu and Huang (2005), Metzger et al. (2003) and Tenopir (2003) while others, such as Friedlander (2002) and Burton and Chadwick (2000), have found that students use a combination of information sources for their research. The majority of the studies indicated that students used the Internet as their main information source, prompting further investigations into the credibility and accuracy of information on the Internet and the abilities of students to act as critical users. The findings concluded that students considered the information provided on the Internet to be of low quality. The findings indicated that the speed, the volume and the ease of access to information on the Internet outweighed many students’ concerns regarding the quality of the information provided. Up to now, the literature on the use of Greek information sources in higher education has not discussed the matter in any great detail, instead focusing mainly on general aspects of a particular type of library, including any changes and developments they may have experienced. Furthermore,

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there appears to be no empirical research concerning the usage of information sources in Greek universities, the reasons encountered for the choice of a particular type of information source, or students’ general perceptions of the available information sources. Given that learning environments are key elements in improving educational performance by increasing the level of individual knowledge and students’ achievements, the purpose of this paper is to address the usage of information resources in higher education by post-graduate students both through literature analysis and through empirical investigation. A questionnaire was administered to Greek post-graduate students so as to identify their selection of primary information sources and to investigate the students’ perceptions of available information sources in Greece. Moreover, this paper aims to investigate through postgraduate students’ perceptions and the degree of response of mainly academic libraries to the increasing diversity of information technologies, how the Greek education system handles the present challenges. Finally, based on the findings, this paper recommends possible strategies to improve the effectiveness of information access and retrieval for post-graduate students in Greece.

Data and methodology A survey was conducted to collect primary source data for the paper. Questionnaires were administered to 211 postgraduate students during the academic year 2003–2004. This sample size was selected from the University Departments in the Athens area. The high response rate (all post-graduate students agreed to answer the questionnaire) resulted in the completion of 211 usable questionnaires. However, the data was not sufficiently rich to allow for a deeper analysis of student preferences regarding their primary information source. These ‘‘gaps’’ of data in the research have partly determined the interpretation of the results. The questionnaire contained 14 questions designed to determine students’ selection of primary information sources. In particular, the questions related to:

 The personal, professional and academic characteristics of the student;

 The selection of information sources regarding their



 

responses to the post-graduate program in which they are involved, whether they use libraries or the Internet as their primary information source; The student’s perception of the factors influencing their selection of the primary information source; the frequency of the usage of their primary information source and their perception regarding their satisfaction with the quality of their selected information source; The student’s intended use of the information sources; The student’s assessment of the organization and effective functioning of the Greek information sources available. The statistical analysis includes:

 Descriptive analysis (percentages);  Cross-tabulation tests with relevant data and the Spearman Correlation test;

 Factor analysis in the rating of items regarding their chosen information source. Factor analysis is a method which attempts to identify factors that explain the pattern of correlations within a set of observed variables. With data reduction, factor analysis reveals a small number of factors that explain most of the variance observed in a much larger number of manifest variables while, through the examination of the correlations among the items surveyed, it is possible to investigate the underlying factors and to identify the conceptual representative factors.

Findings From the sample of 211 post-graduate students in question, 51.7% were women and 48.3% were men. The distribution of respondents’ ages was as follows: 71.6% below 30, 24.2% between 30 and 40, and only 4.3% between 41 and 50. A high percentage of the respondents (62.1%) were working full time. Of those, their employment status was: 33.6% private employees, 15.2% public servants, 6.6% secondary school teachers, 6.2% primary school teachers and only 2.8% and 0.9% self-employed and public servants, respectively. Their fields of study were social sciences (10.4%), education (4.3%), humanities studies (7.1%), physical sciences/maths (2.8%), engineering (5.2%), agricultural sciences (2.8%), business/economics (49.3%) and health sciences (18%). When questioned as to whether they would use a library or the Internet as a primary information source, the vast majority (77.3%) chose the Internet. The remaining respondents (22.7%) chose the library. Of those who selected the library as their primary source of information, the most common type (22.3%) was their home institution library. The remaining replies focused on three types: 16.1% an academic library (of a different university); 10% a research center and 4.3% a public library. Cross-tabulations of the respondents’ field of study with the respondents’ primary information source revealed significant statistical differences. The particular field of study of the respondents was found to be a significant determinant in selecting libraries as the primary information source. In particular, the w2 values were 5.758 (p ¼ 0.016, d.f. ¼ 1) for education, 12.751 (p ¼ 0.000, d.f. ¼ 1) for humanities sciences, 12.258 (p ¼ 0.000, d.f. ¼ 1) for business/economics, 3.417 (p ¼ 0.065, d.f. ¼ 1) for engineering and 7.205 (p ¼ 0.007, d.f. ¼ 1) for social sciences. By rejecting the null hypothesis of no statistical relationship between libraries and the particular field of studies, the estimated values revealed significant relationships for most of the fields of study. The Spearman correlation test revealed a positive correlation coefficient for education, humanities and social sciences—numerically 0.165, 0.246 and 0.185, respectively—indicating that these fields of study are more likely to involve the use of a library as the primary information source, while business/economics and engineering are less likely to do so, since the Spearman correlation test revealed a negative correlation coefficient (0.241 for business/economics and 0.127 for engineering). Of those who answered positively in regarding the Internet as the preferred source of information, the majority (72%) had selected search engines, 70.1%

