Information barriers and Maori secondary school students

Introduction. An investigation was undertaken of the information barriers encountered by Maori secondary school students when seeking information in different cultural contexts. Method. A mixed methods approach was undertaken through a questionnaire and focus group interviews with Maori students aged 16 and over in years 11-13 at four different secondary schools. Analysis. Quantitative analysis was carried out on the questionnaire data from 139 respondents using SPSS software. Qualitative analysis on the transcripts from the forty-five participants in the focus group interviews was carried out using HyperResearch software Results. Research results reveal that the students are not always able to access the information they want due to its 'unavailability', or they perceive the information as being incorrect. Access to information technology and the Internet remain significant barriers to overcome. The study revealed that the types of barriers encountered by students varied according to the cultural context they were seeking the information in. Conclusions. Individuals who have strong Maori cultural identity indicators experience fewer information barriers in the two cultural worlds of which they are part.