Abstract
Interest in current events and topics is one of the manifestations of active participation of elderly citizens in society. Access to relevant, accurate and credible information therefore constitutes one of the conditions as well as forms of social inclusion as it helps to anchor and integrate individuals in the society. It also prevents manipulation of elderly citizens. The novelty and scope of topics and increasing breadth of information resources represent a challenge for application of information literacy skills by elderly population, especially in terms of the competency framework . The objectives of this research were to determine how seniors gather and analyze information about current events, how they seek relevant and reliable resources, which resources they trust, what types of information they prefer and how well they understand information presented. Research was carried out within the target group of elderly students attending the University of the Third Age at Institute of Information Science and Librarianship, Prague and the University of the Third Age at Masaryk University in Brno. Research methodology included qualitative research methods and techniques like questionnaires as well as observation techniques to monitor information seeking behavior to the given topics. The analysis of gathered findings concentrated on the application of information literacy skills, in particular selection of information resources, their prioritization, evaluation and relevance assessment etc. Conclusions: the usage of online information resources vis-a-vis daily events among respondents from our target group progressively increases, in some aspects electronic information sources are more used and/or preferred than traditional media. Information literacy skills correlate with the acquired level of computer handling skills. Despite theoretical knowledge of literate information behavior, there is still large space for improvement particularly in the field of its practical application. Research outcomes are used to improve information literacy curriculum for elderly students at the University of the Third Age (further only U3A)
Highlights
The starting point for our pilot study was the intersection of three important driving factors: a) increase of elderly citizens in the Czech population, b) increasing usage of IT products by Czech elderly in their interaction with the outer world and c) high vulnerability of elderly to manipulation in the process of information exchange
Theoretical background Information behavior of the elderly has been extensively studied by Williamson and Asla[15,16,17] and others, many of the studies concentrating on specific part of this topic, e.g. human computer interaction (Hawthorn[18], Dickinson[19] etc.) or health information seeking (Medlock[20], Eriksson-Backa[21] of Robertson-Lang22)
Respondents in our pilot study proved to have high interest in news and current events in the society
Summary
The starting point for our pilot study was the intersection of three important driving factors: a) increase of elderly citizens in the Czech population, b) increasing usage of IT products by Czech elderly in their interaction with the outer world and c) high vulnerability of elderly to manipulation in the process of information exchange. The aim of the study was to identify patterns in their information behavior vis-a-vis day-to-day news and events, that would help us later to address more clearly their information literacy competences. The outcomes of the pilot study will be used to improve the research methods applied in the pilot stage, eliminate misleading steps and prepare a framework for broad-scale research. The final aim of this study is to establish a program of information literacy courses tailored to the needs of Czech elderly population, in particular to the needs of U3A students so that they may acquire skills and capabilities useful for effective information strategies in their day-to-day situations. The methods and outcomes may be further modified to suit needs of other segments of Czech elderly population
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