ARTICLE IN PRESS Post-graduate students and learning environments the Hellenic Academic Libraries Link (HEAL) and 60.2% digital libraries. The Chi-square tests revealed a significant relationship between the Internet, as a major information source, and their field of study, which in most cases showed a high correlation with the selection of primary information source. In particular, the estimated values testing the null hypothesis for no statistical relationship are 5.758 (p ¼ 0.016, d.f. ¼ 1) for educational studies, 12.751 (p ¼ 0.000, d.f. ¼ 1) for humanities studies, 12.258 (p ¼ 0.000, d.f. ¼ 1) for business/economics, 3.417 (p ¼ 0.065, d.f. ¼ 1) for engineering and 7.205 (p ¼ 0.007, d.f. ¼ 1) for social sciences. All the estimated values rejected the null hypothesis, indicating a significant relationship between the Internet and the particular field of study. The Spearman correlation test revealed a positive coefficient for business/economics (0.241) and for engineering (0.127), indicating that students of business/economics and engineering are more likely to use the Internet whereas the remaining fields of study revealed a negative coefficient, more specifically 0.165 for educational studies, 0.246 for humanities studies and 0.185 for social sciences, indicating that students from those fields are less likely to use the Internet as a major information source. As the main reason for their choice of primary information source, the majority of the respondents (35.5%) favored the provision of creditable and up-to-date information. Another reason that appears to have significant influence on their selection, according to 21.3% of the students, is easy access to information at home. Two other popular factors were the time of day that they can obtain material (time resource) (19.4%) and the speed of information retrieval (11.8%). In terms of the frequency with which they used their primary information source—an indicator of the demands of their post-graduate program—66.4% of the respondents used it on a weekly basis while 30.8% used it daily. When questioned whether or not ‘‘they would use alternative sources when the information being sought was not available at their primary information source’’ the answer from the majority (70.6%) was positive and actually emphasised that the majority were inclined to resort to other information sources. With that said, most of the students in question (88.2%) answered that their primary information source satisfied their information needs most of the time. When questioned about the purpose for using their major information source most often, the most popular response given by post-graduate students was ‘‘writing course-related papers’’ (63.5%). Another significant statement was ‘‘because it is required by the post-graduate program in which they are involved’’ (27%). The vast majority of the respondents (76.3%) shared a general satisfaction with the quality of the services provided by their primary information source. When questioned whether or not ‘‘the Greek information network (both libraries and Internet sources) is attractive to use’’, the majority of the respondents (86.7%) responded favorably.

97 are presented in the tables below. In particular, Tables 1–3 present correlations between particular types of libraries and the fields of study while Tables 4–6 present correlations between particular types of Internet-based sources and the fields of study. It should be noted that the Spearman correlation test was applied only to those fields of study that were found to have significance regarding the particular primary information sources. Results from Table 1 indicate that the five fields of study included in the cross-tabulation are significant determinants in choosing the home institution library as a primary information source. For the significant relationships the Spearman correlation test was applied and the results revealed a positive coefficient for education (0.169), humanities studies (0.251) and social sciences (0.190), indicating that students in these fields are more likely to select the home institution library as their primary information source, while revealing a negative coefficient for business/economics (0.254) and engineering (0.126), indicating that students in these particular fields are less likely to use the home institution library as a primary information source. For academic libraries (of different universities), a crosstabulation test revealed significant relations for education, social sciences, humanities studies and business/economics

