Information-seeking behaviour and academic success in higher education: Which search strategies matter for grade differences among university students and how does this relevance differ by field of study?

• Published in: Higher education Vol. 77; no. 4; pp. 657 - 678
• Main Authors: Weber, Hannes, Becker, Dominik, Hillmert, Steffen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.04.2019; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Analysis; Behavior; Classification; Cognitive style; College students; Colleges & universities; Correlation; Education; Educational aspects; Educational research; Elementary school students; Foreign Countries; Grades (Scholastic); Higher Education; Homework; Humanities; Information; Information Literacy; Information Seeking; Information seeking behavior; Information Skills; Internet; Learning; Literacy; Literacy skills; Online Searching; Online Surveys; Predictor Variables; Search Strategies; Skills; Students; Technology application; Tests; Undergraduate Students; Units of Study; Germany; Learning environments; Approaches to learning; Information literacy skills; Achievement; Higher education; Information-seeking behaviour
• ISSN: 0018-1560; 1573-174X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10734-018-0296-4

Today, most college students use the Internet when preparing for exams or homework. Yet, research has shown that undergraduates' information literacy skills are often insufficient. In this paper, we empirically test the relation between informationseeking strategies and grades in university. We synthesise arguments from the literature on information-seeking behaviour and approaches to learning in tertiary education. Building on the distinction between deep- and surface-level learning, we develop a classification of online search strategies and contrast it with traditional information behaviour. Multivariate analyses using a two-wave online survey among undergraduate students at a German university indicate that using advanced online informationseeking strategies is a significant and robust predictor of better grades. However, there are notable differences between subject groups: Traditional information behaviour is still crucial in the humanities. Advanced search strategies are beneficial in all settings, but only one in four students uses these early on, while this share increases to around 50% over the course of studies.