Use of mobile -based social media technologies for academic purposes in Federal University Lafia, North Central Nigeria

Use of mobile -based social media technologies for academic purposes in Federal University Lafia, North Central Nigeria Odu, Alice Olije This qualitative study explored the use of mobile-based social media technologies in the library services at the Federal University Lafia, North Central Nigeria. The purpose was to understand the academic information-seeking behaviour of the student library users while using mobile-based social media and other mobile-based technologies. A further purpose was to identify some of the barriers the students encountered when seeking information. Meyer’s (2016) information behaviour model provided the conceptual framework for the study. For this reason, the literature review and the empirical data were structured according to the six major information behaviour components identified in the model. These are information, user, context, technology, information needs, and information activities. Meyer’s model recognises technology as an important enabler of information behaviour. After clarifying these concepts, the discussion explored mobile technologies and mobile applications to acquire an understanding of these technologies and applications and the way in which they could be employed by a library to enhance its services. After that, the literature review focused on the way in which mobile technologies and social media are employed by users (especially students) to seek information that is supportive of their information needs. In this discussion, the influence the interplay between context and the users’ cognitive, affective and sensorimotor structures have on the users’ information needs and seeking behaviour was explored. The study used a descriptive qualitative phenomenology research design to gain insight into participating students’ experiences using mobile-based social media technologies as a phenomenon. A total of 21 undergraduate students who were in their second to fourth year of study were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that the use of mobile-based social media in information-seeking is affected by the participants’ cognitive and affective structures which shaped their attitudes towards information sources and the way in which they use them. In addition, certain personal and environmental barriers seem to affect the participants’ information-seeking activities. In order to get access to information that would satisfy their information needs, the participants relied on online social media groups. The use of Meyer’s information behaviour model enabled an understanding of the reasons why students use mobile technologies and social media when seeking academic information and the means they employ to deal with their academic task-related information needs when they lack the necessary knowledge and skills to seek information in the library. This understanding enabled the researcher to graphically illustrate the participating students’ information-seeking behaviour while using mobile technologies and social media. Some recommendations could also be made to improve the library’s services. These include the aggressive promotion of library services and information resources to users with frequently conducted user surveys. Such surveys would support the library management in keeping abreast with their users’ information needs and would guide the development of a reliable environment that is conducive to users’ information-seeking activities which are focused on satisfying their information needs.; Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie het die gebruik van