Relationship between information-seeking behavior and innovative behavior in Chinese nursing students

Background: In the information-based economy, information literacy has become the foundation of scientific literacy, and provides the basis for innovative growth. Exploring the relationship between information-seeking behaviors and innovative behaviors of nursing students could help guide the development of information literacy education and training for nursing students. The relationship between information-seeking behavior and innovative behavior in nursing students has received little attention, however.

Objective: This study aims to explore the relationship between information-seeking behavior and innovative behavior of nursing students.

Methods: Nursing students in Xiangya Medical School, Central South University and Medical School of Hunan Normal University in the Chinese Province of Hunan were surveyed with an information-seeking behavior scale and an innovative behavior scale.

Results: A total of 1247 nursing students were included in the final analysis. The results showed that both information-seeking behavior and innovative behavior were significantly better in undergraduates than in junior college nursing students (P < .01), and in postgraduates than in undergraduates (P < .01). The overall level of nursing students' information-seeking behavior was positively related to innovative behavior (r = 0.63, P < .01), and the 7 dimensions of information-seeking behavior were also correlated with innovative behavior in varying degrees. Furthermore, information utilization was proved to be the strongest predictor of innovative behavior.

Conclusion: Information-seeking behavior is positively associated with innovative behavior among nursing students. There is a need to integrate information literacy education with information retrieval courses, especially in the aspects of information utilization, retrieval, and assessment.