ASSESSMENT OF INFORMATIONAL COMPETENCE IN POSTGRADUATE STUDIES - A CASE STUDY IN THE MATHEMATICS TEACHING MATHEMATICS COURSE AT UFRJ

a case study in the master's course in mathematics teaching at UFRJ

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the informational competence of stricto sensu graduate students in Mathematics Teaching at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The object of the study focused on the practices and behavior of students with regard to access, evaluation and use of information. The evaluative approach adopted was centered on objectives, which made it possible to dimension the categories of the Criteria Framework - Access to Information, Evaluation of Information and Use of information, as well as the subcategories and respective indicators, selected based on exploratory interviews. The results pointed to the students' levels of information competence. In the categories Access to Information and Evaluation of Information, students reached the medium level of informational competence. In the Use of Information category, students demonstrated a high level of informational competence. It was recommended that strategies be used to disseminate the available information resources; restructuring of the topics raised in the training, in order to cover the weaknesses raised in the study; wide dissemination of institutional standard regarding the use of available resources; coordinated work between teachers and librarians, updating library professionals, in order to fully improve students' skills and attitudes towards information competence.