Analysis Of Graduate Students\' Personal Knowledge, Searching Proficiency And Data Base Use For Research

Abstract

The focus of this study is the relationship between personal knowledge in a discipline and searching proficiency in that discipline and database search. Over a period of time 64 students solved problems in four discipline, education, library science, chemistry and biology (with and without assistance from a factual database in the relevant discipline). There was little evidence of any relationship between personal domain knowledge and searching proficiency such as search results, selection of search terms, improvement in selection of search terms over the course of the search, and efficiency). Search results were found to be related to database-assisted problem-solving performance. Analysis showed that personal knowledge has little relationship with searching proficiency, and that some aspects of searching proficiency are closely related to database assisted problem solving.

Global Journal for Educational Research Vol. 6 (1&2) 2007: pp. 19-24