Presented at LILAC 2008

1. LILAC 2008
Perceptions of information:
The Net Generation
Marian Smith and Dr. Mark
Hepworth

2. Research
 Motivation
 Participants
 A total of 59 young people aged 11-18 years took
part in focus groups and interviews
 Participants were drawn from an 11- 18 years
state funded comprehensive school and an 11-18
years independent school

3. Research
 Research questions
 What do young people understand by the term information?
 How do they perceive information in life outside of school?
 How do they perceive information in school?
 How is information perceived in the early years of secondary
education?
 How is information perceived in the later years of secondary
education?
 How is information perceived in relation to different sources
of information?
 What variety of ways do young people perceive information?

4. Research
 Methodologies
 Phenomenography
 Grounded theory
 Initial findings from 18 phenomenographic
interviews

5. Research
 Questions were asked about:
 General and personal understanding of
information
 Perceptions of information in different contexts
 Perceptions of information in relation to different
information sources
 Analysis
 Relevant parts of data identified
 Themes and sub themes identified
 Extracts examined to find sources of variation or
agreement

6. What is information?
First responses
“it is quite a
difficult one
to answer”
Y7
“it is quite a
difficult one
to answer”
Y7
“that’s a
hard
question”
Y13
“that’s a
hard
question”
Y13
“phew that’s
tough” Y13
“phew that’s
tough” Y13
“it’s a hard
word to
explain” Y7
“it’s a hard
word to
explain” Y7
“I don’t
know that
is a hard
one” Y7
“I don’t
know that
is a hard
one” Y7
“I don’t
know … I’m
struggling”
Y13
“I don’t
know … I’m
struggling”
Y13

7. What is information?
Subsequent responses
“Facts and
figures” Y13
“Facts and
figures” Y13
“A bit of
knowledge”
Y7
“A bit of
knowledge”
Y7
“an idea, opinion or
fact that has to be
processed in your
mind” Y12
“an idea, opinion or
fact that has to be
processed in your
mind” Y12
“Just
data isn’t
it?” Y12
“Just
data isn’t
it?” Y12
“Something
that helps
me learn”
Y7
“Something
that helps
me learn”
Y7
“Facts about
real stuff”
Y7
“Facts about
real stuff”
Y7
“Information
is Google” Y7
“Information
is Google” Y7
“Something given
to you that you
take on board”
Y12
“Something given
to you that you
take on board”
Y12

8. Perceptions of information outside school
“It is just sort of
invisible you
can’t see it”
(Y7)
“Information is
important to what
you’re doing at the
time” (Y13)
“That sort of
information [social]
keeps me going” (Y12)
“Social information is more what you want
and what you would like to know” (Y13)
“It is not someone
telling you this is what
you need to know. It’s
usually a choice of
going and finding out
something” (Y12)
“It is important socially
because it keeps you in
the loop” (Y13)
“You kind of
almost take it for
granted you
don’t realise it is
information”
(Y13)
“When we chat we are
passing it
[information] through
each other like” (Y7)

9. Perceptions of information in school
“I like to listen
in class but also
I like to have...a
lot of my
teachers give
out summary
notes on the
lesson to look
back on” (Y13)
“At school you
have to listen
carefully”
(Y7)
“Teachers give
you information
because it could
be something that
would help you
or they think is
interesting” (Y7)
“The information
is already there for
you and you just
copy it down” (Y7)
“In school
information
learns you…it
helps you get a
good job” (Y7)
“In school
information is
always a fact”
(Y7)
“We never have
to find
information
from scratch. We
get a page
number and
then we find it
on the page”
(Y7)
“Information is more what you need
rather than what you want” (Y13)
“You do find
some but most
of it is given to
you…by
teachers and
textbooks”
(Y12)

10. Sources of information: People
“When you are
at home you’re
with your family
so you get most
information
from them” (Y7)
“Oh people definitely you
get more information from
people” (Y12)
“It is easiest to ask
someone first
because they are
there and it would
save me from
searching through
everything and
looking through a
whole book” (Y7)
“Friends are part
of life they give
you news…you
need to know
what is going on”
(Y12)
“I get a lot of information
from my teachers… they are
important” (Y7)
“Information from
a person is easier
to trust to a certain
extent” (Y12)
“Sometimes friends put it
in easier words what just
make it easier than the
teacher explaining it” (Y7)

11. Sources of information: Books
“We can go to the school
library and search for a
book that we need and
read through it because
that will be more about
that exact subject and it
will be a lot quicker”
(Y7)
“The language is
easier in books
because they tell
you who they are
aimed at” (Y7)
“In every lesson we
have got a textbook
with all the
information in that we
need” (Y7 )
“There wasn’t that
much information
in it and you can’t
ask the book if it
hasn’t got it in”
(Y7 )
“You have to find the
page number and go
to the page and
sometimes there's not
a lot of information
about the thing you
are looking at…but
most of it is true in
fact books” (Y7)
“I use text books a
lot…I’m usually
directed to the
information” (Y12)
“I’d have to read it over time [chapter in a
book] I couldn’t read it all in one go” (Y7)

12. Sources of information: Internet (1)
“The Internet is
really, really
big…you can just
scan it and get
something” (Y7)
“I’m not
always
trusting of
what I get
back”
(Y12)
“I find it easier
to look it up on
the Internet…it
just stands out
more and I
remember it
better” (Y12)
“Sometimes because you
can type in anything
really like car…you just
have to pick one that
looks good” (Y7)
“On the Internet it
is sometimes in a
complex sort of
language that A
level students
wouldn’t
understand” (Y13)
“I went to
Wikipedia
sometimes
they're rubbish
but they can give
you a lot of basic
information”
(Y12)
“Getting information
from the Internet,
copying and pasting it,
taking the bits you want
is all easier” [than
using a book] (Y12)

13. Sources of information: Internet (2)
“Say we are going
somewhere I look
it up on Google.
Google’s all
information” (Y7)
“You can just go on
MSN if you need
help with homework
and ask what you
have to do and how
to do it and stuff”
(Y7)
“Facebook is a visual
thing I find it easier to
see things like pictures
and colours and stuff
than actually remember
writing” (Y13)
“You can just
type in a few
key words on
Google and it
will bring up
the bits that
you want”
(Y12)
“Facebook was really
popular. Everyone was saying
did you see the photo I tagged
of you… because photos are
information and there is a lot
of sharing of that.” (Y13)
“Most sites you have to be
thirteen like Piczo and stuff
but you just say that you are
because they don’t know.”
[reflects eagerness to belong
to a social networking site]
(Y7)

14. The Net Generation in school
 Positive
 The Net Generation value:
 Information
 Easy to access
 At their level
 Authoritative
 Support from people
 Books
 Written information
 Internet
 Interactive
 Sharing
 Visual
 Not so positive!
 Learning environment
 Passive
 Not social
 Not interactive
 Pressure
 Interaction with information
 A lot of information is
given
 No choice
 Not relevant
 Often unsupported
 Limited awareness of
information environment

15. What is needed
 Net Generation
 Motivated
 Curious
 Value information
 An environment conducive to learning
 Social
 Interactive
 With support available
 More active interaction with information
 Embedding of IL into the curriculum with help and support at
all stages of the process

16. Conclusion
 In schools there needs to be fundamental
changes if young people are to become
information literate
 To teach students successfully it is essential
to relate to them and engage with them.

17. Thank you
M.Smith5@lboro.ac.uk
M.Hepworth@lboro.ac.uk