THE TEAM WORKS OF STUDENT GROUPS DURING COLLECTIVE INFORMATION SEEKING IN RURAL VOCATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTIONS (VTI)

Abstract

The study sought to investigate the collective information-seeking behavior of student groups in vocational education institutions in Tanzania’s rural areas. Specifically, the study seeks to examine types of collective information required to VET student groups in rural-based vocational education training (VET) institutions to accomplish collective assignments, assess importance of collective information requirements during collective information seeking (CIS) to accomplish collective assignments, to investigate the barriers to VET student groups encounter during CIS process to VET in rural library settings in Tanzania when accomplishing collective assignments and recommend model of VET student groups during CIS process when accomplishing collective assignments. Karunakaran, Spence, and Reddy's (2013) model anchored to conduct this study. Collective information seeking (CIS) of vocational education training (VET) student groups depends on the availability of CIS policy. CIS policy ensures VET student groups get required IL skills and access to ICT equipment during the CIS process. IL skills and access to information communication technology (ICT) equipment are vital for vocational education training (VET) students to get their collective information requirements to accomplish the groups’ assignments given. However, underdeveloped countries and middle-income countries require reliable CIS policy that directs VET student groups during the CIS process. The availability of CIS policy guarantees VET students to innovate new products through the exchange of ideas (information) and knowledge during CIS as their collective assignments are practical oriented. VET students in Tanzania's rural areas lack a CIS policy that directs VET students during the CIS process. This study examined CIS of VET student groups of Tanzania rural areas, aiming to improve CIS through overcoming challenges encountered by VET student groups by suggesting a hypothesized model during the CIS process. This study employed descriptive approaches. Qualitative research serves to develop a rich and detailed understanding of certain theories, concepts, and constructs. This method also provided all-inclusive and complete views of group behavior during the CIS process and increased the validity of the research results using descriptive data and methodological triangulation. The study recruited 72 participants from the 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 participants were randomly chosen from those who expressed their interest to reach 72 participants. Qualitative data was analysed through thematic analysis. Thematic analysis helped to develop different themes relating to the specific objectives of this study. IL skills required to VET student groups were found to be the cross-cutting process among all VET respondents during collective information seeking (CIS). VET students could not get the collective information requirements in the absence of information-seeking skills, as it was mentioned by 17 respondents (90%). The major challenges identified were: the absence of subjects’ librarians to assist VET students during CIS and VET students' failure to evaluate massive amounts of retrieved practical and theoretical information due to a lack of required IL skills during CIS process. Other challenges were a lack of required information-seeking skills among VET students and a lack of practical information during CIS. This study concluded that, practical information is required to VET students to accomplish collective assignments given during collective information seeking. Furthermore, the results from this study presented that policy on CIS, information seeking skills and access to ICTs equipment are vital for accomplishing group assignments. The improvement of CIS to VET student groups is achieved in the presence of CIS policy. The findings of this study and hypothesised model during CIS to VET student groups help for improving information services delivering to VET rural library settings.

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