Information searching and commitment strategies of maritime faculty students on the web

Abstract

Although searching for information in an electronic environment is generally seen as an efficient and easy process, accessing the desired information within the breadth of data available on the web can be a complex and difficult process. For students preparing for a life at sea, it is important to establish and determine the appropriate strategies for accessing and interpreting information on the web, as their ability to perform such tasks quickly and effectively is vital for their success in this particular sector. In this study, the information searching and commitment strategies of students studying in the maritime faculty of a Turkish state university in the 2018-2019 academic year were examined. The study determined that students generally use advanced searching strategies, explicit components instead of more implicit components, and simple searching strategies instead of advanced searching strategies. Further, students in the department of Marine Transportation used more varied searching strategies on the web than those in the department of Marine Management. Possessing higher levels of computer skills was found to be more significant than computer or smart phone usage times in determining more advanced searching strategies. The results highlight the importance of educating students in order to gain awareness of how to organize information and identify appropriate content alongside teaching them how to access and use the information and scientific data they are looking for.