Using IT for Information Seeking Behavior: Viewpoints of University Physical Education Instructors

Aim: This study investigated physical education (PE) instructors' attitudes and practices of information technology (IT) for information-seeking behavior (ISB). Method: This cross-sectional study carried on eighty-eight PE instructors from three universities. The ۳۶-item online questionnaire was designed electronically for measuring instructors' attitudes, IT use for ISB, and information-seeking (IS) methods. The analyses conducted for descriptive statistics involved reporting response frequency, percentages, means, and standard deviations for the attitude sections. Mean scores for attitude and use factors were used to conduct a two-tailed Pearson correlation analysis. SPSS-۲۳ was used for analysis. Results: The findings indicated that participants generally had positive attitudes about technology use for ISB. Significant relationship exists between participants' perceptions of relevance/importance of IT use for IS (r = .۵۶۵, p < .۰۱). Also, a positive correlation was found between instructors' perceptions of relevance/importance of IT and physical instructors' IS methods (r = .۵۳۶, p < .۰۱). Conclusion: Based on the current study, physical instructors may be willing to apply IT for IS if given opportunities to participate in searching databases workshops and practice and utilize appropriate information resources.

Keywords:

Physical education , Information-seeking behavior , Information technology