Utilizing grounded theory to explore the information seeking behavior of senior nursing students
Date
2012
Authors
Duncan, Vicky
Holtslander, Lorraine
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Publisher
Medical Library Association
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Article
Refereed Paper
Review
Refereed Paper
Review
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Abstract
Background: The ability to find and retrieve
information efficiently is an important skill for
undergraduate nursing students. Yet a number of
studies reveal that nursing students are not confident
in their library searching skills and encounter barriers
to retrieving relevant information for assignments.
Objectives: This grounded theory study examined
strategies used by students to locate information for
class assignments and identified barriers to their
success.
Methods: Purposive sampling was used to recruit
eleven students, who were asked to record their
searching processes while completing a class
assignment, and semi-structured, open-ended,
audiotaped interviews took place to discuss the
students'journals and solicit additional data.
Methods of information seeking, strategies used to
find information, and barriers to searching were
identified.
Results: Students' main concern was frustration
caused by the challenge of choosing appropriate
words or phrases to query databases. The central
theme that united all categories and explained most of
the variation among the data was "discovering
vocabulary."
Conclusions: Teaching strategies to identify possible
words and phrases to use when querying information
sources should be emphasized more in the
information literacy training of undergraduate
nursing students
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Citation
J Med Library Assoc., 2012 January; 100 (1): 20-27
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DOI
10.3163/1536-5050.100.1.005