Information is documented as data value in planning, decision making and evaluation of any programme, therefore any informed decision would be based on the kind of information that the decision maker has. Information seeking behaviour can be described as an individual’s manner of gathering and sourcing information for personal use, knowledge update and development. In the light of this Information, this study examined the information seeking behaviour of postgraduate students at the University of Fort Hare and Rhodes University. The study went further to understand the impact the introduction of new technology has on postgraduate students’ information seeking behaviour. The study was limited to postgraduate students in the faculties of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education at the University of Fort Hare and Rhodes University. These disciplines were selected because of Whitemire (2002:637)’s opinion that students studying humanities, social sciences and education carry out more information seeking activities than students studying hard sciences such as Mathematics and other Natural Sciences. The aim of the study was to establish how postgraduate students seek and gather information for academic use. The objectives of the study were as follows: to find out information sources that postgraduate students value the most and determine where they find such resources; to identify the activities postgraduate students engage in when seeking for information; to establish the factors which influence postgraduate students information seeking behaviour and to determine methods that postgraduate students use to obtain relevant information. Both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies were employed in a survey. The main research instrument was a questionnaire supported by focus groups and face to face interviews. The results showed that postgraduate students utilised different sources of information when seeking information for academic use. Internet usage however was established as the information source that postgraduate students valued and relied on most. Few respondents indicated that they still visited the library and browsed the shelves and found information that met their needs in books. Reports on consulting librarians for help were low. Although the study was not on information seeking behaviour and age, the researcher noticed that mature students did not make use of information technologies effectively and also called themselves “Born Before Technology” generation. The study also established that postgraduate student’s preferred or conveniently accessed Internet and other electronic sources of information in the libraries, even though the two Universities have postgraduate computer laboratories and students could also access electronic sources of information at their residences through wireless connection. The researcher also noted that postgraduate students relied more on lecturers and supervisors for the choice of information sources, rather than independently searching to find the most appropriate documents to use. Postgraduate students used keywords to obtain relevant information when searching electronic sources. The respondents strongly agreed that they felt frustrated, confused, disappointed and demotivated if they did not find relevant information for their searches. This validates Kuhlthau (1991)’s Information Seeking Process model (ISP) as it not only focuses on the information seeking process, but also on emotions, thoughts and expressions of the user when searching information. The study recommends the following: optional computer literacy programmes for postgraduate students, extended library orientation for postgraduate students, mentorship programmes, extended information literacy programmes, appointment of research and subject librarians as well as more faculty librarians and improvement in library marketing.

