Research
Information Seeking Behavior of Secondary School Students during Lockdown
RIF COVID-19 Project: Information Seeking Behavior of Secondary School Students during the Lockdown in Uganda
Executive Summary
1. Introduction
This study addresses the need to effectively meet the information needs of secondary school students during the lockdown in Uganda. When the President of the Republic of Uganda directed that all schools be closed schools on 20th March 2020, students at all levels had to undergo home-schooling. The Ministry of Education and Sports and some schools developed learning materials to facilitate home-schooling during the lockdown. However, access to school libraries is not possible and consequently, there is limited access to information resources necessary for effective study and learning. Students have to study independently at home but the question of how they access the necessary information resources to supplement their studies, remains unanswered. This study sought to establish the information seeking behavior of secondary school students during the lockdown, what sources they use, the challenges they face and thus has proposed a framework for providing library and information services to home-schooling secondary school students during the lockdown in Uganda.The study was guided by the Wilson’s and Krieklas’ model(1999) of Information Seeking. The model attempts to describe the process a user follows to satisfy an information need. It takes into account the user’s previous information-seeking experience. The user uses the tools that are most familiar and easy to use that find results. The model not only applies in the library context, but also to any information-seeking activity just like the one in which homeschooling secondary school students are at the moment.
2. Methodology
A survey was carried out in five districts including Kyenjojo, Sironko, Mukono, Dokolo and Nakapiripirit representing the four major regions of Uganda. Given the timing of this project, choice of districts was based on the ease with which we could identify EASLIS students in the districts, who would serve as research assistants/guides and ease entry into the communities.These were non-border districts and had not registered any COVID-19 case. Based on a total secondary school student population of 1,370,583 (UBOS, 2018) we targeted a sample size of 384 (Krejcie& Morgan table (1970). However, the enthusiasm of the students resulted into collecting data from 446 respondents from 22 sub counties. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires. Convenience sampling and snowball sampling was used to select individual survey participants. Majority of the respondents (87.9%) were O level students and only 12.1% were A level students.
3. Findings
3.1.How Secondary School Students seek/obtain information during the lock down
It was important to establish whether students were study while at home before ascertaining how they sought information to supplement their learning activities. The study established that 23.77% were using print study materials, 34.53% usedtelevision, while 51.57% used radio. However, 84.97% indicated that the learning materialswere not adequate. Reasons given included inadequate Content (42.95%); inadequate explanations (33.89%), subjects are not balanced (18.12%) and insufficient media Time/Timing for Lessons (5.03%). Thus, 90.4% indicated that they needed more information to supplement their study and learning during the lockdown.
Students Information Needs
Students’ information needs included information about COVID-19, sports, entrepreneurship, counselling, current affairs, religious information, fashion, designand academic information (school schedules, subject-specific information, examinations, etc.)
Information Seeking Practice
Students sought information by:
- Consulted information sources with a purpose in mind (74.82%)
- Using radio/television (74.21%)
- Collaborating with others (73%)
- Using others to seek information on their behalf (59.3%)
- Accidently encountering with information (54.5%).
- Using the internet (32.2%)
- Using social media (31.1%)
On whether the students had been guided or trained on how to seek or find information especially from various electronic resources, the study established that 27.6% had received such training while 72.4% had not.Even though the 27.6% had indicated they had received the training, 33.08% of them could not tell where they got the training. 34.59%had been trained by their schools, parents/relative (23.31%), through self-study (5.26%) and neighbors (3.76%).
3.2 Information Sources used by Secondary School Students during the Lockdown
The information sources used regularly by students included; personal notes (60.08%), radio (24%), personal textbooks (23%) and television (15.02%). The rest of the information sources includedInternet (8.74%) and newspapers (6.27%).
Students that were satisfied with personal notes were 51.56%, those satisfied with personal textbook were 27.57%, radio (19.73%), television (15.69%) and newspapers (8.74%).
Majority (91.03%) were not satisfied with nearby library as an alternative source of information. The low level of satisfaction with nearby library is attributed to absence of public libraries in the districts. Only, two students expressed awareness about the existence of a nearby public library (Lira Public Library) which was located over 50km from their homes.
