A Study In Information Seeking And Use Behaviors Of Resident Students And Non- Resident Students In Indonesian Tertiary Education

Employing the sense - Making approach and the Micro-moment Time Line interview,the information seeking and this study was intended to tap use behav iors of resident and non-resident university students in Indonesia. Twelve variables were investigated: (1) the range of students questions (description, nature, and focus of question; (2) the expected and actual uses of answers; (3) the strategies employed to get answers; (4) the sources used for getting answers; (5) the reasons for not actively trying to get answers; (6) hether or not the questions were answered; (7) the time for obtaining answers; (8) the degree of being active; (9) the effort expended to get answers; (10) the perceived importance in getting answers; (11) the perceived completeness of the answers; and (12) helpfulness of the answers. Failure analysis of students ' problems when their questions rema·ned unanswered was also performed. The data were gathered from 69 resident and 76 nonresident university tudents in Jakarta and Ujung Pandang, Indonesia. The resu~ts were responses to 1072 questions. The analysis was donJ using content analysis and descriptive statistical analysis. The findings indicate that there are similarities and differences in the information seeking and use behaviors of the two university student groups in academic and bureaucratic situati Ins. In academic situations, both student groups reported concerns with academic support, and also problems in understanding the course content and in studying independently. In bureaucratic situations, both student groups reported problems in finding directions and understanding the registration procedures, grading system, and academic regulations and procedures. A notable concern about the availability and distribution of instructional materials and other forms was reported by non- resident students. Furthermore, both student groups reported feelings of inadequacy about themselves, their academic ability, and their i r formation seeking strategies. Also, students' reliance o r friends and institutional personnel as information sources was noted . Based on the findings, recommendations are offered to educators, administr tors, and information system designers to serve as rk in designing and improving the information systems in both conventional and distance education university particularly in limitations of the Jtudy are dtscussed, Indonesia. Some and further studies that would yield mor generalizable results are also recommended