mobielgebaseerde sosialemediategnologieë in die biblioteekdienste by die Federal University Lafia, in Noord-Sentrale Nigerië, ondersoek. Die doel was om ʼn begrip te vorm van die akademiese-inligting-soek-gedrag van studentegebruikers van biblioteekdienste terwyl hulle mobielgebaseerde sosiale media en ander mobielgebaseerde tegnologieë gebruik. Die navorsing het ook ten doel gehad om struikelblokke te identifiseer wat die studente teëgekom het in hul soeke na inligting. Meyer se inligtingsgedragmodel (2016) het as konseptuele raamwerk vir die studie gedien. Om hierdie rede is die literatuuroorsig en die empiriese data gestruktureer volgens die ses hoofkomponente van inligtingsgedrag wat in die model geïdentifiseer is: inligting, gebruiker, konteks, tegnologie, inligtingsbehoeftes en inligtingsaktiwiteite. Meyer se model erken tegnologie as ʼn belangrike instaatsteller van inligtingsgedrag. Nadat hierdie konsepte verduidelik is, is mobiele tegnologieë en mobiele toepassings ondersoek om ʼn begrip te vorm van hierdie tegnologieë, die toepassing daarvan en die manier waarop dit deur ʼn biblioteek ingespan kan word om sy dienste te verbeter. Ná die bespreking het die literatuuroorsig gefokus op die manier waarop gebruikers (veral studente) mobiele tegnologieë en sosiale media gebruik om inligting te soek wat hul inligtingsbehoeftes ondersteun. Die invloed van die wisselwerking tussen konteks en die gebruikers se kognitiewe, affektiewe en sensorimotorstrukture op gebruikers se inligtingsbehoeftes en inligtingsoekgedrag, is ook bestudeer. Die studie het ʼn beskrywende, kwalitatiewe fenomenologie-navorsingsontwerp gebruik om insig te verkry oor deelnemende studente se ervarings wanneer mobielgeaseerde sosialemediategnologieë as ʼn fenomeen gebruik word. Halfgestruktureerde onderhoude is met altesaam 21 voorgraadse studente in hul tweede tot vierde studiejaar gevoer. Die bevindinge het getoon dat die gebruik van mobielgebaseerde sosiale media in inligtingsoektogte beïnvloed word deur die deelnemers se kognitiewe en affektiewe strukture, wat hul ingesteldheid teenoor inligtingsbronne en die manier waarop hulle dit gebruik, bepaal het. Dit wil ook voorkom of sekere persoonlike en omgewingstruikelblokke die deelnemers se inligtingsoek-aktiwiteite affekteer. Om toegang te verkry tot inligting wat in hul inligtingsbehoeftes sal voorsien, het die deelnemers op aanlyn sosialemediagroepe staatgemaak. Meyer se inligtingsgedragmodel het die navorser gehelp om die redes te verstaan waarom studente mobiele tegnologieë en sosiale media gebruik wanneer hulle akademiese inligting soek, asook die hulpbronne wat hulle inspan om hul akademiese taakverwante inligtingsbehoeftes te vervul wanneer hulle nie oor die nodige kennis en vaardighede beskik om inligting deur die biblioteek te soek nie. Hierdie begrip het die navorser gehelp om die deelnemende studente se inligtingsoekgedrag terwyl hulle mobiele tegnologieë en sosiale media gebruik, grafies te illustreer. Aanbevelings is gedoen om die biblioteek se dienste te verbeter. Dit sluit aggressiewe bemarking van biblioteekdienste en inligtingshulpbronne aan gebruikers met gereelde gebruikersopnames in. Sodanige opnames sal die biblioteekbestuur help om op hoogte te bly van hul gebruikers se inligtingsbehoeftes en sal rigting gee vir die ontwikkeling van ʼn betroubare omgewing van bevorderlik is vir gebruikers se inligtingsoekaktiwiteite wat toegespits is op die bevrediging van hul inligtingsbehoeftes.; Lolu cwaningo olumayelana nokungamaqiniso luhlole ukusetshenziswa kobuchwepheshe bezinkundla zokuxhumana obuncike kumathuluzi okuhambekayo nawo ophikweni lomtapo wolwazi eFederal University Lafia, eNorth Central Nigeria. Inhloso