International students' acculturation information seeking: Personality, information needs and uses

Abstract

As part of a larger study on acculturation information seeking (AIS), this poster presents preliminary findings of a survey of 188 international students in the United States. The study surveyed the types of information needs related to academic and everyday life, those that were challenging to fulfill, and the sources used for AIS. Using the Big Five Inventory, the study also tested the relationship between AIS and personality. Findings show that individuals with different personality traits viewed different needs (e.g., health, legal information) as challenging. Similarly, respondents with certain traits favored certain sources that were seldom used by others (e.g., those with high openness use social Q&A sites more frequently). Recommendations for better sharing of acculturation information are discussed.