Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The researcher wished to ascertain what challenges mature, part-time, postgraduate Masters students faced. The research project focussed on the challenges faced by mature, part-time, postgraduate Masters students, in particular those challenges concerning their higher education institution. The interview schedule questions were based on the main challenging domains as revealed in the literature review. The researcher also gave the students the opportunity to voice any other challenges/support that was not covered in the interview schedule. The interview schedule was used at the face-to-face interviews and e-mailed to students that were unable to have interviews. The researcher used Qualitative Research Design so she could elicit verbal/written, descriptive accounts of students' experiences of challenges and support at their higher education institution. The focus points allowed the researcher to gather much information with regard to the support the students got in the challenging domains namely; Home, Family, Work, Colleagues, Social, Financial, Institution and any Other Challenges/Support. The mature, part-time, postgraduate Masters students felt they needed more support in various areas as well as from their institution of higher education. The researcher's aim is to bring the challenging domains and findings to the attention of those concerned with student support and recommend some support measures that could be adopted. Further research topics were also put forward. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit was die navorser se wens om te bepaal watter uitdagings volwasse, deeltydse, nagraadse Meestersgraad studente in die gesig staar. Die navorsingsprojek het gefokus op die uitdagings wat ondervind word deur volwasse, deeltydse, nagraadse Meestersgraad studente veral uitdagings aangaande hoër opvoedkundige instellings. Die onderhoud skedule vrae is gebaseer op die hoof uitdagende areas soos getoon in die Literatuur Oorsig. Die navorser het ook die studente 'n geleentheid gegee om enige ander uitdagings of vorme van ondersteuning te noem wat nie in die onderhoud skedule gedek is nie. Die onderhoud skedule is gebruik in persoonlike onderhoude wat ook ge-epos is aan studente wat nie die onderhoude kon bywoon nie. Daar is gebruik gemaak van Kwalitatiewe Navorsing sodat die navorser die nodige verbale/geskrewe, beskrywings van die studente se ervarings, uitdagings en ondersteuning by die hoër opvoedkundige instellings kon bestudeer. Die fokuspunte het die navorser toegelaat om baie informasie met betrekking tot die ondersteuning wat studente gekry het in uitdagende areas bv. Huis, Familie, Werk, Kollegas, Sosiale, Finansiële, Instelling en enige ander uitdagings/ondersteuning te verkry. Die volwasse, deeltydse, nagraadse Meestergraad studente het gevoel dat hul meer ondersteuning benodig in verskeie areas sowel as van hul hoër opvoedkundige instelling. Die navorser se doel is om uitdagende areas en bevindings onder die aandag van diegene betrokke in die ondersteuning van studente te bring, en sommige meganismes wat as ondersteuning kan bied aan te beveel. Verdere navorsingsonderwerpe is ook na vore gebring.

Text in English, with abstracts and keywords in English, Zulu and Afrikaans / This qualitative study investigated the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of doctoral students who use smartphones or tablets for learning. Fifteen doctoral students who are registered at the University of Cape Coast were interviewed. Ellis’s (1989) model of information-seeking behaviour guided the study and supported the researcher in developing a model that could be used to acquire an understanding of how mobile technologies influence information needs and information-seeking behaviour. Two contexts influence the participants’ information needs and information-seeking behaviour, namely, the academic context and their everyday life contexts. The interplay between the elements of the context in which participants find themselves and their mental structures appear to influence their information needs and information-seeking behaviour. Most of the participating students do not seem to have the required information literacy skills to seek information in an online environment. The contextual elements that appear to influence the participants’ information needs and searching behaviour include situations in action, academic tasks and information resources. The ability to connect to the Internet and retrieve online sources of information proved to be important. The participants use the mobile devices to retrieve information from the Internet and in some instances from the university library’s resources. Certain device-related characteristics, such as small screens, limited memory space and short battery lifespan, seem to affect the usefulness of mobile devices for information-seeking purposes. The cost of data and an inability to connect to the Internet, due to disruptions in network signals and a lack of Wi-Fi infrastructure, also curb the use of mobile devices. WhatsApp not only provides the participants with the means to share information and discuss their academic tasks, but it also makes collaboration and group work possible. Some of the students lack the required information literacy skills to make optimal use of the library’s resources. Therefore, it would be prudent for the university to include information