The object under investigation in this Master’s thesis is students’ information use in connection to Bachelor thesis writing. The purpose of the study is to increase understanding of why nursing students and product engineering design students are using information in such different ways despite their comparable starting point. The empirical material consists of 18 student theses and a document comprising directives for thesis writing that are analysed from three different theoretical perspectives. A citation analysis of all 18 theses is carried out. A textual analysis inspired by Norman Faircloughs’ critical discourse analysis is performed on one thesis from each domain together with the directives. The theses are also analysed from a sociocultural perspective, with the theory of community of practice and the concept of cognitive authority as complementary tools. Using Faircloughs’ notion of order of discourse it appears that three competing discourses coexist. The academic discourse dominates the order of discourse and is the most prevalent in the nursing student thesis whereas the most prevalent discourse in the corresponding group is a market and a technical discourse thus revealing a discursive conflict. The design engineering students write in another discourse than the expected academic discourse which poses problems for them. The analysis based upon a sociocultural perspective indicates that information use and thesis writing are used as mediating tools as students strive to form an identity fitting for the community of practice they gradually become members of. The tools are also used to prove that they master the appropriate discourse. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to investigate what prompts student nurses to seek information required to their educational tasks and how they evaluate and utilize that information. The questions addressed in this thesis regard how information retrieval becomes part of student nurses’ social practice; which physical and intellectual tools student nurses make use of in their education; and which mediating resources they use to perform their tasks. Roger Säljö’s sociocultural approach provides the theoretical framework for this thesis. Research findings are that the social practice allows limited capacity for students to look for information according to their own interests. Furthermore, nursing students underestimate their information literacy, but still they succeed in using the available tools to fulfil formal requirements and complete their tasks. / Program: Bibliotekarie

The aim of this Master's thesis is to examine the information use among Swedish backpackers, both prior to departure and while travelling. The questions posed in this study are; which artefacts did the backpackers use, in what way were those used as tools of mediation within their social practice and how does a presumptive interaction between backpackers and information sources appear? The empirical material consists of interviews, held with eight backpackers, concerning their information use. The interviews reveal that a number of information sources are being consulted. The most commonly used sources identified in the empirical material are guide books, advice from other backpackers, fiction, TV programmes and periodicals. Among others, music was identified as a source of inspiration. The theoretical framework is the socio-cultural approach of Roger Säljö, which concerns how individuals act in relation to the social practice that they constitute a part of. Socio-cultural terms such as artefacts and mediation are very central in the analysis. The analysis pays particular attention to guide books as these were the most frequently used artefacts among the backpackers interviewed. In a final discussion it is observed that the respondents, even unconsciously, seems to be influenced by the artefacts consulted. It is also noticed that backpackers appear to be using information as tools within their social practice. The consequences of this may be direct, for example in the way in which a travel destination can be determined by the information and documents used by backpackers. / Uppsatsnivå: D

This thesis focuses on information seeking and use by volunteers and employees in women’s organisations helping women who have been subject to violence. These organisations for example provide help and support, legal assistance and temporary shelter. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with five women working in Terrafem, which is a women’s organisation directed towards women with a non-Swedish background. The aim of the study is to create an understanding for the specific information needs that the women working in Terrafem experience and the situations in which these needs are created. The focus has been on needs created in the contact with women seeking support in Terrafem, but also the general need for of keeping up with for example new research in the area of violence against women. My conclusions were that the informants found it important to keep up with areas like new research, feminism and conflicts in the world. They need information mostly in contact with the authorities and regarding questions about asylum seeking and other law related questions. They use mostly oral sources and Internet, but also newspapers, magazines, databases, libraries and their own collections of facts in folders. Lots of information pass between the women orally, between those who have been a long time in the organisation to those who are new, and also between women with special skills.

For innovative organizations and companies it is essential to use existing knowledge to avoid spending time and resources on already existing innovations. By using patent information, companies are able to get a picture of what is already done in their area of interest. The main purpose of the study is to examine the information use in small and medium-sized enterprises that are members of the Swedish Inventor’s Association, focusing on patent information. The study examines the use of patent information and which barriers the companies have to patent information. The main questions are: How do small and medium-sized enterprises in the Swedish Inventor’s Association use patent information? Which barriers do small and medium-sized enterprises in the Swedish Inventor’s Association have to patent information? An electronic survey was carried out to 302 members of the Swedish Inventor’s Association. They are a professional organization for inventors and play an important role in promoting innovation in Sweden. To analyze the result, theoretical models developed by Matthew Hall, Charles Oppenheim and Margaret Sheen are used. Parallels are also drawn to Michael Buckland’s theories of barriers and becoming informed. The result reveals that most companies are aware of patent information and have experienced needs of working with patent issues. Reasons for using patent information are to protect innovations, control competitors and avoid patent violation. Many of the small and medium sized enterprises are offloaders and have used the services of patent agencies. Many companies used Internet and free databases. All companies have barriers to patent information. The most common was the access barrier which means difficulties finding or using patent information. Other reasons for not using patent information were high costs and lack of time. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The main purpose of this Master’s thesis is to investigate the experience of art students and their attitudes and use of information during the last years of their Master’s degree. I also examine their opinions about the art education in general. The theoretical framework encompasses a sociocultural approach within the field of psychology-pedagogy and library- as well as information science. The empirical material has been collected through qualitative interviews with seven students studying at an art school in Sweden. One of the results of the study is that the students saw their education first and foremost as an opportunity for them to discuss their creative work and art-related issues with other students, artists and teachers. The art students emphasised that their learning above all was a matter of communication and independent learning and they also considered themselves as virtually completely free in their choice of medium and subject in the art courses. Consequently they did research in a wide range of subjects. While searching the Internet, all of them used Google. No other databases were used for creative purposes. The students appreciated browsing as a method to find information on the Internet. Moreover, they considered communication as an important search method, especially to keep up-to-date with new trends within the art field. The students used information as a source of inspiration and they felt that their attitude towards information was freer than other university students. / Uppsatsnivå: D

