KNOWLEDGE SHARING OF STUDENTS’ GROUPS DURING COLLECTIVE INFORMATION SEEKING IN RURAL’S VOCATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTIONS (VTI)

Sefu H. Abeid, Boemo N. Jorosi, Neo P. Mooko

Abstract


This study aims to investigate knowledge sharing to students’ groups during collective information seeking (CIS) in vocational educational training (VET) institutions in rural library settings. Specifically, the study seeks to assess knowledge shared to students’ groups for addressing the problems in rural libraries at VET institutions, determine how students’ groups engaged in collective knowledge sharing during collective information seeking in VET institutions in rural library settings, and determine the challenges encountered by VET students’ groups in knowledge sharing during CIS. Karunakaran, Spence, and Reddy's (2013) model was used to conduct this study. The population of the study comprised selected VET students in Tanzania’s rural settings. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the study participants. This study used convenience sampling to select VET students for inclusion in focus group discussions and interviews. The study recruited 72 participants from second year in VET institutions in Tanzania’s rural areas: 18 VET students for interview, 18 VET students for observation and 36 VET students for focus group discussion (FGD). The participants were between 21 and 30 years old. Ten (10) VET students (56%) were male, and eight (8) VET students (44%) were female during the interview and focus group discussion. The data for the study was collected through the use of observation, interviews and focus group discussions (FGD). Qualitative data was analysed through thematic analysis. The thematic analysis helped to develop different themes relating to the specific objectives of this study. The findings revealed that, VET students’ groups applied both tacit and explicit skills required by VET students’ groups to accomplish groups’ assignments. Moreover, the availability of both tacit and explicit knowledge helps to advance VET library services to meet the collective information requirements of VET students’ groups when accomplishing the groups’ tasks.

 

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knowledge sharing, types of knowledge shared, how students’ groups share knowledge, collective information seeking, hypothesised model of knowledge sharing during CIS

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejoe.v10i1.5792

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