⋆ [Grad] ⋆
INS3703: Using Information: The
Role of Information Behaviour
May/June 2025 & May/June 2024 — Exam Revision Guide
⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆
[B] Library & Information Science [B]
[B] Exam Revision Guide
INS3703
Module Code:
Using Information: The Role of Information Behaviour
Module Name:
May/June 2025 & May/June 2024
Paper / Exam:
Mr AL Legodi
Examiner:
100 marks per paper
Total Marks:
Covers all four compulsory questions for both exam sittings. A predicted questions
section is included at the end.
[Grad] Exam Revision Notes | INS3703 |
,INS3703 | Exam Revision Using Information: The Role of Information Behaviour
PART 1: MAY/JUNE 2025 EXAM PAPER
INS3703 — Using Information: The Role of Information Behaviour
100 Marks | Opening: 4 June 2025 08:00 | Submission: 5 June 2025 19:00
Page 2 of 35 [Grad]
,INS3703 | Exam Revision Using Information: The Role of Information Behaviour
Question 1 (2025) — 25 marks
Question: One of the key models of information-seeking behaviour is Dervin’s Sense-
Making Theory.
1.1 Outline the Sense-Making Theory and its central focus. [15 marks]
1.2 Highlight how the model differs in focus from Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process
(ISP) model. [10 marks]
1.1 — 15 marks
Question: Outline Dervin’s Sense-Making Theory and its central focus.
Answer: Dervin’s Sense-Making Theory is a conceptual and methodological frame-
work developed by Brenda Dervin that explores how individuals seek, create, and use
information to make sense of their experiences and environments. It treats information-
seeking as a fundamentally human, subjective activity rather than a mechanical search
process.
Central Focus:
• The Person as an Active Sense-Maker: Individuals are not passive receivers of
information. They actively construct meaning from incomplete, chaotic, or contra-
dictory information they encounter. Each person’s construction is unique, shaped by
their context, history, and goals.
• The Metaphor of Gap-Bridging: Dervin uses a bridge metaphor. An individual
stands at a point in time and space (a Situation), faces a Gap (a discontinuity or
uncertainty), and must build a bridge across that gap using information. The Use
or Outcome is what the person does or feels once the gap is bridged.
• Three Core Constructs — Situation, Gap, Use:
– Situation: The context or starting point — where the person is cognitively and
physically.
– Gap: The difference between what the person knows and what they need to
know; the trigger for information-seeking.
Page 3 of 35 [Grad]
, INS3703 | Exam Revision Using Information: The Role of Information Behaviour
– Use (Outcome): How the person applies or feels after the information is ac-
quired (e.g., a decision, insight, or emotional resolution).
• Subjectivity and Context: Dervin emphasises that there is no single objective
information “out there.” Every individual’s information need and response to infor-
mation is contextual and shaped by personal factors.
• Non-Linear Process: Unlike step-by-step models, Sense-Making acknowledges that
information-seeking is often messy, circular, and iterative. People may revisit gaps,
reframe questions, or reach unexpected outcomes.
• Methodology — The Micro-Moment Time-Line Interview: Dervin devel-
oped a qualitative research method to capture the exact moment a gap was experi-
enced and how the person sought to bridge it.
[!] Key Concept
The three pillars of Sense-Making are: Situation (context), Gap (the informa-
tion need or uncertainty), and Use/Outcome (how the information was applied).
Always mention all three in an exam answer.
[v] Example
Lehumo, a matric graduate, receives a social-media advert for an unaccredited
college. His Situation is needing a higher-education institution. His Gap is the
lack of verified information about accreditation. Because he does not bridge this
gap properly, the Outcome is a poor decision — paying fees for an unrecognised
programme.
1.2 — 10 marks
Question: Highlight how Dervin’s Sense-Making model differs in focus from Kuhlthau’s
Information Search Process (ISP) model.
