University Students' Understanding of Information Media in Learning: A Focus on the Decision-making for Selection

Purpose: This study focused on the concept of information media, which includes the social and cultural meaning of information mediating entities for users, to explain complex information behaviors. Information behavior is attempted to be understood from the perspective of individual cognition in this study, and it is treated as a dynamic interaction between information media and people. This study aims to clarify the actors' understanding of these information media on their information behavior in learning. To examine sense-making in detail, we focus on the circumstances of actors' selecting information media and organize their consideration of factors for their selections. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted on 18 first-year university students; they were asked about their learning and information media use. In this paper, the information behavior for assignment and examination were analyzed. Results: The participants chose information media based on two factors: whether it conformed to the teacher's instructions and whether it was trustworthy. The students' trustworthiness judgments were based on their experiences and past education or were informed via the media's reputation as earned from others. After satisfying the above assumptions, "convenience" will also be considered, given that previous studies have identified it as the main criterion for selecting information media.