Information som spelar en roll : En studie i teaterhögskolestudenters informationsbehov

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this bachelor's thesis is to examine the information needs and behavior of Swedish theater students. The aim is to get an increased insight into how theater students search and use information as they create their character roles and also to examine how the information seeking is integrated in the creative process. The findings of this study have been made through qualitative data gathered from five interviews with six theater students who are studying at the Swedish Theater Academy. These students studied between autumn term of 2014 and spring term of 2015. To analyze the result of the interviews four different theories’ have been used, Carol Kuhlthau’s information search process model, Lars Höglund and Olle Perssons model of four domains, Lars Höglund and Olle Perssons information search barriers and Tom Wilson’s model of information behavior. In summary the research shows that the students have to search actively for information helping them to understand the situations and circumstances that happens to their character in the play. Theater students share similarities with other university students in the way they seek information. Both groups use Google, online databases and books to immerse themselves in specific areas of research. The difference is that the theater students are more flexible in the way they use information. The barriers that are usually involved in information search do not concern the theater students in the same way. They can gather information from sources that are not generally suited for their needs and they put in a lot of effort to embody their knowledge collected from the information search. The students can also use a variety of different sources when they seek information. Sources that can’t be found online or in a book can usually be obtained through dialogue.