Author : Peymon Montazeri
Peers are an essential part of any community. In doctoral studies, they can alleviate the challenges associated with pursuing a doctorate by providing information that supports academic progress. While prior research has examined peer interactions in structured environments, less is known about their behavior in unstructured settings.
A particular gap in the literature concerns the rationale behind choosing peers as sources of information in these contexts. This study addressed that gap by exploring information seeking and sharing among peers in unstructured environments.
Using a qualitative approach, it identified several influential factors related to the environment (e.g. access, resource availability) and the student involved (e.g. trust, convenience, desire to help, perceived competence, sense of obligation or giving back).
These led to the creation of the Doctoral Peer Information Behavior (DPIB) model. The findings further highlight the importance of peers in doctoral education. Institutions are encouraged to create opportunities for peer interaction, while students may benefit from becoming aware of their own information behavior and intentionally planning such interactions.
URL : Information seeking and sharing among doctoral peers: A model of influencing factors