Thesis (M.A. (Information Studies)) --University of Limpopo, 2018 / A large number of first year entering undergraduate students at tertiary institutions at Tshwane University of Technology lack skills and competencies for accessing relevant academic information for their assignments and other academic projects they are engaged in. To overcome this problem academic libraries at this institution organise Information Literacy Training Programme (ILTP) to equip students with such skills and competencies. This research investigated if there is any impact that ILTP has among first year entering undergraduate students attached to the Faculties of Humanities and Management Science, who have attended this programme at Tshwane University of Technology, at Polokwane campus. The study adopted both quantitative and qualitative research approaches through a questionnaire and focus group interview respectively to measure the information literacy skills and competencies of first year entering students before and after t attending ILITP.The study sought to measure (a) Students’ perception of information literacy; (b) Students’ ability to use library resources; (c) Students familiarity with different library resources before and after attendance of the programme. The study found that most of the first entering students had a different perception of information literacy. Furthermore, the student’s abilities to use library resources and their familiarity with library resources were very little before they attended the programme. It was only after they attended the programme that they were familiar with some of the library resources and their abilities to use those resources improved. Therefore this study discovered that ILTP has a positive impact of the academic success and performance of first entering students, even though it is minimal.The study recommends that information literacy education for students should be continuous so that students should not lose focus of what they have learnt in the formal Information Literacy Training Programmes. Furthermore, teaching of information literacy should be compulsory to all first year entering students across all faculties offered at Tshwane University of Technology and this will attach some form of accreditation to them to encourage participation.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / This study investigates the effectiveness of the information literacy education that Master of Business Administration (MBA) students receive at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB). The literature reveals that there is a growing trend worldwide to extend information literacy education to include graduate students. The study uses the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education Competencies as the theoretical framework together with Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process. Both process and formative evaluation was used in the study. A mixed method approach was applied to gather data for the study using a pre- and post-information literacy questionnaire, interviews with the information literacy facilitator and the research methodology lecturer and a rubric assessment of students’ group assignment. The information literacy intervention focuses mainly on ACRL Standard 1, with more emphasis on ACRL Standard 2. ACRL Standards 3, 4 and 5 were briefly mentioned as it was difficult to cover all the ACRL Standards adequately within a once-off information literacy session.The results of the study show that the information literacy intervention was successful in introducing students to some of the electronic resources which is one of the major objectives of the intervention. Students’ scores in the pre- and post-information literacy questionnaire and the group assignment were high. This could be an indication that the information literacy intervention was a success. The interviews with the information literacy facilitator and the research methodology lecturer reveal that little collaboration between the library and business academics is taking place. This lack of collaboration affects the quality of the information literacy education in terms of business academics input in the information literacy intervention and in terms of reinforcing information literacy outcomes in students’ assignments. One of the recommendations is that collaborative relationships should be developed between the library and business academics in order to develop an information literacy plan that will fully integrate information literacy within Masters’ courses.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / This study investigates the effectiveness of the information literacy education that Master of Business Administration (MBA) students receive at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB). The literature reveals that there is a growing trend worldwide to extend information literacy education to include graduate students. The study uses the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education Competencies as the theoretical framework together with Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process. Both process and formative evaluation was used in the study. A mixed method approach was applied to gather data for the study using a pre- and post-information literacy questionnaire, interviews with the information literacy facilitator and the research methodology lecturer and a rubric assessment of students’ group assignment. The information literacy intervention focuses mainly on ACRL Standard 1, with more emphasis on ACRL Standard 2. ACRL Standards 3, 4 and 5 were briefly mentioned as it was difficult to cover all the ACRL Standards adequately within a once-off information literacy session. The results of the study show that the information literacy intervention was successful in introducing students to some of the electronic resources which is one of the major objectives of the intervention. Students’ scores in the pre- and post-information literacy questionnaire and the group assignment were high. This could be an indication that the information literacy intervention was a success. The interviews with the information literacy facilitator and the research methodology lecturer reveal that little collaboration between the library and business academics is taking place. This lack of collaboration affects the quality of the information literacy education in terms of business academics input in the information literacy intervention and in terms of reinforcing information literacy outcomes in students’ assignments. One of the recommendations is that collaborative relationships should be developed between the library and business academics in order to develop an information literacy plan that will fully integrate information literacy within Masters’ courses.

Diploma thesis focuses on cybernetics and information literacy with emphasis on the human element in these topics. The first part describes cybernetics with its two basic terms, which are information and management, as a theoretical resource for subsequent detection of information, resp. internet literacy among students of high scholls and universities. The practical part includes creation of questionnaire, articulation of hypotheses for factual and perceived level of information literacy and subsequent interpretation results of the questionnaire. Addressing the respondents was held by deputy director of one prague high school, through social networks and also by direct addressing. This part reports the information about the level of information literacy with sense of constraints that results contains. Explanatory power of the results of the questionnaire survey is mentioned in the conclusion of this thesis.

<p>The aim of the research project is to investigate the effectiveness of an information literacy intervention for first year engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Information literacy has been identified as a necessary outcome of tertiary education. It refers to the life-long learning competencies of finding and using information in order to solve problems, to make decisions and to create new knowledge. Information literacy education has evolved from earlier forms of library user education, such as bibliographic instruction, and is central to the mission of academic libraries. However, librarians responsible for information literacy programmes seldom evaluate the effectiveness of their interventions. In today&rsquo / s climate of accountability and outcomes-based education, it is necessary to provide evidence of the benefits of the user education that libraries provide. The researcher uses the American College and Research Library (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, which are internationally recognized and widely used by South African academic librarians, as a benchmark to evaluate an intervention for a group of first year students enrolled for a mechanical engineering course. The intervention consists of two workshops which aim to teach the students to find information relevant to their essays via the university&rsquo / s OPAC, various engineering databases and to teach them how to reference and cite their sources in their essays. The research methodology assessed students&rsquo / information literacy before and after the two workshops with the use of a questionnaire consisting of a set of questions based on some of the ACRL standards. The questionnaire also gathered data on students&rsquo / prior experience of libraries, reading and computers, which might impact on their information literacy...</p>

