Information seeking behavior of agricultural professionals from developing countries in South Korea
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47989/ir31iConf64135Keywords:
Information needs, Information seeking behavior, Agricultural professionals, Developing CountriesAbstract
Introduction. This study investigates the information seeking behavior (ISB) of agricultural professionals from developing countries in South Korea. Anchored in Leckie, Pettigrew, and Sylvain’s (1996) professional ISB model, it examines how roles, tasks, and contextual factors shape information needs, source awareness, and use outcomes.
Method. A qualitative design was employed, using semi-structured interviews with ten professionals from government agricultural agencies on study leave in South Korea. Participants represented extension, research, laboratory services, policy, education, and specialized production.
Analysis. Transcripts were thematically coded following Strauss and Corbin, with categories mapped to the six components of the Leckie et al.’s (1996) model. Comparative analysis highlighted recurring patterns and contextual variations.
Results. Information needs varied by role: extension workers required technical packages; researchers, precise standards, and datasets; educators, pedagogically validated materials; policymakers, authoritative frameworks; and specialists, scientific and local knowledge. Formal sources (bulletins, standards, literature) and informal channels (colleagues, networks, digital tools) were both critical. Exposure to South Korea’s infrastructures expanded participants’ awareness of alternative systems.
Conclusion(s). The study extends Leckie et al.’s model by showing how infrastructural constraints and cross-border experiences condition ISB, with implications for designing user-centered, context-sensitive systems.
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