Exploring the influencing factors of undergraduate students’ academic digital hoarding behavior based on grounded theory

Purpose This study aims to investigate the influencing factors underlying academic digital hoarding behavior (ADHB) among undergraduate students, which provides theoretical guidance for optimizing undergraduate students’ personal academic information management practices. Design/methodology/approach Based on the grounded theory, this study employed a qualitative exploratory approach and collected data through semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed by open coding, axial coding and selective coding to identify the main influencing factors of undergraduate students’ ADHB. Findings This study identifies the internal and external influencing factors of undergraduate students’ ADHB. Specifically, internal factors include personal characteristic factors (personality, values, digital literacy and lifestyle) and personal psychological factors (perception, emotion and motivation), whereas external factors include digital academic information factors (quality characteristic and quantity characteristic) and environmental factors (task situation, technological condition and social influence). Originality/value This study advances scholarly understanding of individuals’ hoarding behavior by investigating the drivers of undergraduate students’ ADHB. It enriches research on digital hoarding behavior and personal information management.