Information seeking behavior among undergraduate programming learners

Abstract

This research attempts to discover the information seeking behavior among undergraduate programming learners. This study investigates the specific issues regarding the seeking process including types of resources and the most preferred resource, challenges in the seeking process, and the ways students benefit from the seeking process and develop their seeking skills. Respondents must fulfill some criteria namely completing all programming subjects and gaining experience in practical training. A total number of 7 respondents consisting of 3 males and 4 females were interviewed using a semi-structured interview. The interview was recorded and transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. The analysis was conducted using Atlas.ti software. The results identified 3 factors that contribute to the students’ seeking process; basic learning in class, integration of different languages into a project, and language update. The types of resources used by the students are online resource, people and the library. Online resource has become the most preferred resource among the students to seek information because of its huge resource, fast return of the results, availability, easy access, interactive interface and nature of programming work. Female students used the library resource compared to male students who have never used the indicated resource for programming purposes. In terms of the second resource, people, this study found out that a new type of individual, that is the ‘user’, gives an impact on the seeking process carried out by programming students. A list of challenges faced by the students during the seeking process was identified. KICT students develop their seeking skills through self-learning, learning from others, and the subjects taught in class. A suggestion was given to the library as an information service provider to ensure that it is able to utilize its resources and serve the users based on their necessities. Lecturers are encouraged to gain a better understanding of the students’ preferences for information seeking. Lastly, administration can provide better support to help students conduct the seeking process especially on physical infrastructure.