Marginalized Knowledge: An Agenda for Indigenous Knowledge Development and Integration with Other Forms of Knowledge

Rationale for the study

Integrating user-centered information seeking support into the design of web information services has for long been the aim of user studies. This study is no different; however, it endeavours to holistically mirror how web information seeking behaviour has affected the South African educational landscape. This is because as Eklundh (2001: 4) notes, in the growing literature on the Internet and the Web, there is a notable lack of empirical research about how people actually use these media in their daily activities. As observed, many of the existing studies on web information seeking and use are quantitative, whereas qualitative studies related to a specific work context are hard to find. Cockburn, A. & Mackenzie, B. (2000) also lament that given the predominance of the WWW in everyday computing, there is a surprising lack of research on how the web is used. This study is an attempt to fill the noted gap. Jansen and Pooch (2000: 244) also believe that despite the fact that the web is a unique searching environment that necessitates further and independent study, web information seeking research still suffers from the lack of a consistent methodological approach. A plethora of different approaches have been followed, the majority of which are characterized by inconsistencies and limitations. Kellar, Watters and Shepherd (2006: 2) maintain that although a large body of theoretical research examining information seeking in both electronic and non-electronic environments exists, information seeking on the web is a newer branch of research that differs from library based information seeking in the complexity of the resources and the tools used. Mansourian and Madden (2006: 90) contend that information seeking on the worldwide web provides, for an ever increasing group of people, a means of accessing diverse sources of information. To this end, a study examining information-seeking behavior on the World Wide Web in the higher education sector is warranted. Fourie (2006: 20) also maintains that research on user needs and an analysis of user requirements is vital in order to increase the acceptance of web information services, while Kebede (n.d: 157) argues that as the electronic information environment is rapidly expanding, the need to determine the information needs of users in the new environment should also receive due attention.