Technology students and information management a study of information literacy at Linköping Institute of Technology influenced by grounded theory

The main purpose of this study is to investigate and understand how technology students handle information especially when they are working with their Masters thesis. A further purpose is to examine how technology students use library resources of the Linköping University. The research method used is grounded theory, where description of the method is an integral part of the study. Twelve qualitative interviews were made with newly qualified graduates from the engineering programs of Linköping Institute of Technology. The respondents were divided into two groups, A and B, with six in each group. All of them had completed or almost completed their education and their final thesis. The six engineers in group A had not chosen any course in information seeking, whereas in group B all six engineers had chosen the optional course, TGTU 60, offered in information seeking. The results indicate that the technology students adopt their way of seeking information from their teachers and supervisors and from the study culture. The students adoption of information management is the social process that constitutes the core category of the research. The results also show that the engineering program is traditional and that the students seldom visit the library. A high rate of study, set course literature and traditional teaching are factors that scarcely stimulate the students to use the library. But after the course in information seeking, the respondents in group B had improved their information literacy and used the library more often.Uppsatsnivå: