LILAC 2008 Perceptions of information: The Net Generation

1. LILAC 2008Perceptions 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 “phew that’s tough” Y13 “I don’t know that is a hard one” Y7 “I don’t know … I’m struggling” Y13 “that’s a hard question” Y13 “it’s a hard word to explain” Y7

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

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

9. Perceptions of information in school “In school information learns you…it helps you get a good job” (Y7) “In school information is always a fact” (Y7) “The information is already there for you and you just copy it down” (Y7) “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) “You do find some but most of it is given to you…by teachers and textbooks” (Y12) “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) “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)

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

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

14. 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 The Net Generation in school

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