Browsing by Author "Bitso, Constance"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Designing and implementing an information service model for geography teachers in a developing country: the case for Lesotho
    (De Gruyter, 2013) Bitso, Constance
    This paper outlines the approaches that can be used in the deployment of an information service for geography teachers in a developing country in Africa. The paper is based on a study of Lesotho geography teachers’ information behaviour that aimed to guide the design of information service for these teachers. It enumerates the process of designing an information service for these teachers including a user needs assessment. The study used triangulation by using multiple data collection methods on three sets of participants. Data were collected from in-service geography teachers using focus group discussions, from prospective geography teachers with a questionnaire and from stakeholders involved in geography education in Lesotho through interviews. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and content analysis were used to analyse the data. The paper presents the working context of the geography teachers, their information needs and preference for information sources and communication channels. It also proposes a collaborative information service model for the geography teachers. This includes an implementation agency involving the information specialists, subject specialists and stakeholders working together to assist teachers with information. The paper outlines modalities for the implementation of the information service. It ends with possible strategies for evaluating the impact of the information service to check the achievements against the set objectives. It concludes that the information service model can be adapted as a prototype for other teachers across the curriculum as well as in other developing countries in a setting similar to that of Lesotho.
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    Information-seeking behaviour of Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources' students at Neudamm Campus, University of Namibia
    (2017) Uugwanga, Nekulu Selma Takatsu; Bitso, Constance
    This study investigated the information-seeking behaviour of the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources' (FANR) students at Neudamm Campus, University of Namibia (UNAM). It determined their information needs, informationseeking patterns, information use and information evaluation including preferences for information resources. In addition, it considered the challenges students encountered when accessing and using information at Neudamm Library. This was done in order to improve the delivery of information services. Taking a qualitative research approach, this study was guided by Kuhlthau's (2004) Information Search Process model which served as a theoretical framework. Data were collected from a purposively selected sample through focus group discussions that were held with undergraduate students and interviews with postgraduate students and academic staff. The key findings from this analysis are that FANR students need information to write assignments, class tests, examinations and research projects. They value both printed and online resources. However, they are frustrated by the outdated resources, shortage of printed materials, and the limited and restricted access to e-resources. When in the library, they mainly browse for books on library shelves and search for information on the internet, and rarely use library electronic databases. There is a need to train students on the formulation of search strategies and the use of library e-resources. It transpired that students seldom use advanced search strategies, instead they either type short keywords or long sentences on Google search engine. Their challenges include very noisy library study area, ineffective interlibrary loan systems and fellow students' unwillingness to share facilities such as computers. The findings indicate that the library needs to acquire the latest e-resources, provide robust information literacy training and redesign its space to increase study space that students can use to access quality information. Additionally, the university should source funds from external donors to build a state of the art library to accommodate the increasing number of FANR students.
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    Information-seeking behaviour of grade R practitioners in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
    (2017) Madumo, Kepi David; Bitso, Constance
    In this study, the information-seeking behaviour of Grade R practitioners in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng Province, South Africa was investigated. The investigation included determining information needs, information sources often consulted, actions and strategies used when seeking information and challenges faced by these practitioners when seeking information. Early Child Development practitioners need information to increase their knowledge for optimum performance of their duties. Literature points to a possibility that if the Grade R practitioners can have access to relevant, accurate and timeous information and gain essential information retrieval skills, they might develop capacity for innovation, creativity and ultimately improve their teaching. Currently, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality libraries do not have any service dedicated to Early Child Development practitioners, yet Early Child Development is a national government priority stipulated in the National Development Plan. In the interest of developing relevant information services for Early Child Development practitioners, as Early Child Development is one of the national priorities, the researcher needed to ascertain their information needs and information-seeking behaviour. Using Leckie, Pettigrew and Sylvain's General Model of the Information Seeking of Professionals as the theoretical framework; and situated within interpretivist paradigm, the study took a qualitative approach to collect data through group discussions and an interview with a key informant. The results are based on seven focus group discussions with the practitioners from public schools, independent schools and community-based Early Child Development centres. These show that the practitioners' most popular information sources are Google, social media, especially Pinterest, and their colleagues. The major barriers to information access are time restraints and language. The nature of information needed to perform their tasks ranges from curriculum-related information, various child development oriented topics, legislation and information related to their personal and professional development. A few participants who claimed to use libraries indicated that they use neither the library catalogue nor the online databases in the library. In fact, they preferred to browse the shelves to find books and had never asked the library staff for any assistance. The majority of the participants do not use libraries, even though they appreciated the importance of information and library services in providing critical information for execution of their duties. To satisfy the demand for information, it is recommended that the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality libraries and the Gauteng Department of Education school libraries should consider a coordinated and accessible library and information service that supports Early Child Development practitioners. The plans and design of library and information service in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality should accommodate the information needs expressed by the Grade R practitioners. Keywords: Early childhood practitioner, Grade R, pre-preparatory, pre-school, pre-primary, information-seeking behaviour, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, early childhood development, library and information service(s).
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    Information-seeking behaviour of prospective geography teachers at the National University of Lesotho
    (University of Borås, 2014) Bitso, Constance; Fourie, Ina
    Introduction. This paper reports a study on information-seeking behaviour of prospective geography teachers at the National University of Lesotho based on their experiences during teaching practice. It is part of a larger doctoral study on information needs and information-seeking patterns of secondary level geography teachers in Lesotho. Method. The study used a questionnaire survey of the prospective geography teachers, which yielded a 74.2% (46/62) response rate. Analysis. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences to provide descriptive statistics. Results. It was found that the scope of the information needed by prospective geography teachers covers content that has to be delivered in class, teaching methods, educational policies and learners’ assessment. Various styles of information-seeking such as collaborative and serendipitous were used. The teachers experienced a lack of information sources at schools. They preferred traditional information sources such as books, personal knowledge and other teachers in host schools. Modern electronic sources such as the internet were hardly used, probably due to unavailability and teachers’ limited information literacy skills. Conclusion. Realising the value of information in learning and teaching, more needs to be done to improve availability of information resources and teachers’ information literacy skills in least developed countries such as Lesotho.
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    Internet censorship in South Africa: a brief exposé of negative and positive trends
    (Stellenbosch University, 2014) Bitso, Constance
    This article investigates internet censorship in South Africa using a set of negative and positive internet censorship trends adapted from Bitso, Fourie and Bothma (2012) to raise awareness in light of increasing global internet censorship and South Africa’s involvement in a proposal for inter-governmental policy on the internet. Both positive and negative internet censorship trends are noted. The investigation reveals that South Africa has the highest level of media freedom in Africa. However, there are three concerns highlighted that might have a bearing on internet censorship in South Africa. Firstly, there is the formulation of legislation that might impact on the use of information, in particular the Protection of State Information Bill (2010). As such, various campaigns and cyber actions were made against this Bill because it is deemed to entrench information censorship. Secondly, there is the hacking of South African government websites, including that of the police on more than one occasion. This warrants internet censorship in order to combat crime as well as to ensure safety and security. Thirdly, there is the increasing challenge of spam and malware that calls for filtering to protect systems such as servers.
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    The role of the school library in teaching and learning: a case study of a public basic school in Accra, Ghana
    (2016) Omenyo, Rosekel; Nassimbeni, Mary; Bitso, Constance
    This study examined the role of school library in teaching and learning and sought to establish the relationship between the use of school library resources and teaching and learning in basic schools in Ghana. The study was conducted in Achimota Basic School (ABS), using the case study methods of interviews, observation, focus group discussions and document analysis. The findings revealed that students and teachers appreciate the presence and function of the school library acknowledging it as fundamental in every educational system especially at the basic school level. The findings also revealed that students and teachers actually used the library resources in site of the fact that one of the challenges facing the library was the inadequacy of its stock. It is hoped that the findings of the study will persuade the Ministry of Education and the Government of Ghana to reconsider the role of school libraries in basic schools. Recommendations are made toward improving school libraries in general and the Achimota Basic School Library in particular.
