Abstract:
This dissertation, based on a research study undertaken during the fall of 2008, sought to
understand the experiences of children in order to inform school library media specialists'
practice in fostering the development of intrinsic motivation for information seeking in
young patrons. Research was conducted using an inductive naturalistic approach in order
to address the following question, "what are the experiences in the lives of upper
elementary school children that foster an intrinsic motivation to seek information?" The
conceptual framework for the study was composed of the Taxonomy of Tasks (Bilal,
2002a) and A Theoretical Model of Urban Teen Development (Agosto & HughesHassell,
2006a, 2006b). Self-determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985b) provided the
basis for the theoretical framework of the study. Participants were selected from a pool of
fifth graders from three diverse schools within a single community. Initially, the children
were chosen based on the results of a survey especially developed for the study.
Interviews and a drawing activity were used to collect the data that served as the basis for
analysis. Analysis of the data indicates that students came from various family situations
and socio-economic backgrounds, exhibited different communication styles, and
described varied school experiences. They also exhibited an affinity for play, a tendency
toward creativity, and the disposition of non-competitiveness. With regard to their
information seeking behavior, informants indicated a variety of information seeking
styles and interests, engaged in information seeking in order to facilitate maturation into
their next developmental stage (adolescence), and recounted diverse and successful
information seeking episodes. A point of passion experience occurred in the lives of all of
the informants, and the presence of "anchor" relationships helped in fostering their
intrinsic motivation for information seeking. Students specified that interest/relevance of
topic, working in a group, at least some choice in the task, creating a final product, and
fewer time constraints are all components of intrinsically motivating information seeking
episodes. Implications and recommendations for practitioners include suggestions for
defining the missions, directing the services, and structuring the environments of school
library programs toward the goal of supporting and developing intrinsic motivation in
school children.
