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The Information Culture of the Maldives

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The Information Culture of the Maldives Faculty of Humanities Department of Media and Information The information culture of the Maldives: An exploratory study of information provision and access in a small island developing state Aminath Riyaz This thesis is presented for the Degree of Master of Philosophy (Media and Information) of Curtin University of Technology February 2009 Declaration To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgment has been made. This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. Signature: …………………………………………. Date: …………………………………………. ii Abstract The thesis explores the relationship between information culture and development to highlight areas in information provision and access that need to be addressed in the small island developing state of the Maldives. The study uses a mixed methods approach. A quantitative survey of a rural community and the urban community collected data on their information use, access, and awareness. Qualitative in-depth interviews with key information stakeholders in the country supplemented this, giving insightful information on how the relevant issues at hand were being addressed by the relevant government departments. The results reveal that people in the urban capital of the Maldives have much better access to information sources than members of the rural community. The take-up of ICTs is promising and implementation of information services remains a high priority. The survey also found more frequent use of “formal” channels of information by the urban community while the rural community predominantly relies on “verbal” or “informal” information exchange. The identified challenges in the provision of information initiatives include the geographical dispersion of the country, lack of information awareness and information literacy, misalignment of information services with the needs, financial and human resources constraints, and the lack of appropriate information policies. The major conclusions emanating from this study are that the difference in the communities in their information outlook is that of level of access, not in the actual usage, and that there is a strong oral culture of information exchange with a casual reading approach. The results of this study will be useful to inform policy making in addressing the disparities between the rural and urban communities and in the general introduction of information services relevant to the Maldives. iii Acknowledgements a This has been a wonderful journey, not always easy but not too difficult either. It was the balancing of studies with family and friends in Perth as well as the instant online chats, regular SMSs and the precious real-time conversations with family and friends back home, in the Maldives, that kept me going. My children‟s innocence brought amusement and humour at times when I was despaired, and questioned my ability to complete this project. Maai made it sound so simple. I can never forget him asking one morning “mammi! How many more words have you got to write?” This was only around the ninth month into my writing. Idhu made sure I never sat with the papers for too long – for he cannot stand anything but my full attention on him and him only when he is around. Moosa, my husband, made my life here so much easier by being always helpful and understanding. Their life was disrupted for the sake of my academic ambitions. Nonetheless, I like to believe that the time in Perth has been rewarding and a learning journey for them as much as it has been for me. I am also extremely grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Kerry Smith, for guiding me in the right direction and always with such humour as well as very straightforward and honest criticism whenever I was deviating from the right track. My journey was also eased by the research workshops conducted by the Curtin Humanities Graduate Studies Office as well as the candidacy workshops conducted by Dr. Tim Dolin. I would also like to thank the staff at the Learning Centre, especially Dr. John Fielder for his continuous support in editing my work. A special thank you is also due to Jennifer Lalor for her assistance with SPSS database setup. My sincere gratitude is also due to the Australian Government for considering me worthy of the Leadership Award, and I thank AusAID liaison officers and other support staff at Curtin International Office for their dedication for our wellbeing. I thank my colleagues, especially Tim, Liam, Scott, and Glynis who always showed an interest in my progress and in my general wellbeing. I also thank the Maldivian community in Perth for making life here memorable. A special note of thanks is due to, Akram, Athifa, Faz, Moosa, & Shafu for helping me out with the piloting of the survey questionnaire. In short, this thesis is not just my own work. It has its academic credibility and rigor from my supervisor and the academic support network; richness in information from those people who were passionate enough to contribute to the scholarly communication process through their writings; and originality from the contributions of the participants of the surveys and the interviews. I thank you all for your contribution in this journey. iv Table of Contents Abstract iii Acknowledgements iv List of Figures viii List of Tables ix Abbreviations xi Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 Research questions and objectives ............................................................................ 1 1.2 Background to the research ....................................................................................... 1 1.2.1 Information culture ..................................................................................................... 2 1.2.2 The Study Setting ........................................................................................................ 2 1.3 Research method ....................................................................................................... 4 1.3.1 Document analysis ...................................................................................................... 4 1.3.2 Survey questionnaire ................................................................................................... 4 1.3.3 Semi-structured interviews.......................................................................................... 5 1.3.4 Final analysis .............................................................................................................. 5 1.4 Significance of the research ....................................................................................... 5 1.5 Limits of scope and key assumptions ........................................................................ 6 1.6 Chapter outlines ......................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2: Literature Review 8 2.1 Information and development .................................................................................... 8 2.2 Information culture .................................................................................................... 9 2.2.1 Information culture in the organisational context ..................................................... 10 2.2.2 Information culture within the broader IS literature ................................................. 11 2.2.3 Information culture in a societal context ................................................................... 14 2.2.4 Elements of an information culture ........................................................................... 16 Indigenous Knowledge .............................................................................................. 16 ICTs ........................................................................................................................... 17 Information literacy/ ICT literacy ............................................................................. 18 Research and Publication ......................................................................................... 19 Libraries and information services ........................................................................... 20 Mass Media ............................................................................................................... 21 Information Policies .................................................................................................. 21 2.3 Role of libraries & information literacy .................................................................. 23 2.4 Examples of information policies and information initiatives ................................ 25 2.4.1 Telecentres ................................................................................................................ 25 2.4.2 Initiatives in other countries ...................................................................................... 26 2.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 30 Chapter 3: Background to the research 31 3.1 Governance and legislature ..................................................................................... 31 3.2 Geography ............................................................................................................... 32 3.3 Economy .................................................................................................................. 32 3.4 Language
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