Information needs of international students at a Malaysian University

Safahieh, Hajar; Singh, Diljit

dc.contributor.author	Safahieh, Hajar
dc.contributor.author	Singh, Diljit
dc.contributor.editor	Khoo, C.	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	Singh, D.	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	Chaudhry, A.S.	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2007-05-26T00:00:01Z
dc.date.available	2010-06-18T23:24:17Z
dc.date.issued	2006	en_US
dc.date.submitted	2007-05-26	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Information needs of international students at a Malaysian University 2006, :479-485	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10150/105363
dc.description.abstract	The number of students studying away from their home countries is increasing. These students face various challenges when studying abroad, including meeting their information needs. This study investigated the information needs of international students at the University of Malaya. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to 70 students, of whom 54 (77.1%) responded. It was found the main information needs were related to the university, the faculty, and their programs of study. The students used the library in attempting to meet their information needs, although the frequency of library usage was generally low. The main barriers in seeking information were language related, and unfamiliarity with the library or-ganization and mission. Language proficiency appeared to be a barrier in being able to meet the information needs. Although the majority of the students considered themselves to be computer and Internet literate, but that did not have a relationship on the problems they faced in meeting the information needs.
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en_US
dc.language.iso	en	en_US
dc.publisher	School of Communication & Information, Nanyang Technological University	en_US
dc.subject	Information Seeking Behaviors	en_US
dc.subject.other	information needs	en_US
dc.subject.other	international students	en_US
dc.subject.other	Malaysia	en_US
dc.title	Information needs of international students at a Malaysian University	en_US
dc.type	Conference Paper	en_US
refterms.dateFOA	2018-06-29T23:57:07Z
html.description.abstract	The number of students studying away from their home countries is increasing. These students face various challenges when studying abroad, including meeting their information needs. This study investigated the information needs of international students at the University of Malaya. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to 70 students, of whom 54 (77.1%) responded. It was found the main information needs were related to the university, the faculty, and their programs of study. The students used the library in attempting to meet their information needs, although the frequency of library usage was generally low. The main barriers in seeking information were language related, and unfamiliarity with the library or-ganization and mission. Language proficiency appeared to be a barrier in being able to meet the information needs. Although the majority of the students considered themselves to be computer and Internet literate, but that did not have a relationship on the problems they faced in meeting the information needs.