Att leva sitt liv: Tonårsflickor om livsangelägenheter, informationsbehov och informationsanskaffning.

Abstract

Adolescence is a turbulent time in life and gives rise to new information needs for young people. Information needs related to school subjects have been relatively well researched but few studies have focused on information needs and use related to life concerns. The purpose of this Master's thesis is to examine the information needs of a number of teenage girls in relation to their life concerns and how they meet these needs. The sample consists of twenty-one girls aged thirteen and fourteen. The research is based on literature studies and qualitative interviews combined with a questionnaire. The theoretical framework for the study is based on Tom Wilson's 1996 model and on theory from development psychology. A hermeneutic interpretation of the research material shows that the girls have a number of information needs. The topics taken up in the interviews were mainly the school situation, the future, and social issues. The questionnaire, revealed other topics such as love and physical appearance. The girls were not particularly in need of factual information but rather of advice and explanatory information. Furthermore, the girls satisfied their information needs by approaching family, friends and other informal sources. The results also show that libraries do not play an important role as a source of this type of information. We reached the conclusion that it is important how the information needs of teenagers are met and that they need interpretation and specific applications to their own situations if information is to assist and support them.