The search for information on the Internet: a study of librarians and high school students from private schools in Itajaí and Florianópolis, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to gauge the level of participation by librarians in information searches by high-school students in private schools located in and around the cities of Itajaí and Florianópolis, in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. As technology, and particularly the Internet, has changed the learning environment in schools, the critical challenge for schools is to encourage learning using a variety of information sources. The specific aims of the study were to ascertain how Internet information searches by high-school students at private schools are undertaken and to analyze how librarians assist students with these searches. Data was collected using a questionnaire presented to 8 librarians and a structured transcript given to 38 students from years 1, 2 and 3 of high school. The research approach was quantitative-qualitative and the technique of content analysis was employed. It uses the theoretical precepts of Carol Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process to examine how students search for information. The data analysis suggests that librarians consider students’ information searches to be something they undertake on their own and with little difficulty; the students achieved a more accurate perception of the Internet when selecting their information; they are generally optimistic and tend to trust the information they acquire and the moment of greatest doubt and uncertainty is when evaluating if the information retrieved is relevant for their purposes.