A Comparison of the Information Seeking Pattern of Distance Learners in Botswana: A Case Study of Four Tertiary Institutions

Abstract

The study investigated the information seeking behaviour of two categories of distance learners in Botswana, comprising the crossborder students and those that registered with the University of Botswana. The return of 364 duly completed questionnaires recorded 70.1 percent response rate. Cross tabulation and chisquare were made to relate the independent variables to the findings and establish possible influence where appropriate. The study made recommendations that could assist the providers of distance education on the information milieu in which distance learners operate generally in Africa and Botswana in particular and also lead to the improvement of students' use of information resources.

The Information Seeking Behaviour of Distance Learners: A Case Study of the University of London International Programmes

“…Programme of study had an influence, with law students seeking comprehensive and reliable resources more than students of other subjects. Affordability was a minor factor, but was mentioned as much by students in countries with a high standard of living as those in the developing world, in accordance with the findings of Thórsteinsdóttir (2005) and Oladokun (2010a).…”

“…Country of residence did not influence use of alternative sources, but those whose first language is not English made less use of alternative sources. These findings are at variance with those of Thórsteinsdóttir (2005) and Oladokun (2010a), who found that geographical location and distance had an influence on source preference. This may be because, with the very geographically dispersed group studied here, and differences due to particular locations will be evened out.…”

“…The study found that overall most respondents were satisfied with their sources of information, but relied mainly on easily accessible information. In Botswana, the Oladokun (2010aOladokun ( , 2010b studies found significant evidence that students' information needs were significantly unmet, that printed sources, particularly books, were the most used information source format, that neither level of study nor location had a significant influence on students' preferred information source format and that a significant number of students depended on their lecturers and colleagues to supply information. Adetimirin and Omogbhe (2011) examined the library use and habits of distance learning students in a Nigerian university and found that the majority rarely used a library.…”