Duplicating a time series study done by Kuhlthau and associates in 1989, this study examines the applicability of the Information Search Process (ISP) Model in the context of a virtual learning environment. This study confirms that students given an information seeking task in a virtual learning environment do exhibit the stages indicated by the ISP Model. The six-phase ISP Model is shown to be valid for describing the different stages of cognitive, affective, and physical tasks individuals progress through when facing a situation where they must search for information to complete an academic task in a virtual learning environment. The findings in this study further indicate there is no relationship between the amount of computer experience subjects possess and demonstrating the patterns of thoughts, feelings, and actions described by the ISP Model. The study demonstrates the ISP Model to be independent of the original physical library environments where the model was developed. An attempt is made to represent the ISP model in a slightly different manner that provides more of the sense of motion and interaction among the components of thoughts, feelings, and action than is currently provided for in the model. The study suggests that the development of non-self-reporting data collection techniques would be useful in complementing and furthering research to enhance and refine the representation of the ISP Model. Additionally, expanding the research to include the examination of group interaction is called for to enhance the ISP Model and develop further applications that could potentially aid educational delivery in all types of learning environments.

This study explored the information seeking behaviour of a group of nursing students at a single university in the United Kingdom to determine whether any of personality, learning style, or self-efficacy with information literacy impacted on this behaviour. A concurrent embedded quantitative dominant mixed-methods approach was used comprising of a questionnaire and interviews, and took place during the academic year 2008-9. Phase 1 of the research used a questionnaire (sample n=194) consisting of three validated scales (for personality, learning styles, and self-efficacy respectively), plus a section on information seeking preferences based on Foster’s (2004, 2005) non-linear model, and some demographic questions. For Phase 2 a sample (n=11) of students took part in semi-structured interviews using the Critical Incident Technique, the resulting data analysed using a blended method of data collection, analysis and display – Qualitative Interpretative Categorisation (QIC). Results from the questionnaire data (through Chi-square, Odds ratios, and Binomial regression) showed clear links between differing personality traits, learning style preferences, and levels of self-efficacy with information literacy, and with particular elements of Foster’s model. This enabled seven specific profiles and a ‘level of understanding’ continuum to be formulated. The interview data enabled an information search process model to be produced indicating the ‘route’ students’ use during their information seeking and emphasised the role of situation. Finally incorporating the student’s personal profile into the model allowed a complete information seeking process model to be produced. Key recommendations from the study are that students should wherever possible have their information seeking profile determined via questionnaire and that a ‘long and thin’ information skills training programme be embedded into the curriculum. This programme should contain a range of types of session and that can be moulded to the situation the students are in.

While journalists were once viewed as gatekeepers, dispensing news and information via one-way communication channels, their role as information provider has evolved. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the social networking site Twitter, where information seekers have unprecedented access to information providers. The two-way communication that these information seekers have come to expect can be challenging for organizations such as ESPN who have multiple Twitter accounts and millions of followers. By designating one team of people as responsible for the organization's largest Twitter account, SportsCenter, ESPN has sought to establish manageable methods of interacting with this account's followers, while furthering the goals of the organization and providing sports news around the clock. This study provides a better understanding of the group responsible for ESPN's SportsCenter Twitter account: the motivation and strategies behind the group's Twitter use as well as the dynamics of this network, such as information flow and collaboration. Relying on the Information Seeking and Communication Model, this study also provides a better understanding of information exchanges with those outside the network, specifically a selection of the account's Twitter followers. Additionally, the role of journalist as information provider and certain themes that emerged from the content of the tweets are discussed. The research employed social network analysis and exploratory, descriptive case study methods. The results of this study contribute to social network and information theory as well as to journalistic and information science practice.

Although there has been research conducted in the area of information seeking behavior in children, the research focusing on young children, more specifically on pre-kindergarten students, is almost nonexistent. Children at this age are in the preoperational developmental stage. They tend to display curiosity about the world around them, and use other people as a means to gain the information they are seeking. Due to the insistence from President Obama to implement pre-kindergarten programs for all low and middle class children, the need to understand the cognitive, emotional, and physical needs of these children is becoming increasingly imperative. To researchers, the actions displayed by these young children on a daily basis remain vital in determining the methods by which they are categorized, studies, and even taught. This study employed Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory (SDT), Dervin's sense-making theory, Kuhlthau''s information search process model (ISP), and Shenton and Dixon's microcosmic model of information seeking via people to lay the theoretical foundational framework. This ethnographic study aimed to fill the age gap found in information seeking literature. By observing young children in the school setting, I gained insight into how these children seek information. The resulting information collected via field observations and semi-structured interviews were coded based on Shenton and Dixon's model of information seeking via people. The findings, in Chapter 5, revealed emerging codes and trends in the information seeking behaviors of pre-kindergarten students.

