The influence of culture and direct library instruction in the information seeking behaviour of primary school aged children

Information Behaviour (IB) Models are used to describe the way in which people search for information across a range of settings, for various purposes and are used primary within the Library and Information Science domain. The aim of this study was to understand the usage of information behaviour models by primary school librarians in library instruction, and to identify what level of understanding they had of the way learners from different cultures perceive and interact with information, and if this had any impact on how library instruction was conducted. The extent to which this occurred or did not occur was not indicated in the existing literature and so a gap was identified within the research corpus. The mixed method approach of the study incorporated desk research with a survey of primary school librarians that featured a questionnaire and semi-structured interview to collect the required data. The data collected was then compared and contrasted with the findings of the literature review; the key finding being that there is a disconnect between theoretical principals of information behaviour and the practices of LIS professionals. In addition, there are gaps in LIS training with respect to information behaviour and cultural competence which further negatively impacts the level of understanding and implementation of best practice underpinned with IB research. This highlights a serious concern for LIS professionals, particularly in schools, in developing culturally sensitive practices to promote positive information behaviours and literacies that empower and enable learners.