Table 1 Correlation test between the home institution library and the fields of study. Variables

Pearson w2 p-Value Significant

Business/economics 13.654 Social sciences 7.622 Education 6.014 Humanities 13.274 Physical sciences/maths 1.770 Engineering 3.326 Agricultural science 0.112 Health 0.437

0.000*** 0.006*** 0.014** 0.000*** 0.183 0.068** 0.738 0.509

Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No

Note: ***indicates that variables are correlated at a 1% significance level; **indicates that variables are correlated at a 5% significance level.

Table 2 Correlation test between academic libraries (of a different university) and the fields of study. Variables

Pearson w2 p-Value Significant

Correlations of selected variables

Business/economics 6.407 Social sciences 4.481 Education 5.582 Humanities 23.008 Physical sciences/maths 1.186 Engineering 2.229 Agricultural science 0.001 Health 2.316

0.011** 0.034** 0.018** 0.000*** 0.276 0.135 0.970 0.128

Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No

Correlations between the particular type of primary information source and the field of study of the respondents

Note: ***indicates that variables are correlated at a 1% significance level; **indicates that variables are correlated at a 5% significance level.

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Table 3 Correlation test between research centers and the fields of study. Variables

Pearson w2 p-Value Significant

Business/economics 0.958 Social sciences 11.648 Education 0.419 Humanities 0.719 Physical sciences/maths 0.275 Engineering 0.517 Agricultural science 2.326 Health 0.303

0.328 0.001*** 0.518 0.396 0.600 0.472 0.127 0.582

No Yes No No No No No No

Table 5 Correlation test between searching engines and the fields of study. Variables

Pearson w2 p-Value Significant

Business/economics 18.774 Social sciences 2.225 Education 5.656 Humanities 7.573 Physical sciences/maths 1.380 Engineering 4.570 Agricultural science 1.859 Health 6.326

0.000*** 0.136 0.017** 0.006*** 0.240 0.033** 0.173 0.012**

Yes No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes

Note: ***indicates that variables are correlated at a 1% significance level.

Note: ***indicates that variables are correlated at a 1% significance level; **indicates that variables are correlated at a 5% significance level.

Table 4 Correlation test between public libraries and the fields of study.

Table 6 Correlation test between the Hellenic Academic Libraries Link (HEAL) and the fields of study.

Variables

Pearson w2 p-Value Significant

Variables

Business/economics Social sciences Education Humanities Physical sciences/maths Engineering Agricultural science Health

2.629 3.470 2.326 0.473 0.181 0.340 4.271 0.008

Business/economics 11.059 Social sciences 4.758 Education 6.082 Humanities 7.005 Physical sciences/maths 2.629 Engineering 2.390 Agricultural science 0.036 Health 1.080

0.105 0.063* 0.127 0.492 0.671 0.560 0.039* 0.931

No Yes No No No No Yes No

Note: *indicates that variables are correlated at a 5% significance level.

in Table 2. The Spearman correlation test for the significant determinants revealed a positive coefficient for education (0.163), humanities studies (0.330) and social sciences (0.146), indicating that students in these fields are more likely to choose an academic library (of a different university) as a primary information source. The field of business/economics had a negative coefficient (0.174), i.e. students in this field are less likely to select an academic library (of a different university) as a primary information source. Results from Table 3 indicated that only one field of study—social sciences—seems to be a significant determinant in choosing research centers as a primary information source. This finding was reinforced by the Spearman correlation test, which revealed a positive coefficient (0.235). Table 4 indicates that only two fields of study seem to be significant determinants of public libraries as a primary information source. Both fields exhibited a positive coefficient in the Spearman correlation test (0.128 for social sciences and 0.142 for agricultural science) indicating that students of these particular fields are more likely to use public libraries as a primary information source. The fields of study were examined for a correlation with particular types of Internet-based sources as a primary information source. Tables 5–7 present the results.

Pearson w2 p-Value Significant 0.001*** 0.029** 0.014** 0.008*** 0.105 0.122 0.850 0.299

Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No

Note: ***indicates that variables are correlated at a 1% significance level; **indicates that variables are correlated at a 5% significance level.

Table 7 Correlation test between digital libraries and the fields of study. Variables

Pearson w2 p-Value Significant

Business/economics 13.738 Social sciences 5.922 Education 3.553 Humanities 8.228 Physical sciences/maths 2.397 Engineering 4.505 Agricultural science 0.391 Health 4.602

0.000*** 0.015** 0.059** 0.004*** 0.122 0.034** 0.532 0.032**

Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes

Note: ***indicates that variables are correlated at a 1% significance level; **indicates that variables are correlated at a 5% significance level.

Results from Table 5 indicate significant relationships for educational studies, humanities, business/economics, engineering and health sciences. The Spearman correlation test revealed a positive coefficient for two fields: business/ economics (0.298) and engineering (0.147), i.e. students in these fields are more likely to select search engines as a primary information source while the remaining significant

ARTICLE IN PRESS Post-graduate students and learning environments fields revealed a negative coefficient (0.164 for education, 0.189 for humanities and –0.173 for health sciences), indicating that students in those fields are less likely to use search engines as their primary information source. Fewer fields of study appear to be significant determinants for the potential use of the HEAL as a primary information source (Table 6). These are: social sciences, educational studies, humanities and business/economics. The Spearman correlation test revealed a positive coefficient only for business/economics (0.229), i.e. Students reading business/economics are more likely to choose the HEAL as their primary information source while the remaining significant fields indicated a negative coefficient (0.150 for social sciences, 0.170 for educational studies and 0.182 for humanities), meaning that students from these fields have a lesser likelihood of using the HEAL as their primary information source. Finally, results from Table 7 indicate that the same fields, with the exception of social sciences, contribute to the use of search engines as a primary information source. The Spearman correlation test revealed a negative coefficient for most of the significant fields (0.168 for social sciences, 0.130 for educational studies, 0.197 for humanities studies and 0.148 for health sciences), indicating that students in these fields are less likely to use digital libraries as a primary information source while students of business/ economics and engineering are more likely to do so since the correlation test revealed a positive coefficient for these studies (0.146 for engineering and 0.255 for business/ economics).

Main factors of rating items regarding their chosen information source The respondents were asked to rate items regarding their chosen information source. Factor analysis was applied to these questions in order to identify the representative statement for both primary information sources. With reference to libraries as a selected primary information source, the replies focused on five areas: the possibility of future research and guidance in seeking other research sources (12.8%), onsite technical help and the possibility of searching from the library (10.9%), convenient service hours (11.8%), library location and the distance from home (10.4%), and access to the Internet from the on-line library catalog (10.4%). Factor analysis resulted in the extraction of one factor (statement) that had an eigenvalue greater than 1 and also had the highest correlation (0.955). The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient was 98.2. The result focused on convenient service hours. Again the replies regarding the rating of statements of their selected information source—the Internet in this case—focused on four points: the possibility of future research and guidance in seeking other research sources (36.5%), fast information retrieval (34.6%), easy access to the system and to information (33.6%) and easy access to the system at home (36%). All the above statements were highly valued. The factor analysis regarding the rating of statements with the Internet as the selected information source resulted again in the extraction of one factor (statement) that had an eigenvalue greater than 1 and the highest correlation (0.886). The Cronbach

99 alpha reliability coefficient was 94.9. The statement with the highest correlation was the speed of information retrieval.

