På gränsen till en ny värld: studenters informationspraktiker på väg mot arbetslivet

Abstract in English

With the increasing academisation of vocational educations the need for higher education to prove to students the relevance of theoretical domain knowledge to professional experience is growing. One way of doing so is to provide students with opportunities for professional training during the course of their studies. The aim of this thesis is to explore the ways in which professional training help students to connect education with working life. The study is carried out through a practice theoretical lens on students’ information practices. It also entails exploring how their information activities contribute to their socialization within workplace communities and to their construction of professional identities. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews, the empirically driven analysis shows that students’ appropriation of information practices during professional training support learning, socialization into a workplace as well as identification with their future professional roles. Students’ information practices can be viewed as significant tools in the process of transition between education and profession where they function as facilitators for learning and participation in workplace activities.