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1 – 10 of 596The purpose of this paper is to explain how the users' information need could be compared with a learning, knowledge and research need where the purpose of information seeking is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain how the users' information need could be compared with a learning, knowledge and research need where the purpose of information seeking is to find relevant information in relation to the fulfilment of a specific goal and information need in order to become information literate.
Design/methodology/approach
By theoretical considerations and studies of research literature an analysis and comparison of Kuhlthaus's ISP‐model and Dewey's problem solving model are presented. According to epistemological pragmatism information seeking is primarily a process of finding relevant and useful information in relation to the fulfilment of a specific research need. This can be accomplished by a combination between rationalistic thinking and action. Therefore the paper stats that pragmatism is a fruitful epistemological view for library and information science research and practice
Findings
This paper presents, compares, and discusses Kuhlthau's ISP‐model and Dewey's problem solving model. First, it is clear that both Kuhlthau and Dewey are focusing on the close relationship between thinking and action where both information seeking and problem solving is considered a learning process. Second, both Kuhlthau and Dewey find that information seeking is easier when the problem is more focused or the hypothesis more verified. However, when Kuhlthau rather extensively pays attention to the feelings of uncertainty during the ISP, Dewey finds only that problem solving initiates uncertainty and perplexity.
Practical implications
This paper may provide guidelines for academic libraries interested in developing their information literacy program.
Originality/value
This paper points out that further epistemological, theoretical and empirical investigations of the relationship between Kuhlthau's ISP‐model and Dewey's problem solving model are necessary. In particular, further investigations of specific user groups of Research Libraries and their information seeking and problem solving are important in order to optimize Research Libraries' educational programmes.
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– The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the conceptual picture of the relationships between the affective and cognitive factors in information seeking and use.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the conceptual picture of the relationships between the affective and cognitive factors in information seeking and use.
Design/methodology/approach
Conceptual analysis focusing on the ways in which the affective and cognitive factors and their interplay are approached in the Information Search Process model developed by Carol Kuhlthau, and the Social-Biological Information Technology model elaborated by Diane Nahl.
Findings
Kuhlthau’s model approaches the cognitive factors (thoughts) and affective factors (feelings) and affective-cognitive factors (mood) as integral constituents of the six-stage information search process. Thoughts determine the valence of feelings (positive or negative), while mood opens or closes the range of possibilities in a search. Nahl’s taxonomic model defines the affective and cognitive factors as components of a biologically determined process serving the ends of adaptation to information ecology. The interplay of the above factors is conceptualized by focusing on their mutual roles in the cognitive and affective appraisal of information.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are based on the comparison of two models only.
Originality/value
So far, information scientists have largely ignored the study of the interplay between affective and cognitive factors in information seeking and use. The findings indicate that the examination of these factors together rather than separately holds a good potential to elaborate the holistic picture of information seeking and use.
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The purpose of this chapter is to present a model (Beginning, Acting, Telling (BAT) model) developed for the elementary-school classroom that integrates features identified by…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this chapter is to present a model (Beginning, Acting, Telling (BAT) model) developed for the elementary-school classroom that integrates features identified by research into information-seeking behavior and information literacy.
Methodology/approach
The chapter provides an overview of research in the areas of information-seeking behavior and information literacy and models in which they have intersected (namely, the Information Search Process (ISP) model) to provide a theoretical framework in which to situate the BAT model. Examples from previous empirical studies conducted by the author that informed the model are provided.
Findings
A preliminary iteration of the BAT model has successfully been piloted in two third-grade classrooms in Buffalo, New York. Plans are underway to introduce the model to a wider audience.
Practical implications
The BAT model with its use of image and mnemonic cues can be used to teach the research process to students, beginning in the earliest grades of elementary school.
Originality/value of chapter
This chapter is the first time the final iteration of the BAT model has been presented. It is the first model integrating features inherent in information-seeking behavior and information literacy that also makes use of imagery and mnemonic.
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The purpose of this contribution is to encourage library and information (LIS) professionals to draw on the initiatives by Carol Kuhlthau to align information seeking with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this contribution is to encourage library and information (LIS) professionals to draw on the initiatives by Carol Kuhlthau to align information seeking with learning theories and new roles for intermediaries. Considering the vast array of developments in information communication technology (ICT), and the challenges and pressures for continuing professional development (CPD) and reflection, it seems timely to encourage experimentation with the ideas of Kuhlthau on Zones of Intervention and Lev Vygotsky on Zones of Proximal Development (ZPD), as means to become au fait with these theories, ideas and related research, and to apply these theories and ideas on a practical level to offer opportunities for the continuing professional development of LIS professionals with specific reference to ICT, and to eventually also impact on the training of users.
