COLLECTIVE INFORMATIONAL REQUIREMENTS TO STUDENTS’ GROUPS IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION TRAINING (VET) INSTITUTIONS

This study aims to investigate collective informational requirements to students’ groups in vocational education training (VET) institutions. Specifically, the study seeks to assess the information requirements among students’ groups in VET institutions in rural library settings, determine the challenges encountered by VET students’ groups in meeting the collective information requirements during collective information seeking (CIS) process, determine what should be done to improve the collective information requirements to students’ groups engaged during CIS in VET institutions in rural library settings. The population of the study comprised of selected VET students in Tanzania’s rural settings. Purposive sampling technique used to select the study participants. This study used a convenience sampling to select VET students for inclusion in focus group discussions (FGD) and interview. The data for the study was collected through the use of observation, interviews and focus FGD. Qualitative data was analysed through thematic analysis. Thematic analysis helped to develop different themes relating to the specific objectives of this study. The findings revealed that, VET students in rural settings required information on databases related to their areas of specialization (66.7%, n = 12), information from the subject librarians (66.7%, n = 12), and information on the availability of materials for group assignments (27.8%, n = 5). The major challenges were identified as: Low IL skills among VET students’ groups hinders access to collective information requirements, few ICT equipment to VET rural institutions, absence of information on protective gears and working tools to VET courses, absence of information on reference professional items, absence of policy or framework that guides VET students’ groups during CIS and absence of subjects librarians who were required to assist VET students’ groups during CIS process.