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ERIC Number: EJ1378820
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1066-8926
EISSN: EISSN-1521-0413
Finding the Answers: Community College Students' Non-Academic Information Behaviors
Terrile, Vikki C.
Community College Journal of Research and Practice, v47 n3 p165-182 2023
While limited research on the information behaviors of community college students exists, the theories of Elfreda Chatman have not been used to develop understanding of this population. Community college students are more likely to be people of color and/or lower income than their peers in four-year colleges, making them potentially more likely to experience information poverty. This study explored if and how Chatman's theories explain the information behaviors of students at a highly diverse, urban community college. Thirteen students were interviewed using open-ended, qualitative prompts to describe their information seeking and use as it pertains to their college experiences, specifically advisement, financial aid, and understanding course requirements. Students indicated that they used interpersonal and online resources in some combination for all of their information needs for school and in everyday life. The students did not describe the information poverty theorized in many of Chatman's studies. However, it became clear from their responses that the students' information seeking and use, as well as their understanding of their own information behaviors, support a view of the community college as a small world that privileges information seeking as a normative behavior.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York (New York)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A