Design/methodology/approach
This contribution will be written against the background of research from information literacy, information behaviour (including information seeking), the learning theory of Vygotsky on Zones of Proximal Development, and continuing professional development.
Findings
Although the information seeking process (ISP) model of Kuhlthau is widely cited, the idea of Zones of Intervention which she developed from the work of Vygotsky does unfortunately not feature strongly in the LIS literature. Considering the literature on Zones of Proximal Development, it can, however, hold much potential for LIS professionals to align support with information seeking with professional (optimal) development – especially if using the focus (Zones of Intervention and Zones of Proximal Development) as a means to become au fait, and if initially taking a more practical and relaxed approach as point of departure.
Originality/value
Relatively few publications on Zones of Intervention and Zones of Proximal Development appear in the LIS literature. None of these are to the author's knowledge, aligned to the continuing professional development of LIS professionals on a practical level or with regard to fully exploiting ICT developments.
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Jamshid Beheshti, Mohammed J. AlGhamdi, Charles Cole, Dhary Abuhimed and Isabelle Lamoureux
The chapter describes a four-year research project, the objective of which was to design and develop an intervention tool to assist middle school students in their information…
Abstract
Purpose
The chapter describes a four-year research project, the objective of which was to design and develop an intervention tool to assist middle school students in their information seeking when engaged in an inquiry-based learning project.
Methodology/approach
Bonded design method was used to design a proof-of-concept (POC) low-tech Guide, and focus group and Informant Design methods were utilized to develop a Web Guide.
Findings
In creating an intervention tool, whether low-tech paper-based or high-tech websites, different methodologies that relied heavily on the participation of students in the design process were successfully utilized.
Practical implications
The research shows that participation of children and adolescents in designing the content of technology for educational use is imperative.
Originality/value
This is a long-term research project, which is unparalleled and unique in its scope, duration, breadth, and depth. Having access to the grade eight classes in a single school over a four-year period has proven to be a remarkable research opportunity, seldom reported in the literature.
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The aim of this article is threefold: (1) to give a summary of empirical results reported earlier on relations between students‘ problem stages in the course of writing their…
Abstract
The aim of this article is threefold: (1) to give a summary of empirical results reported earlier on relations between students‘ problem stages in the course of writing their research proposals for a master’s thesis and the information sought, choice of search terms and tactics and relevance assessments of the information found for that task; (2) to show how the findings of the study refine Kuhlthau‘s model of the information search process in the field of information retrieval (IR); and (3) to construe a tentative theory of a task‐based IR process based on the supported hypotheses. The results of the empirical studies show that there is a close connection between the students’ problem stages (mental model) in the task performance and the information sought, the search tactics used and the assessment of the relevance and utility of the information found. The corroborated hypotheses expand the ideas in Kuhlthau‘s model in the domain of IR. A theory of task‐based information searching based on the empirical findings of the study is presented.
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Dennis Isbell and Lisa Kammerlocher
Carol Kuhlthau’s research on the information search process with students has had a big influence on librarians at the Arizona State University West Library. Her model of how…
Abstract
Carol Kuhlthau’s research on the information search process with students has had a big influence on librarians at the Arizona State University West Library. Her model of how students actually do research has been a revelation to some; it has verified for others what they “knew” but had not fully grasped. Her model has been fully integrated into a one‐hour credit course that supports a new writing certificate program and is being used experimentally in the library’s reference services. In this article, Isbell and Kammerlocher summarize Kuhlthau’s research and the information search process, present background on the one‐credit class, and describe how they are using the ISP model in the class and as a training tool for reference services. They conclude with plans for evaluation of their efforts and student outcomes assessment and future plans for working with the ISP model.
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This paper presents an outline of models of information seeking and other aspects of information behaviour, showing the relationship between communication and information…
Abstract
This paper presents an outline of models of information seeking and other aspects of information behaviour, showing the relationship between communication and information behaviour in general with information seeking and information searching in information retrieval systems. It is suggested that these models address issues at various levels of information behaviour and that they can be related by envisaging a ‘nesting’ of models. It is also suggested that, within both information seeking research and information searching research, alternative models address similar issues in related ways and that the models are complementary rather than conflicting. Finally, an alternative, problem‐solving model is presented, which, it is suggested, provides a basis for relating the models in appropriate research strategies.
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