Information Needs and Seeking Behavior of Physically Challenged Students in Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study is an investigation of Information Needs and Information Seeking Behaviour of Physically Challenged Students in Adamawa State. The research design adopted for the study was survey research design. 472 physically challenged students in the school formed the population of the study. Sample size of 214 was used. 214 structured questionnaires were administered and 200 was returned and used for the study. Major findings of the study are that the physically challenged student needs information to meet educational, recreational, social and personal development purposes; they seek information occasionally; and that acquisition of new knowledge and the desire to be in tune with trending issues are what often trigger them to seek information; majority of respondents reveals that problem of what type of information resources and services to be provided physically challenged student are the challenges faced when determining the kind of information needed by physically challenged students; similarly, majority of respondents reveals that inadequate library resources and absence of assistive technology are some of challenges faced by the school in meeting the information sought by physically challenged students. The study recommended that adequate library resources and services should be made to the physically challenged students in the school to curtail almost all the problems associated with information needs and information seeking behaviour of physically challenged raised in the study.