<p>The aim of the research project is to investigate the effectiveness of an information literacy intervention for first year engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Information literacy has been identified as a necessary outcome of tertiary education. It refers to the life-long learning competencies of finding and using information in order to solve problems, to make decisions and to create new knowledge. Information literacy education has evolved from earlier forms of library user education, such as bibliographic instruction, and is central to the mission of academic libraries. However, librarians responsible for information literacy programmes seldom evaluate the effectiveness of their interventions. In today&rsquo / s climate of accountability and outcomes-based education, it is necessary to provide evidence of the benefits of the user education that libraries provide. The researcher uses the American College and Research Library (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, which are internationally recognized and widely used by South African academic librarians, as a benchmark to evaluate an intervention for a group of first year students enrolled for a mechanical engineering course. The intervention consists of two workshops which aim to teach the students to find information relevant to their essays via the university&rsquo / s OPAC, various engineering databases and to teach them how to reference and cite their sources in their essays. The research methodology assessed students&rsquo / information literacy before and after the two workshops with the use of a questionnaire consisting of a set of questions based on some of the ACRL standards. The questionnaire also gathered data on students&rsquo / prior experience of libraries, reading and computers, which might impact on their information literacy...</p>

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of an Information Literacy intervention administered to first year Faculty of Business students at Rosebank College Cape Town. The exponential nature of information has led to students having access to abundant information which often comes unfiltered. This requires them to be in possession of life long competencies to find and apply this information to solve problems. Recent shifts in pedagogy and curricula have also precipitated the importance of independent learners who are capable of constructing their own knowledge. Student centred methods of teaching employed in tertiary institutions such as, problem based learning, evidence based learning and inquiry learning have necessitated the importance of Information Literacy training towards the development of independent learners. The study assesses the baseline incoming skills of the Faculty of Business students. Two intervention workshops are conducted for the experimental cohort and a post-test is administered. After the post-test the results of the control and experimental group are compared. The study uses the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards for higher education as a theoretical foundation. The standards are applied as benchmarks when assessing the Information Literacy competencies. The study explores the following research questions:  Are the Information Literacy interventions administered to the first year business faculty students effective and do they meet the proposed outcomes?  What are the existing Information Literacy competencies of the incoming students in the Faculty of Business?  How should Information Literacy programmes be delivered?  Are the ACRL standards a reliable tool to assess Information Literacy skills and the effectiveness of the interventions administered? The study found out that offering Information Literacy interventions would result in students accumulating these skills. This is supported by the difference in scores between the control group and the experimental cohort. However it must be noted that Information Literacy training is not an event but rather an on-going process. / Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / The aim of the research project is to investigate the effectiveness of an information literacy intervention for first year engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Information literacy has been identified as a necessary outcome of tertiary education. It refers to the life-long learning competencies of finding and using information in order to solve problems, to make decisions and to create new knowledge. Information literacy education has evolved from earlier forms of library user education, such as bibliographic instruction, and is central to the mission of academic libraries. However, librarians responsible for information literacy programmes seldom evaluate the effectiveness of their interventions. In today's climate of accountability and outcomes-based education, it is necessary to provide evidence of the benefits of the user education that libraries provide. The researcher uses the American College and Research Library (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, which are internationally recognized and widely used by South African academic librarians, as a benchmark to evaluate an intervention for a group of first year students enrolled for a mechanical engineering course. The intervention consists of two workshops which aim to teach the students to find information relevant to their essays via the university's OPAC, various engineering databases and to teach them how to reference and cite their sources in their essays. The research methodology assessed students' information literacy before and after the two workshops with the use of a questionnaire consisting of a set of questions based on some of the ACRL standards. The questionnaire also gathered data on students' prior experience of libraries, reading and computers, which might impact on their information literacy. / South Africa

Thesis deal with information literacy as a new phenomenon in education. In the first part define what information is about and how communication proceed. In the next part of the text follow this thesis information and disinformation problems, define what are new media and what are thein specificity. In the next part follow this thesis information literacy, define its single components and their substantiality, deal with its contributions, which result from achievement as for single person as for society as whole. Further is the substanciality of separated parts of information literacy, divided into three levels of information literacy, which answer to three levels of education. Consequently is this achivement analysed and compared with defined levels of information literacy. On the basis of this comparation the recommendations which may lead to improvement of achiving information literacy are defined.