literacy skills training in the curricula for all levels of study. This requirement should also include doctoral students who have not previously completed an information literacy course. / Lolu cwaningo lohlelo olugxile kwingxoxo beluphenya izidingo zolwazi kanye nezenzo zokucinga ulwazi lwabafundi abakwiziqu zesibili abasebenzisa ama-smartphones noma ama-tablets ukufunda. Abafundi abayishumi nanhlanu abasezingeni leziqu zesibili abazibhalise kwi-University of Cape Coast bebehlolwa ngokwezimvo. Imodeli ka-Ellis (1989) yezenzo ezihlose ukufumana ulwazi ihole ucwaningo futhi yaxhasa umcwaningi ekuthuthukisweni kwemodeli engasetshenziswa ukuthola ulwazi olumayelana nokuthi ngabe izinhlelo zobuchwepheshe be-inthanethi yefowunu zithinta kanjani izidingo zolwazi kanye nezenzo ezihlose ukuthola ulwazi. Izizinda ezimbili zinomthelela phezu kolwazi lwabadlalindima kanye nokuziphatha okuhlose ukuthola ulwazi, zona yilezi yisizinda sezemfundo kanye nezizinda ezimayelana nempilo yabo yansuku zonke. Ukuhlangana phakathi kwezinhlaka ezimayelana nesizinda abadlalindima abazithola ngaphakathi kwaso kanye nokuhleleka kwemiqondo yabo kubonakala kunomthelela phezu kwezidingo zabo zolwazi kanye nokuziphatha okuhlose ukuthola ulwazi. Iningi labafundi abadlala indima alibonakali lifuna amakhono olwazi lokufunda ukuze bacinge ulwazi kwisizinda kwu-inthanethi. Izinhlaka zesizinda ezibonakala zithinta izidingo zolwazi lwabadlalindima kanye nezenzo zokusesha zifaka izimo kwimisebenzi yezenzo zemfundo kanye nemithombo yolwazi. Ikhono lokuxhumanisa i-inthanethi kanye nokuvumbulula imithombo ye-inthanethi kukhombisa kusemqoka kakhulu. Abadlalindima basebenzisa izixhobo zomakhalekhukhwini ukulandelela ulwazi ku Inthanethi, kanti kwezinye izimo, ukuthola ulwazi kwimithombo eyithala lezincwadi yasenyuvesi. Yize-kunjalo, izimpawu ezithile ezihlobene nezixhobo, ezingamasikirini amancane, isikhala esincane sokugcina ulwazi kanye nempilo emfushane yebhediri, kubonakala kuthinta izinga lokusebenziseka kwezixhobo ezingomakhalekhukhwini ngezinhloso zokucinga ulwazi. Izindleko zedatha kanye nokungakwazi ukuxhumana nge Inthanethi ngenxa yokuphazamiseka kwamasiginali obuxhakaxhaka benediweki kanye nokwentuleka kwengqalasizinda ye Wi-Fi kanti futhi nokuvimbela ukusetshenziswa kwezixhobo ezingomakhalekhukhwini. Uhlelo lwe-WhatsApp aluhlinzeka kuphela abadlalindima ngamasu okuphana ngolwazi kanye nokuxoxa ngemisebenzi yezemfundo, kanti futhi yenza ukuthi kube nokusebenzisana kanye nokuthi iqembu likwazi ukusebenza. Abanye babafundi baswela amakhono wokufunda adingekayo ukuze bakwazi ukusebenzisa ngokusezingeni eliphezulu kwemithombo yethala lezincwadi. Ngakho-ke, bekungaba kuhle kwinyuvesi ukuthi izinhlelo zokuqeqesha mayelana namakhono olwazi lokufunda kwikharikhulamu yawo wonke amazing ocwaningo. Lezi zinhlelo ezifunekayo kufanele futhi zisebenze kubafundi beziqu zesibili abangakaze esikahthini esedlule baphothule isifundo sokuthola ulwazi. / Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie het ondersoek ingestel na die inligtingsbehoeftes en inligtingsoekgedrag van doktorale studente wat slimfone of tablette vir hul studie gebruik. Onderhoude is gevoer met vyftien doktorale studente wat by die University of Cape Coast geregistreer is. Ellis (1989) se model van inligtingsoekgedrag het die studie gerig en het die navorser ondersteun in die ontwikkeling van ’n model wat gebruik kan word om ’n begrip te vorm van hoe mobiele tegnologieë inligtingsbehoeftes en inligtingsoekgedrag beïnvloed. Twee kontekste affekteer die deelnemers se inligtingsbehoeftes en inligtingsoekgedrag, naamlik die akademiese konteks en die konteks van hul daaglikse lewe. Dit wil voorkom of die wisselwerking tussen die elemente van die konteks waarin deelnemers hulself bevind, asook hul verstandelike strukture, hul inligtingsbehoeftes en inligtingsoekgedrag beïnvloed. Die meeste van die deelnemende studente beskik klaarblyklik nie oor die nodige inligtingsgeletterdheidsvaardighede om in ’n aanlyn omgewing vir inligting te soek nie. Die kontekstuele elemente wat skynbaar die deelnemers se inligtingsbehoeftes en -soekgedrag beïnvloed, sluit situasies in aksie- akademiese take en inligtingshulpbronne in. Daar is bevind dat die vermoë om tot die internet te koppel en aanlyn inligtingsbronne te verkry, belangrik is. Die deelnemers gebruik die mobiele apparate om inligting van die internet, en in sommige gevalle, van die universiteit se biblioteekhulpbronne te verkry. Sommige apparaatkenmerke soos klein skerms, beperkte geheuespasie en kort batterylewe blyk ‘n uitwerking op die bruikbaarheid van mobiele apparate vir inligtingsoekdoeleindes te hê. Die koste van data en ’n onvermoë om tot die internet te koppel vanweë onderbrekings in netwerksein en ’n gebrek aan Wi-Fi infrastruktuur belemmer ook die gebruik van mobiele apparate. WhatsApp bied nie net aan die deelnemers ’n manier om inligting te deel en hul akademiese take te bespreek nie; dit maak ook samewerking en groepwerk moontlik. Sommige van die studente beskik nie oor die nodige inligtingsgeletterdheidvaardighede om die biblioteek se hulpbronne optimaal te kan benut nie. Daarom sal dit wys wees as die universiteit opleiding in inligtingsgeletterdheidvaardighede in die kurrikula vir alle studievlakke insluit. Hierdie vereiste moet ook geld vir nagraadse studente wat nie vantevore ’n kursus in inligtingsgeletterdheid voltooi het nie. / Information Science / D. Litt et Phil. (Information Science)