3.3 Challenges/Hindrances faced by Secondary School Students in accessing information resources
Students’ access to information is constrained by a number of challenges including lack of access to a nearby library/resource center (92.15%), high cost of data bundles and OTT tax (83.85%), lack of access to the Internet (72.64%), lack of access to ICTs e.g. computers, smart phones, printing and photocopying services (70.85%), failure to find the relevant information easily (68.60%), inadequate information literacy skills (60.53%), insufficient knowledge of how to use a library/electronic resources (54.93%), lack of access to reading materials while at home (54.48%), lack of access to electricity (59.64%) and lack of appropriate reading space (24.21%).
High cost of radio batteries, unclear timetable for radio and television lessons, travelling long distances to sub counties to collect the study materials were hindrances to accessing information by the students.
Suggestions by the students to overcome the above challenges include:
- Parents reducing on domestic work to allow more time for study
- Allocation of more time for lessons on Television and Radios
- Dissemination of the radio/television study timetable
- Establishment of community libraries
- ICT infrastructure development
- Alternative energy sources
- Reduce the cost of Internet access and OTT
4. Conclusion
The closure of schools created an information gap for the learners. Information resources that used to be provided by the school libraries to support their studies, cannot be accessed, while at home.
While studying away from school, 90.4% needed more information and support. In addition, this study has revealed a low level of information literacy level among the students. While at school, school libraries / teacher librarians would guide access to information resources including how to utilize electronic information resources.
Even with the availability of different information sources like newspapers, radio, Internet, television, personal or borrowed textbooks, students mainly used personal notes (60.08%), followed by textbooks (24%) and radio (23%). The absence of nearby libraries resulted into 90.8% of the students not using libraries as an alternative information source.
Only a few (6.50%) had been supported by their school libraries through book borrowing, distribution of learning materials and provision of reading space.
Therefore, students’ access to information during the lockdown is constrained and this calls for measures to address this information gap and thus support effective study and learning during the lockdown and future pandemics.
Proposed Framework through which Library and Information Services can be provided to Secondary School Students during the Lockdown
The proposed framework for enabling access to library and information services to secondary school students during a pandemic is depicted in the figure below:
Fig 1: Proposed Framework for provision of Library and Information Services to Learners
Recommendations
The Government of Uganda should
- Establish an information literacy programme for learners’ independent study and learning.
- Ensure that regardless of closure of schools, Library and Information Services should be provided to the learners through digital and mobile library services
Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), through the Rural Communication Development Fund (RCDF), should provide funding for the realization of the proposed framework.
The Project Team
The Project team comprised researchers from the East African School of Library and Information Science under the College of Computing and Information Sciences, Makerere University.
- Dr. Joyce Bukirwa – Principal Investigator
- Ms. Lois Mutibwa – Researcher
- Ms. Faridah Muzaki – Researcher
- Mr. Richard Batte – Researcher
- Mr. Aloysius Ssenono Mwanje – Researcher
- Dr. David Luyombya – Researcher
Acknowledgement
We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (RIF) Special COVID-19 call.
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Makerere University Explores Strategic Partnership with Tsinghua University in Safety Science, Disaster Resilience and Public Health
Makerere University has taken a significant step toward strengthening global research collaboration following a high-level meeting between Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and a delegation from Tsinghua University’s Hefei Institute for Public Safety Research, one of China’s leading centres of excellence in disaster prevention, public safety, and emergency management. The engagement marked a renewed commitment to advancing scientific cooperation between the two institutions, particularly in addressing complex environmental and public health challenges that continue to shape national and global development.
A Partnership Anchored in Shared Challenges and Global Priorities
In his remarks, Prof. Nawangwe emphasized that the concept of comprehensive public safety, spanning natural disasters, epidemics, infrastructure failures, and social risks, is increasingly relevant to all colleges and disciplines at Makerere. Uganda’s experience with epidemics such as Ebola, cholera, and COVID-19; frequent landslides in mountainous regions; flooding events; and rising traffic-related incidents place the University in a unique position to contribute applied research, community-based insights, and local knowledge to a global scientific dialogue.
He noted that the Tsinghua presentation revealed new areas of alignment, particularly in epidemic modelling, early-warning systems, and integrated emergency management, areas where Makerere’s public health scientists, medical researchers, and social scientists have extensive expertise.
