Information Behaviour of International Students in the University of Ghana.

Abstract

As internationalization of higher education expands, host universities are compelled to recognize the pressing information needs of their international students who may have had differing educational backgrounds in order to provide satisfactory informational services throughout their stay in the host university. The study investigated the information seeking behaviour of international undergraduate students in the University of Ghana. The major areas that were looked into were the information needs of international undergraduate students, the channels through which they retrieved information and the challenges experienced when seeking information. The study applied a survey approach which included both quantitative and qualitative methods. The data collection tools were online questionnaire for the international undergraduate students and semi-structured interview with the Head of International Programmes Admissions Office (HIPO) at the University of Ghana. Evaluation of research methods, and consideration of ethical issues were observed to ensure validity and reliability of research findings. The quantitative data were collected through online questionnaire and were analysed using SPSS, while the qualitative data was analysed through the use of thematic content analysis. The overall response rate was 51.1% (86 out of 169 sample size). Wilson’s (1981) model of information behaviour was employed as the theoretical framework for the study. The findings of the study revealed that international postgraduate students had both academic and personal information needs at the host university. The study discovered registration process as the major academic need and accommodation as the major personal information need. The study revealed different sources of information used by surveyed students to satisfy their academic and personal information needs. The library resources and services were mentioned by 100% of the participants as the main source for their academic needs. The Internet was the most used source for both academic and personal purposes. The study also revealed problems related to English language proficiency and poor internet connectivity.