Discussion and conclusion The study provides a framework for improvement not only in the effectiveness of the whole Greek information network system (both libraries and Internet sources) but can also be used as information for making decisions about information networks in other countries. The results of this study show that the most popular information source chosen by postgraduate students was the Internet. Students’ preference in the selection and use of their information source can be attributed to four factors: the provision of creditable and up-to-date information, the ease of access to information at home, the time of day they can obtain material (time resource) and the speed of information retrieval. Findings from the relevant correlation tests show that it is more likely for students from business/economics and engineering to select the Internet as a primary information source while the remaining fields of study are more likely to choose the library. This finding was consistent, even for the particular types of both information sources. This result has also been reached by Herring (2001) in a similar study that revealed that members from the sciences faculties were Web-users and satisfied with the Web while the vast majority of members from the language and literature faculty were nonWeb-users. Moreover, Friedlander (2002) reached a relevant conclusion that business students were strongly reliant on electronic sources while students from social sciences, arts and humanities showed a preference for printed resources. Within this framework, Palmer and Sandler (2003) also reported that students from the economic faculty were more prone to use online sources and particularly electronic journals. The use of the Internet (and the library as well) is based mostly on the concept of time and this finding is consistent with Friedlander’s (2002) research in which she found that, among the overall sample of respondents (both faculty members and students), nearly 40% expressed that they lacked the time to pursue other information sources. In the current sample, one of the crucial reasons for selecting an information source was the credibility of the materials provided by the source, the expansion of their knowledge, the receiving of quality job-related and selfimproving education without loss of time. With particular reference to the credibility of the materials provided by the source, there are no generally accepted criteria to assess the quality and credibility of the information provided by certain sources and particularly of Internet-based information. Indeed, the credibility and the reliability of Website information in general remains an on-going issue since (a) most Websites have no explicit editorial review policies that serve as a means to analyze content and to verify context (Metzger et al., 2003, p. 272), (b) information on the Web is prone to alteration, has only few centralized information filters compared to the availability of information and is less organized and regulated (Liu & Yang, 2004, p. 8; Metzger et al., 2003, p. 273), (c) due to the blending of advertizing and informational content of many Websites there is no clear

ARTICLE IN PRESS 100 distinction between advertizing and the actual information and d) for information retrieval purposes, the intermediary report between the actual data and the system’s representation cannot always be accurate (O’Leary, 1999). However, some researchers such as Brandt (1996) and McMurdo (1998) have found that the evaluation criteria for Internet-based information and those for printed materials are similar, while Rieh and Belkin (1998) have identified seven specific quality criteria for Internet-based information: source, content, format, presentation, currency, accuracy and speed of loading. Tseg and Fogg (1999) conducted similar research which identified four types of credibility in order to evaluate information from the Internet: presumed credibility, surface credibility, reputed credibility and experienced credibility. While students (both undergraduate and post-graduate) have been identified as the most common and most frequent users of the Internet for course-related tasks (Browne, Freeman, & Williamson, 2000; Liu & Huang, 2005; Metzger et al., 2003), and many researchers such as Tenopir (2003), Graham and Metaxas (2003) and Metzger et al. (2003) have found that many students use the Internet as a primary source of information, most of the users are not aware of the level of reliability, accuracy and credibility of Internetbased information. In particular, most students use the Internet as a matter of convenience and to retrieve information easily and quickly while most of the time using online information without any verification of credibility (Liu, 2004; Metzger et al., 2003). As Metzger et al. (2003) discuss in their study, although many students share the view that the use of Internet-based information is convenient for their work (since it an easy way of increasing the quantity of the available sources) this does not necessarily correlate with an improvement in the quality of their work. According to the findings, and despite the above concerns of credibility, the majority of postgraduate students used their primary source of information in order to complete written course work or to expand their knowledge within the framework of the post-graduate program. Given that the use of the Internet by students focused more on academic journals and less on newspapers or magazines (Metzger et al., 2003), the type of information (mostly peer-reviewed journals, Websites such as conference proceedings, statistical data from international organizations such as OECD and, UNESCO, etc.) that students seek out on the Internet—the most popular source of information—tends to have undergone some peerreviewed process. Therefore, concerns of credibility are reduced. In addition, the majority of the post-graduate students referred to Hellenic Academic Libraries Link (HEAL) as the most popular Internet source. The HEAL network is the collaboration of participating institutions which, through a common policy, have established a joint subscription of journals (printed and electronic) so as to increase the number of sources available to cover the educational and information needs of users (Hellenic Academic Libraries Link (HEAL), 2007). By virtue of the way of the HEAL network operates, it provides access to currently available journals which indirectly ensures credible and up-to-date information. HEAL ensures the maintenance and organization of its portal so as to direct its users with specific interests to the

