Understanding the information literacy experiences of Australia’s humanitarian migrants

Abstract

Every year, millions of people are forced to flee their homes to find safety. This paper investigates the information literacy experiences of people from forced migrant backgrounds as they settle into a new country during their first few years of migration. Using a qualitative and interpretive approach incorporating thematic analysis techniques, data were collected through 19 semi-structured interviews and were analysed adopting a thematic analysis approach. Participants were new arrival humanitarian migrants in Australia. The analysis uncovered five different and interconnected themes depicting the information literacy experiences among forcibly displaced people. The themes are: (1) undertaking education; (2) reaching out for help; (3) comparing and contrasting; (4) sharing stories; and (5) getting engaged. Grounded in the relational perspective on information literacy, a long-standing theoretical perspective to explore the information literacy of humanitarian migrants, the findings from this study provide an empirically derived evidence base to inform the design and delivery of services providing information, support and education to humanitarian migrants entering Australia for protection or resettlement.