Factors Affecting Information Seeking and Evaluation in a Distributed Learning Environment

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the processes of seeking information online and evaluating this information. We hypothesized that individuals’ social network, in-out group categorization, and cultural proclivity would influence their online information-seeking behavior. Also, we tested whether individuals differentiated information values based on the information source. A total of 78 students from two universities in different geographical regions of Singapore participated in a collaborative information-seeking exercise using a computer-mediated collaborative system. The information-seeking data were analyzed with multivariate p* network analysis. The findings of this study showed that interpersonal social networks, in-out group distinctions, and individuals’ cultural proclivity significantly affected the information exchange process between different groups. However, it was found that individuals did not differentiate the values of information according to whether the source of the information was within their social network or school.