“This collaboration offers meaningful opportunities for nearly every college at Makerere,” he noted. “Public safety touches the environment, public health, engineering, social sciences, ICT, humanities, and urban planning. The challenges we face as a country make this partnership both timely and essential.” Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe noted.
Tsinghua University: A Global Leader in Comprehensive Public Safety.
The delegation from Tsinghua University outlined China’s national investment in Public safety over the past two decades, an effort driven by the recognition that life and security are the foundation of sustainable development. Tsinghua’s Hefei Institute for Public Safety Research has developed nationally recognised research platforms and large-scale simulation facilities dedicated to Natural disaster modelling (earthquakes, landslides, floods, typhoons, Infrastructure and urban systems safety, Public health emergencies and epidemic preparedness, Early-warning, monitoring, and emergency communication, Traffic and transportation safety, Post-disaster reconstruction and resilience planning.
Their systems currently support over 100 provincial and municipal emergency management centres in China, underscoring their global leadership in practical, scalable solutions for disaster risk management. The delegation reaffirmed that Uganda’s lived experience with multiple hazards presents opportunities for meaningful knowledge exchange. They expressed particular interest in learning from Makerere’s work on epidemic response, community health systems, and the social dimensions of disaster management.
Emerging Areas of Partnership
The meeting identified several promising pathways for long-term collaboration:
1. Joint Research in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate-Related Hazards
Both institutions expressed readiness to co-develop research projects on landslides, floods, urban resilience, and multi-hazard modelling, drawing on Tsinghua’s advanced simulation technologies and Makerere’s environmental expertise and geographic field realities.
2. Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Epidemic Response
Makerere’s renowned public health schools and research centres will collaborate with Tsinghua on epidemic prediction, early-warning systems, and integrated preparedness frameworks, leveraging Uganda’s decades of experience managing high-risk disease outbreaks.
3. Infrastructure and Urban Safety, Including Traffic Systems
With Uganda experiencing rapid urbanisation and high rates of motorcycle-related road incidents, Tsinghua shared insights from China’s own transformation, including infrastructure redesign, transport modelling, and public transit innovations. Collaborative work in this area would support city planning and road safety interventions in Kampala and other urban centres.
4. Academic Exchange and Capacity Building
Both sides expressed interest in student exchanges, staff mobility, co-supervision of postgraduate research, and specialised training programmes hosted at Tsinghua’s world-class safety research facilities.
5. Development of a Joint Public Safety Laboratory at Makerere
The institutions are exploring the establishment of a collaborative safety research platform in Uganda. This initiative could serve as a regional hub for innovation in emergency management, environmental safety, and technology-driven risk assessment.
Towards a Long-Term, Impactful Collaboration
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to develop a structured partnership framework in the coming months, supported by both universities and aligned with Uganda–China cooperation priorities. Both teams acknowledged that the partnership must yield tangible results that enhance community resilience, bolster national preparedness systems, and foster scientific capacity for future generations.
Prof. Nawangwe commended Tsinghua University for its willingness to co-invest in research and capacity building, noting that such collaborations position Makerere not only as a leading research institution in Africa but as an active contributor to global scientific progress.
“This partnership has the potential to transform our understanding of the science of public safety to deliver solutions that safeguard lives.” Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe noted.
“It aligns perfectly with Makerere’s mission to be a research-led, innovation-driven university responding to the world’s most urgent challenges.” He added.
As part of this strategic partnership engagement, Makerere University will, on Wednesday, 17th December, co-host the Makerere University–Tsinghua University Symposium on Public Safety and Natural Disaster Management. The symposium will run from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM in the University Main Hall, Main Building.
This symposium represents a deepening of collaboration not only between Makerere University and Tsinghua University, but also a broader strategic partnership between Uganda and the People’s Republic of China.
During the event, H.E. Zhang Lizhong, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Uganda, together with the State Minister for Higher Education, Government of Uganda, will officially launch the China–Uganda Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Natural Disaster Monitoring and Early Warning. The Laboratory will be hosted at Makerere University, positioning the University to play a central role in strengthening Uganda’s and the region’s capacity for natural disaster preparedness, public safety, and emergency management research.
Caroline Kainomugisha is the Communications Officer, Advancement Office, Makerere University.
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