INFORMATION NEEDS AND SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF GEOGRAPHY TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BENUE STATE OF NIGERIA.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the information needs and seeking behaviour of geography teachers and students in government secondary schools in Benue State. Five research questions were posed to guide the study. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The study was carried out in Benue State, Nigeria. The population of the study was 5,508 respondents from public secondary schools in Benue State and a sample size of 549 respondents was drawn using stratified random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire designed by the researcher to elicit information from the respondents. The questionnaire is titled: Information Needs and Seeking Behaviour of Geography Teachers and Students Questionnaire (INSBGTSQ). The instrument was face validated by three experts in the Department of Library and Information Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The researcher gave a draft of the questionnaire together with copies of the objectives of the study and research questions to the experts to examine and determine how effective and appropriate the items of the instrument measured what they were design to measure and nothing else. Direct delivery and retrieval method was employed in the administration and retrieval of the questionnaire in order to minimize wastage. Mean and standard deviations were use answer the research questions that guided the study, therefore, a mean rating of 2.50 and above was used as criterion level for accepting an item. The result of the study showed among other things that; Field trip/field work, Colleagues, Personal collection of books, Internet, Textbooks, Globe, Maps/Atlas, Compass and Weather station/Geography laboratory are information resources that are required for teaching geography, the result of the study also showed that Discussion, Expository and Field trip are teaching methods used in teaching geography, it was also found that the problems geography teachers and students encounter in seeking for required information include; poor state of library (shortage of furniture and poor accommodation), out-dated information materials, some geography teachers and students find it difficult to access, evaluate, and use information from a variety of sources, among others. It was recommended among other things that the government should try as a matter of urgency in equipping the school libraries and provide up-date textbooks and other learning resources that will enhance the information seeking behaviour of teachers and students.