Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Knowledge and Information Science; Faculty of Management; University of Tehran; Tehran, Iran.
2 School of Information Sciences and Knowledge Studies, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran
3 Department of Knowledge and Information Science; Faculty of Management; University of Tehran
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose: A digital native is someone who is born in the digital age. Computers, mobile phones, and in general, the new technologies have surrounded their lives. Natives are more comfortable using technology, and more skilled than their predecessors. The dependence on technology and hence the use of digital media has led to significant changes in various aspects of the lives of digital natives, one of which is the way information is acquired. This study aimed to investigate the information seeking behavior of digital natives in smart schools in Tehran.
Method: This research is an empirical research with the qualitative approach. Methods used included literature review and library study, questionnaire and interview. The study unit in the present study is the students of 10th and 11th grade students of Faezun School. At first, 12 students were selected by purposeful sampling method for interview. The data were then collected by semi-structured interviews and analyzed by coding method.
Results: Findings showed that the most used sources were databases, Google search, friends, e-books, print books and Wikipedia. But the library is not that important for them as an information source and they don't use it. In terms of the information-seeking process, the findings showed that the search for information in this generation is non-linear and not all follow a specific pattern. Since digital natives have good access to information tools and spend most of their time in digital media, they usually use cyberspace to meet their needs. Possible barriers to accessing information from a digital natives’ perspective include filtering, poor English, poor information literacy skills, low Internet speed, high cost of Internet, and lack of access to quality content in Persian. Other findings regarding the evaluation of information resources showed that digital natives perform well in the evaluation of educational resources but perform poorly in evaluating non-educational resources, for example in the social media space.
Conclusion: The results revealed that digital natives have poor performance in information searching and content assessment skills in social media; considering the importance of the above in information seeking behavior, it is suggested that holding workshops and training courses set it on the agenda related to the items listed.
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