The aim of this master’s thesis is in part to investigate how pupils act and experience their information seeking in connection with a school task, and in part to identify which factors influence the information process. The essay’s theoretical framework is based upon Carol C. Kuhlthau’s model of the process of information seeking where actions, thoughts and feelings are regarded as integrated parts. Over and above these, we add a series of factors which influence pupils’ information seeking to this model. These factors are elucidated on the basis of earlier research, and we emphasize in particular the considerations of Louise Limberg and Mikael Alexandersson since they are contextualised in the school situation. Combined methods have been applied in this investigation. Through observation and interviews we have been able to explore how pupils set about seeking for information, and by interviewing we have reflected upon the pupils’ experiences of information seeking. Through observation and interviews we have even attempted to clarify what affects pupils’ information seeking. Our main result shows that there are variations among pupils’ information seeking and even how they experience this process. The different styles of seeking are mirrored in their actions, thoughts and emotions. One conclusion that can be drawn from our result is that pupils require supervision, support and understanding of the tension that can often occur in relation to seeking information. Another conclusion is that pupils who cooperate with one another experience fewer episodes of tension and that information seeking is perceived to be easier and learning more pleasurable. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The purpose of this essay is to explore how students in secondary school seek out and use information. More specifically, the essay examines how the search and use of information differs between students working in groups and students working independently. The essay draws on in-depth interviews with six students. Two different theories are used to analyse the transcripts from the interviews. The first theory consists of Carol Kuhlthau’s six different stages showing how the students’ feelings, emotions and actions change during the information seeking process. The second theory is Louise Limberg’s category describing the different approaches to information seeking among students in secondary school. The analysis of the results shows that the interviewed can be contained in Limberg’s category A. This means that the students lack knowledge when they search for and use information. Even students who are working together lack knowledge in this. However, the students are rather good at evaluating the information. At the same time, many of the interviewed did not feel confident during the process of information seeking. To obtain help in searching for information, the students use their supervisor (teacher) rather than the librarian. The conclusion is that the method of working in groups should be changed and students can learn to work together in groups if the teacher takes a more active role during the process and help the students to work together. They also need more help from their teachers in processing and evaluating information and the students also need more help from the librarian in searching for information.

The aim of this study is to ascertain where pupils in primaryschool search for information when they have a specific question to answer. I also question how they explain their choice, how they perceive the results of their search process and what perceptions librarian and teachers hold regarding students' informationretrieval. I focus in particular on how the pupils’ made their choice: nonfiction books contra the Internet in order to discover whether orn ot Internet has, by and large, replaced nonfiction books for pupils.The empirical data was collected through interviews with fourpupils, their teacher and their school librarian. The material has beenanalysed and interpreted based upon Carol C. Kuhlthaus´ teachingmodel and previous research. The results of my study indicate that nonfiction books have lost theirr elevance in terms of pupils' information retrieval. Pupils’ firstchoice when searching for information is Internet. Howevernonfiction material has still an important role to play. Many slowreaders or readers who are generally uninterested in reading fiction choose to read nonfiction for pleasure. Reading nonfiction also improves reading skills and in particular reading comprehension. Moreover all pupils must learn how to read for information and to understand what they are reading before they are able to navigate the more advanced texts used on Internet. Thereby it is possible to explain a demand for well written nonfiction literature both now and in the future.