Answer: Both models deal with information-seeking behaviour, but they differ signifi-
cantly in their emphasis:
Dervin’s Sense-Making vs. Kuhlthau’s ISP Model
Page 4 of 35 [Grad]
INS3703: Using Information: The
Role of Information Behaviour
May/June 2025 & May/June 2024 — Exam Revision Guide
⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆ ⋄ ⋆
[B] Library & Information Science [B]
[B] Exam Revision Guide
INS3703
Module Code:
Using Information: The Role of Information Behaviour
Module Name:
May/June 2025 & May/June 2024
Paper / Exam:
Mr AL Legodi
Examiner:
100 marks per paper
Total Marks:
Covers all four compulsory questions for both exam sittings. A predicted questions
section is included at the end.
[Grad] Exam Revision Notes | INS3703 |
,INS3703 | Exam Revision Using Information: The Role of Information Behaviour
PART 1: MAY/JUNE 2025 EXAM PAPER
INS3703 — Using Information: The Role of Information Behaviour
100 Marks | Opening: 4 June 2025 08:00 | Submission: 5 June 2025 19:00
Page 2 of 35 [Grad]
,INS3703 | Exam Revision Using Information: The Role of Information Behaviour
Question 1 (2025) — 25 marks
Question: One of the key models of information-seeking behaviour is Dervin’s Sense-
Making Theory.
1.1 Outline the Sense-Making Theory and its central focus. [15 marks]
1.2 Highlight how the model differs in focus from Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process
(ISP) model. [10 marks]
1.1 — 15 marks
Question: Outline Dervin’s Sense-Making Theory and its central focus.
Answer: Dervin’s Sense-Making Theory is a conceptual and methodological frame-
work developed by Brenda Dervin that explores how individuals seek, create, and use
information to make sense of their experiences and environments. It treats information-
seeking as a fundamentally human, subjective activity rather than a mechanical search
process.
Central Focus:
• The Person as an Active Sense-Maker: Individuals are not passive receivers of
information. They actively construct meaning from incomplete, chaotic, or contra-
dictory information they encounter. Each person’s construction is unique, shaped by
their context, history, and goals.
• The Metaphor of Gap-Bridging: Dervin uses a bridge metaphor. An individual
stands at a point in time and space (a Situation), faces a Gap (a discontinuity or
uncertainty), and must build a bridge across that gap using information. The Use
or Outcome is what the person does or feels once the gap is bridged.
• Three Core Constructs — Situation, Gap, Use:
– Situation: The context or starting point — where the person is cognitively and
physically.
– Gap: The difference between what the person knows and what they need to
know; the trigger for information-seeking.
Page 3 of 35 [Grad]
, INS3703 | Exam Revision Using Information: The Role of Information Behaviour
– Use (Outcome): How the person applies or feels after the information is ac-
quired (e.g., a decision, insight, or emotional resolution).
• Subjectivity and Context: Dervin emphasises that there is no single objective
information “out there.” Every individual’s information need and response to infor-
mation is contextual and shaped by personal factors.
• Non-Linear Process: Unlike step-by-step models, Sense-Making acknowledges that
information-seeking is often messy, circular, and iterative. People may revisit gaps,
reframe questions, or reach unexpected outcomes.
• Methodology — The Micro-Moment Time-Line Interview: Dervin devel-
oped a qualitative research method to capture the exact moment a gap was experi-
enced and how the person sought to bridge it.
[!] Key Concept
The three pillars of Sense-Making are: Situation (context), Gap (the informa-
tion need or uncertainty), and Use/Outcome (how the information was applied).
Always mention all three in an exam answer.
[v] Example
Lehumo, a matric graduate, receives a social-media advert for an unaccredited
college. His Situation is needing a higher-education institution. His Gap is the
lack of verified information about accreditation. Because he does not bridge this
gap properly, the Outcome is a poor decision — paying fees for an unrecognised
programme.
1.2 — 10 marks
Question: Highlight how Dervin’s Sense-Making model differs in focus from Kuhlthau’s
Information Search Process (ISP) model.
Answer: Both models deal with information-seeking behaviour, but they differ signifi-
cantly in their emphasis:
Dervin’s Sense-Making vs. Kuhlthau’s ISP Model
Page 4 of 35 [Grad]