A. Saiti, G. Prokopiadou relevant online academic journals, and also secures many access points to the requested information. Accessibility to the information source also has an undeniable impact on students’ preference for a given information source. Fast access to the Internet facilitates prompt information retrieval and is a natural choice for those students who work full time, or cannot leave home or their post at work, or even for those for whom the opening hours of their library are inconvenient. Indeed, factor analysis for the rating of statements identifying the Internet as the selected information source showed that the representative high-valued statement was the speed of information retrieval. This perspective is also consistent with previous research in which the use of the Internet by many students was ‘‘the Internet’s ability to save time’’ (Metzger et al., 2003, p. 286). Although the majority of the students in question shared the view that the Greek information network (both library and the Internet) is effective and that they are satisfied with the services they offer, the following recommendations can be offered regarding the improvement of the information sources, based on the results of the analysis. With particular reference to libraries as a major information source: (a) it is important for information resources to be available and accessible when they are needed; (b) most of the post-graduate students work full time; (c) the results from the factor analysis for the rating of statements concerning libraries as the chosen information source revealed more convenient service hours to be a representative statement. In view of this, clearly there is a demand for libraries to be open for longer in the evenings. Since the majority of the respondents indicated that the main type of library they use is an academic one, either at their home institution or at a different university, it is worth mentioning that all Greek academic libraries follow a standard half-day timetable of 9.00 to 14.30, 5 days per week (Monday to Friday). However, the accessibility of the academic libraries after midday varies among the universities and even among different faculties within the same university since they do not follow a common timetable, while the operational hours outside the usual timetable is determined by the university’s central administration. The opening of the academic libraries in the evenings and on Saturdays (all universities are closed on Sundays, as are their libraries) mainly depends on two factors: the availability of human resources and economic circumstances. Indeed, although academic libraries are able to support their operation with funding from the European Union—which, among other things, aims to ensure their ‘‘staffing with qualified library personnel’’ (Papazoglou & Semertzaki, 2001, p. 162)—in many cases, library budgets remain insufficient, resulting in a shortage of library personnel and, in some cases, a disruption in their hours of operation throughout the day and on Saturdays. In the case of public libraries, the State has a dominant role and is under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. However, a collective body made up of a board of directors is responsible for the monitoring and the co-ordination of

ARTICLE IN PRESS Post-graduate students and learning environments decision-making regarding public libraries’ hours of operation. The above also applies to research centers. In addition, the findings of this study revealed a general satisfaction with library services as a primary source of information and again this result is in accordance with previous research (Friedlander, 2002). Despite this, Tenopir (2003) reported that among students’ criticisms of the campus library were the lack of customer orientation and the shortage of knowledgeable librarians (p. 18). Therefore, given that (a) the lack of customer orientation should prompt a review of library performance (particularly academic ones) with the aim of providing better services and better organization that satisfy the needs of the customer, (b) students are usually the main users of the library facilities and thus the main customer, and (c) user satisfaction with academic libraries is based on two factors: resources and demeanor (Andaleeb & Simmonds, 1998, p. 163), the interplay between customers, librarian staff, organizational arrangements and services becomes more acute. The adoption of a more strategic orientation is the key to increasing the level of quality and growth and to maintaining user satisfaction. This demands more of a ‘‘customer first’’ approach. Despite the fact that user satisfaction depends largely on the resource strategy and the demeanor of the library staff, the library services provided are dependent on the time of day and the location (in contrast to the information source of Internet). Given that resources do not only refer to the size of a library’s connections (Andaleeb & Simmonds, 1998, p. 164) but also include the availability and the accessibility of information, a library’s hours of operation are crucially important for library user satisfaction and therefore should be adjusted as much as practically possible to meet the increasing information needs of the educational community, namely, to adopt a timetable that more closely coincides with the free time of its primary users. Moreover, since the concept of time was shown to be an important determinant in the selection of an information source, and also, prior knowledge and learning affects the time spent searching (Fenichel, 1981; Halttunen, 2003), librarians should have specialized knowledge and skills in assisting with information searches as an essential tool of their trade. Indeed, as Cader et al. (2006, p. 407) claimed ‘‘more guidance gathering was needed particularly in search strategies’’. The same researchers in their study found that, since students have difficulties in utilizing databases and accessing information, further help and guidance from both the academic and library staff is needed to allow students to develop their skills. Additionally, the provision of guidance and help to students in order to develop searching skills and the knowledge to assess information was also supported by Gannon-Leary et al. (2006). Furthermore, Morgan and Atkinson (2000) recognized that libraries, and especially academic libraries, should have staff who are also active researchers so that they are in a position to support students and help them to develop their information searching skills. In addition, Friedlander (2002) revealed that about 40% of the users are impeded by insufficient training in how to search for information (p. 5). Thus, this student training/ assistance which teaches them how to access information resources more easily and quickly promotes their effective use of the relevant information technologies, effectively

