THE ACCESSIBILITY OF REPACKAGED DIGITAL INFORMATION TO STUDENT GROUPS DURING COLLECTIVE INFORMATION SEEKING IN RURAL HIGHER LEARNING INSTITUTIONS

Sefu H. Abeid

Abstract


The purpose of this study is to investigate the accessibility of repackaged digital information to student groups during collective information seeking in rural higher learning institutions (RHLI) in Tanzania. Specifically, the study seeks to evaluate how the digital repackaged information is accessed during collective information seeking (CIS) among students in rural higher learning institutions (RHLI), assess the importance of accessing the repackaged digital information during CIS, assess the challenges encountered by RHLI student groups when accessing the repackaged digital information and propose an appropriate model that improves the accessibility of repackaged digital information to RHLI student groups during CIS in RHLI. The Shah’s (2008) Model of Collective Information Seeking Behavior (CISB) was anchored to conduct this study. The population of the study comprised selected RHLI students in Tanzania’s rural settings. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Specifically, the proposed study used convenience sampling to select RHLI students for inclusion in focus group discussions, interview and to fill the questionnaires. The data for the study were collected through the use of questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions to collect qualitative data and quantitative data. Qualitative data were analysed through thematic analysis. Thematic analysis helped to develop different themes relating to the specific objectives of this study. A mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative methods was used to conduct this study. Shortage of gray literature in RHLI to be used for accessing the digital repackaged information, inadequate ICT facilities, unreliability of internet and electricity and lack of required IL skills to access digital repackaged information to accomplish group assignments among RHLI student groups were the common challenges across all RHLI student groups of different professionalism.

 

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Keywords


accessibility of digital repackaging information, how digital repackaged information is accessed, collective information seeking, student groups, rural higher learning institutions, rural library settings in Tanzania

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejoe.v10i4.6508

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