Resource-based learning or problem-oriented learning are teaching methods that are becoming more and more common in schools today. In order to make these teaching methods work there is a demand to make students information literate. The aim of this thesis is to find out how six teachers at six senior high schools apprehend their professional role of seeking, preparing and developing the course in history of literature. I have used phenomenography which is both a set of theoretical assumptions and a methodology. This means that by doing a limited number of qualitative interviews one is able to describe the variations of the conceptions that have emerged. The results of the study are presented in grouped categories of quotations that reflect various conceptions. Among the mayor findings in my study are that all of the teachers use their own course to develop a new one. Neither none of the teachers in my study have a positive conception to educational science in the process of seeking, preparing and developing the course in history of literature. But the level of collaboration with the school librarian is due to the collaborative cultures that prevail in the particular school, confusion and insufficient planning time. This indicates that the teachers are rather ignorant of the school library and the importance of the school librarian to teaching and learning. / Uppsatsnivå: C

This thesis deals with information practices of first time parents. The term information practice covers topics ranging from the information a parent need and use, the information they actively seek for through to information attained through browsing, monitoring or simply being aware. Four problem areas have been formulated. What information do first time parents need? How do they get hold of information and how do they use it? What factors decide what sources they use? How do the first time parents validate the information they get? The following theoretical framework have been used; Marcia J Bates’ model of information practice and Reijo Savolainen’s Mastery of Life theory. In order to get an overview of what subjects interest first time parents I visited a parent group at a child health centre. Seven parents were later interviewed in semistructured interviews. Childbirth, child care, health issues, economy and child products were the areas parents felt a need for information. I found that most parents preferred personal contacts, and that the nurse at the health centre was an important source, as used of some of the parents, as were books and booklets. They sought out competent sources, while the information itself could vary from scientific to commonplace. Some parents felt that they sometimes get to much information and some felt that they lack reliable information. Sometimes vital information was ascertained by accident.

The aim of this master thesis is to examine information seeking andinformation use among high school pupils in two Norwegian highschools. The main research question focuses on different kinds ofinteraction or lack of interaction in the pupils’ information seeking andinformation use.The theoretical framework of the thesis is based on a socioculturalperspective which allows for a specific focus of various forms ofinteraction. I investigate interaction in relation to concepts such associal practices, previous experiences and meaning making. Theempirical material consists of data from a large scale questionnaire (n=217) and in-depth interviews with six pupils.The results show that these pupils are used to interact with digital tools.The pupils trust printed sources more than digital ones, but at the sametime they prefer digital sources since these are easier to handle, it isquicker to locate information and this is easier to understand. However,there is a lack of interaction when it comes to a more creative use of theInternet and digital tools, at least within school practices. It seems thesepupils are not used to interact with information for purposes other thanfinding the correct answer. That is, they seek information on theInternet and they use this for school assignments without any furtherdiscussions. They do not engage in source criticism. They interact withteachers, parents and friends but mostly in an instrumental way. Fewpupils turn to the library to get help with information seeking. Yet, theresults also show that the pupils are in fact information literate inrelation to school practices and their curriculum. / Program: Bibliotekarie

The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to examine video games, gamers and gaming from an information science perspective. The purpose of the study is partly to study video games as a type of information system and partly to study gamers information use, information seeking and also the experience of gaming. A selection of five games have been analysed using a topology for video game analysis created by Espen Aarseth. A quantitative investigation has also been made, in the form of a web survey distributed through four Swedish online forums, the result of which was analysed using Carol Collier Kuhlthaus model of the information seeking process. The study showed that video games can partly be understood as information systems with built in obstacles, uncertainty and supportive structures. It also showed that gamers are largely independent in their game related information seeking and information use, but that they are also accustomed to turning to informal mediatiors for help. Lastly, the study showed that some similarities can be found in the cogntive and affective experiences of the information seeking process and the gaming experience respectively. These findings may serve as a starting point for further research of how gaming may support the individual's information seeking process, as well as their understanding of the process and the stages involved.