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    The construction of a linguistic linked data framework for bilingual lexicographic resources
    (2019) Gillis-Webber, Frances; Higgs, Richard; Bitso, Constance
    Little-known lexicographic resources can be of tremendous value to users once digitised. By extending the digitisation efforts for a lexicographic resource, converting the human readable digital object to a state that is also machine-readable, structured data can be created that is semantically interoperable, thereby enabling the lexicographic resource to access, and be accessed by, other semantically interoperable resources. The purpose of this study is to formulate a process when converting a lexicographic resource in print form to a machine-readable bilingual lexicographic resource applying linguistic linked data principles, using the English-Xhosa Dictionary for Nurses as a case study. This is accomplished by creating a linked data framework, in which data are expressed in the form of RDF triples and URIs, in a manner which allows for extensibility to a multilingual resource. Click languages with characters not typically represented by the Roman alphabet are also considered. The purpose of this linked data framework is to define each lexical entry as “historically dynamic”, instead of “ontologically static” (Rafferty, 2016:5). For a framework which has instances in constant evolution, focus is thus given to the management of provenance and linked data generation thereof. The output is an implementation framework which provides methodological guidelines for similar language resources in the interdisciplinary field of Library and Information Science.
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    User perception of academic library service quality and value: the case of the Ghana Institute of Journalism and Ashesi University College libraries
    (2016) Nyantakyi-Baah, Lydia; De Jager, Karin; Bitso, Constance
    This study explored the users' perception of the service quality and value of the libraries of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) and Ashesi University College (AUC). Concepts like value, impact, quality, academic library service quality formed the conceptual framework of the study. The study is a comparative case study that solicited information from the perspectives of students, faculty and library staff. Open and closeended questions were adopted to gather data from 185 and 147 third year students of GIJ and AUC respectively. All library staff and 15 faculty staff each from the two institutions were interviewed to augment the responses from the students. Statistical Package for Social Science was used to analyse the closed-ended questions and descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to present the data analysis. Data from the interviews and open-ended questions were analysed qualitatively. Findings from the study showed that the libraries were used more frequently by students than by faculty staff. The perceptions of the quality of library staff services were found to be satisfactory in both libraries. The library environment and information resources were considered adequate by AUC library users, whereas they were considered as inadequate and poor at GIJ. In all, it was found that the quality of services and the value users derived from AUC exceeds that at GIJ. The most valued aspects of the libraries were the library collections, and the friendliness and willingness of library staff to assist users. It was also found that users derived a number of benefits from using the libraries, but the libraries had no specific guidelines for measuring their value. In the past, value had been determined by the use of the library resources and success stories of users. The study considered the nature of library value and made recommendations for improving library services.
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    Utilisation of library websites for information literacy delivery in five selected universities in South Africa
    (2018) Iyambo, Laimi; Bitso, Constance
    The purpose of this study was to investigate how library web sites are used in delivering information literacy to a diversity of users in five selected universities in South Africa. Drawing from the Association of College and Research Libraries’ information literacy framework for higher education, the study sought to establish how information literacy content is designed into curricula and delivered. It further established tools that are used to deliver information literacy via library websites, strategies that are adopted in managing the process as well as the assessment tools used to test students’ learning of information literacy. Ultimately the study established the challenges librarians encounter when developing information literacy curriculum/content and using technologies on their web sites. This was done to improve the current practice of information literacy programme delivery at the University of Namibia libraries. The study was guided by Constructivism paradigm and the framework for Information Literacy Competency for higher education. The study employed a qualitative approach in which research participants were purposely selected. While a checklist was used to collect data from the library websites, interviews were used to collect data from librarians who are information literacy coordinators in their institutions. The study found that information literacy content encompasses the ability to identify an information need, locate, evaluate, use and manage information legally and ethically. Academic libraries used various strategies to inculcate information literacy skills among others includes Libguides, YouTube, videos, presentations in PDF and Microsoft Words, blog, Ask a Librarian and live Chat with a Librarian. Technologies such as Camtasia, Articulate software for videos, games, audios, quizzes creation, and Libguides are often used to develop and deliver information literacy content through library web-pages. Challenges that were highlighted by the librarians include inability to identify appropriate technologies to use and in most cases, librarians depend on IT personnel for assistance. The study will be useful to libraries which are in the process of developing online tutorials; it has potential to help librarians to identify appropriate technologies and processes involved to effectively develop tutorials that will eventually transform library websites into educational and learning platforms.