Information needs and information seeking behaviour of grade 10 and 11 learners at Gerson Ntjie Secondary School, at gaMagooa Village, Limpopo Province.

Abstract

Information need is an awareness of an information gap. The nature of information need differ from one person to another. Information seeking behaviour is when an individual uses information systems to search for information in order to satisfy the information gap. Information is important in every aspect of a human’s life. The main aim of the study is to investigate the information need and information seeking behaviour of grade 10 and 11 learners at Gerson Ntjie secondary school. The study was conducted with grade 10 and grade 11 learners at Gerson Ntjie secondary school in Limpopo province. The study was guided by Wilson’s 1999 model of information behaviour, complemented by Kuhlthau’s 2004 Information Search Process. The models focus on information need, information seeking, information use and feelings associated in information seeking. The study used a quantitative method with a survey design. Questionnaire was used as instrument to collect data from 181 grade 10 and 11 learners, which produced a response rate of 70%. The results showed that grade 10 and 11 learners needed information to improve their reading skills. Internet was the most preferred source of information. Although there is no school library, most learners indicated that they used a library to search for information. Learners also showed that they used books as the starting point when searching for information. Grade 10 and 11 learners indicated that they felt confused, sad, frustrated, irritated and were tempted to give up when they did not find the information they need. They further indicated that they felt happy, inspired, relieved and amazed after finding the information they need. Social networks were used daily to chat with friends and to collaborate with classmates on school works. The study recommends the following: school library, school library policy, increasing funding in public schools, computers with Internet connectivity and information resources in African languages. Key words: Information need, information behaviour, information seeking behaviour, grade 10 and 11 learners, social networks, information sources, school library