Developing scales for information‐seeking behaviour

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to describe the development of an instrument designed to measure information‐seeking behaviour of undergraduate students during study assignments. Design/methodology/approach – Literature research, internal consistency and reliability computed with Cronbach's Alpha ( α ), Factor Analyses with Varimax rotation, and item response theory form the approach to examining the subject. Findings – Four scales were found within a 46‐item survey on information‐seeking behaviour: a ten‐item scale for applying search strategies ( α =0.68), a 14‐item scale for evaluating information ( α =0.74), a six‐item scale for referring to information ( α =0.81) and a 12‐item scale for regulation activities when seeking information ( α =0.75). Originality/value – The four scales for information‐seeking behaviour can be used to monitor and evaluate this behaviour of students in higher education.