101 equipping them with the skills needed for life-long learning (Andaleeb & Simmonds, 1998; Branch, 2003; Cader et al., 2006; Charlton, Gittings, Leng, Little, & Neilson, 1999; Gannon-Leary et al., 2006; King, 2002; Morgan & Atkinson, 2000; Ray & Day, 1998). More online databases with high quality provision, off-campus access to Web-based databases (Bao, 2000; Herring, 2001; Kleiner & Hamaker, 1997; Tenopir, 2003) and, in particular, historical and statistical databases would also expand student resources, improve library performance and increase the learning level of the individual. Indeed, as Gannon-Leary et al. have concluded, ‘‘access to libraries and learning resources is still important for the students and a level of staff support is necessary and should be equitable for all students’’ (Gannon-Leary et al., 2006, p. 260). With reference to the Internet as a major information source, the respondents reported that there is a lack of awareness of the system-specific search skills required for digital libraries. This indication was also confirmed by another research study (Covi, 1999) regarding the use of digital libraries in university research practices in the USA. Furthermore, Liu and Huang (2005) revealed that the increasing awareness of the users through instructional programs and teaching will not only expand users’ knowledge of how to use Web-based information but also will assist users in their evaluation of Internet information. Moreover, Tenopir (2003) has indicated that the offering of resource guides and research tools would make information searches easier. Hence, the feedback from the Greek students is in accordance with other studies. Given that (a) in recent years the number of visits to a physical library has substantially reduced while the use of digital resources has increased (Tenopir, 2003) and (b) the greater variety of information together with the faster and easier access of information are the main factors that have contributed to the improvement of students’ careers (Ray & Day, 1998), then the appropriate provision of information and instructional programs concerning the use of digital libraries—perhaps through qualified librarians or specialists—would certainly facilitate access, to a substantial degree, not only to digital libraries but also to Internet-based information resources in general. Since a large number of post-graduate students (70%) used the HEAL as a major information source for their academic activities, providing access to more academic journals in different fields seems to be of crucial importance. Moreover, in HEAL most of the journals to which the students have access are recent volumes. For previous volumes the usual means of gaining access is to obtain a password through the institution reference desk, something which students are not usually provided with. Granting students access to previous volumes of academic journals could potentially yield significant improvements in the development of learning and research. Furthermore, to ensure access and availability of more online databases for longer periods of time would better serve users’ needs and is certainly ‘‘a responsibility of all academic libraries’’ (Tenopir & Read, 2000, p. 245). Indeed, the development of an Internet-assisted access system by academic institutions (Waldhart, Miller, & Chan, 2000) for using various methods of selecting resources would not only mean greater recognition of these highly valued information resources but

ARTICLE IN PRESS 102 would also build a better understanding of the significance of information and establish a firm basis for the life-long learning and development of the students. It must be recognized that this study has limitations and this subject warrants further investigation. The findings of this study cannot be used to generalize about the preferences of all Greek post-graduate students as it only analyzes a small sample from the Athens region. Thus, a wider sample from more academic institutions is required in order to investigate further the geographical and temporal convenience of accessing information. Given that this study provides potentially valuable insights into Greek postgraduate students’ preferences for information sources and does not attempt to determine how the choice of information source affects the whole education process, extended research into these factors would be interesting for the future. Further investigation into the relationship between the intensity of post-graduate programs and the students’ preference of information source should be made. An analysis of data from more academic institutions and of course a larger sample of students, as well as future studies to explore further the motivation for selecting and using a specific primary information source may be necessary, not only to confirm these results but also to explore at greater depth any variations in information source usage patterns among working students. The present study serves as a base line against which student’s choices of information sources could be measured and compared. An injection of investment in information sources, particularly in expanding the level of access to resources both in libraries and on the Internet, would improve the productivity of the learning experience for students; allow higher education to continue the process of inquiry and learning; accelerate development; and thus boost the economy.

Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank the editor and the anonymous referees for their useful comments that raised the quality of the paper.

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