The Relationship between Student's Epistemic Beliefs and Information Behavior

Epistemic beliefs imply individuals’ beliefs about knowledge and knowing. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between student's epistemic beliefs (EBs) and their information behavior (IB).

This research was an applied survey. The research population included all 19965 students enrolled in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad during the academic year of 2010-2011. By using relative stratified random sampling, 364 students were selected as the study sample. They completed an "epistemic beliefs inventory" for measuring their epistemic beliefs and an "information behavior questionnaire" for measuring their information behavior.

Student's EBs were significantly different in terms of their gender and academic levels. Student's EBs significantly correlated their IB. Those with high level EBs had more self-efficacy in information environment than those with low level EBs. In relation to previous researches, the findings confirmed that instructing and reference librarians and information system designer should take these beliefs into account for improving information behavior.