bekuwukuthola ukuqonda kokuziphatha kwabafundi abasebenzisa umtapo wolwazi uma befuna ulwazi lwezemfundo ngenkathi besebenzisa ubuchwepheshe bokuxhumana obuncike kumathuluzi okuhambekayo nawo nobunye ubuchwepheshe obuncike kumathuluzi okuhambekayo nawo. Enye inhloso bekuwuhlonza ezinye izithiyo abafundi abahlangabezane nazo ngenkathi befuna ulwazi. Imodeli kaMeyer (2016) yokuziphatha uma kufunwa ulwazi ihlinzeke uhlakamqondo locwaningo. Ngenxa yalokhu, ukuhlolwa kwemibhalo ekhona nemininingwane efakazela ucwaningo kwahlelwa ngokwezigaba eziyisithupha ezimqoka maqondana nokuziphatha uma kufunwa ulwazi nezihlonzwa kule modeli: ulwazi, umsebenzisi, umongo, ubuchwepheshe, izidingo zolwazi nemisebenzi yolwazi. Imodeli kaMeyer ibona ubuchwepheshe njengento eyenza lula ukuziphatha uma kufunwa ulwazi. Ngemva kokucacisa le miqondo, ubuchwepheshe bamathuluzi okuhambekayo nawo kanye nezinhlelo ezisetshenziswa ngamathuluzi okuhambekayo nawo kwahlolwa ukuze kutholakale ukuqonda lobu buchwepheshe, ukusetshenziswa kwabo nendlela obungasetshenziswa ngayo ngumtapo wolwazi ukuthuthukisa imisebenzi yawo. Ngemva kwengxoxo, ukuhlolwa kwemibhalo ekhona kugxile endleleni abasebenzisi (ikakhulukazi izitshudeni) abasebenzise ngayo ubuchwepheshe bamathuluzi okuhambekayo nawo nezinkundla zokuxhumana ukufuna ulwazi olusekela izidingo zabo zolwazi. Ithonya lokusebenzisana komongo kanye nezakhiwo zokuqonda, imizwa, nezinzwa namakhono okunyakazisa izitho zomzimba kwabasebenzisi, eliba ezidingweni zolwazi zabasebenzisi kanye nokuziphatha kwabo uma befuna ulwazi nakho kwahlolwa. Ucwaningo lusebenzise indlela yokucwaninga echazayo ebheka izenzakalo ukuze kutholakale ukuqonda mayelanana nokwenzekayo kubafundi abayingxenye yocwaningo kusetshenziswa ubuchwepheshe bezinkundla zokuxhumana obuncike emathuluzini okuhambekayo nawo njengesenzeko. Zingama-21 izitshudeni ezenza iziqu eziyisisekelo ezisonyakeni wazo wesibili kuya kowesine ezabuzwa imibuzo kusetshenziswa izinkulumongxoxo ezihleleke ngokungaphelele. Okutholakele kuveze ukuthi ukusetshenziswa kwezinkundla zokuxhumana okuncike emathuluzini okuhambekayo nawo ekufuneni ulwazi kuyatheleleka yizinhlaka zabasebenzisi zokuqonda nokuzwela, okwenza benze ngendlela abenza ngayo ekubhekaneni nemithombo yolwazi nendlela abayisebenzisa ngayo. Phezu kwalokho, kunezinye izithiyo ezidalwa ngabantu noma isimo sendawo okubonakala sengathi zinomthelela kokwenziwa ngababambiqhaza uma befuna ulwazi. Ukuze kufinyeleleke olwazini oluzogculisa izidingo zabo zolwazi, ababambiqhaza bebethembele emaqoqweni ezinkundla zokuxhumana ngobuchwepheshe bekhompuyutha. Imodeli kaMeyer yokuziphatha uma kufunwa ulwazi isize umcwaningi ekuqondeni izizathu zokuthi kungani izitshudeni zisebenzisa ubuchwepheshe bamathuluzi okuhambekayo nawo nezinkundla zokuxhumana uma zifuna ulwazi lwezemfundo nezindlela ezisetshenziswayo ukubhekana nezidingo zolwazi oluhlobene nemisebenzi yezemfundo uma zingenalo ulwazi namakhono okufuna ulwazi kumtapo wolwazi. Lokhu kuqonda kusize umcwaningi ekuvezeni ngokucacile ukuziphatha kwezitshudeni ezazibambe iqhaza uma zifuna ulwazi zisebenzisa ubuchwepheshe bamathuluzi okuhabekayo nawo nezinkundla zokuxhumana. Kwenziwa izincomo ezithile ukwenza ngcono usizo olutholakala emtapweni wolwazi. Lokhu kubandakanya ukukhuthazwa kwemisebenzi ehlinzekwa wumtapo wolwazi ngendlela eqinile nemithombo yolwazi kubasebenzisi ngokwenza izinhlolovo eziqondiswe kubasebenzisi. Izinhlolovo ezinjengalezi zingasiza abaphathi bomtapo wolwazi ekuzigcineni bazi kabanzi ngezidingo zolwazi zabasebenzisi futhi zingasiza ekucabeni indlela eyakha isimo sendawo esikahle kulokho okwenziwa ngabasebenzisi ukufuna ulwazi okugxile ekugculiseni izidingo zabo zolwazi.