Orientador: Helen de Castro Silva Casarin / Banca: Mariângela Spotti Lopes Fujita / Banca: Daisy Pires Noronha / Resumo: A questão ambiental ocupa um importante espaço na sociedade e vem crescendo cada vez mais em abrangência. Uma das características da área de meio ambiente é que esta apresenta facetas de difícil controle, por ser multi e interdisciplinar. A informação produzida e utilizada nesta área encontra-se dispersa em diversas fontes. Dessa forma, o comportamento de busca da informação ambiental por pesquisadores da área faz-se pertinente. A pesquisa teve como objetivo principal a análise do comportamento de busca e uso da informação ambiental por parte dos pesquisadores de duas instituições vinculados a programas de pós-graduação da área de Ecologia. Objetivou-se ainda caracterizar a informação ambiental, incluindo aspectos históricos e atuais, enfocando o contexto brasileiro, delinear o perfil dos pesquisadores-usuários da informação ambiental, identificar os hábitos de busca e as fontes de informação consideradas fundamentais. Utilizou-se uma metodologia quantitativa e descritiva e os dados foram obtidos através de questionário contendo perguntas abertas, semi-abertas e fechadas. Constatou-se que os pesquisadores da área de meio ambiente, tanto de mestrado, quanto de doutorado, apresentam um comportamento de busca e uso da informação independente, não necessitando necessariamente de intermediários para a realização da busca por informação e estes apresentam aspectos similares e diferentes no que concerne a esse comportamento. Espera-se que este estudo possa trazer significativas contribuições ao campo da Ciência da Informação, em especial a linha de Organização da Informação e que suscite outras discussões sobre este tema. / Abstract: The environmental issue occupies an important place in society and is growing increasingly in scope. One of the characteristics of environment area is that it presents facets difficult to control, to be multi and interdisciplinary. The information produced and used in this area is scattered in various sources. Thus, the study of the conduct of search of environmental information by researchers in the field it is relevant. The research was aimed primarily at examining the conduct of search of environmental information by researchers from both institutions linked to postgraduate programmes in the ecology area. The objective was to further characterize the environmental information, including current and historical aspects, focusing on the Brazilian context, outlining the profile of researchers-users of environmental information, identify patterns of search and sources of information considered essential. We used a descriptive and quantitative methodology and data were obtained through a questionnaire containing questions open, semi-open and closed. It was found that researchers in the field of environment, both master's or a doctorate, presenting a performance of search and use of independent information, not necessarily requiring an intermediary to conduct the search for information and they have similar and different aspects in relation to this behavior.It is hoped that this study could bring significant contributions to the field of Information Science, in particular the line of Organization of information and that raises further discussions on this subject. / Mestre

abstract: Prior research suggests that people ignore evidence that is inconsistent with what they want to believe. However, this research on motivated reasoning has focused on how people reason about familiar topics and in situations where the evidence presented interacts with strongly-held prior beliefs (e.g., the effectiveness of the death penalty as a crime deterrent). This makes it difficult to objectively assess how biased people are in motivated-reasoning contexts. Indeed, recent work by Jern and colleagues (2014) suggests that apparent instances of motivated reasoning may actually be instances of rational belief-updating. Inspired by this new account, the current studies reexamined motivated reasoning using a controlled categorization task and tested whether people assimilate evidence differently when they are motivated to maintain a certain belief versus when they are not. Contrary to earlier research on motivated reasoning, six studies with children and adults (N = 1295) suggest that participants’ motivations did not affect their information search and their beliefs were driven primarily by the evidence, even when the evidence was incongruent with their motivations. This work provides initial evidence for the account proposed by Jern and colleagues. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2019

The purpose of the present study was to examine the information needs and information seeking behaviour of coaches in the sports of swimming and track and field who had completed level 2 accreditation of the Australian Coaching Council. The study aimed to identify information needs, the sources from which information is currently obtained and to gauge the level of satisfaction with current information provision in terms of the quantity, content and timeliness of information received. The study also aimed to examine the influence of the independent variables of sport, geographic location and education level on information needs and information seeking behaviour. In line with current theoretical thinking in the examination of information needs described in the literature, the researcher took a 'user-centred' approach in the identification of information needs utilising the structured group discussion process, Nominal Group Technique (NGT) as the first stage of the research. This process established the broad parameters of coaches' information needs and provided the basis for the design of a subsequent survey which was distributed to all swimming and track and field coaches who had completed level 2 accrediation. The survey resulted in a response rate of 69 percent from a total population of 568. The study revealed that coaches have a wide range of information needs many of which would not generally be associated with libraries, that there are few differences between coaches from different sports, those of differing education levels and between those of different geographic locations, although access to information is made more difficult through geographic isolation. The study revealed that coaches use multiple sources to obtain information and that libraries and formal sport information providers are not key sources for most types of information. Low levels of satisfaction were found to exist with the quantity and content of information with the highest level of dissatisfaction being expressed with the timeliness of information received. The study concludes by identifying issues, recommending possible actions in relation to these issues and identifies areas for future research.

The present study attempted to investigate the information needs/information seeking behaviour of health researchers at the National Institute of Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health, Indonesia. Its objective was to identify the relationship between information needs/information seeking behaviour and the characteristics of those health professionals. Those characteristics include institution to which health professionals belonged, institution geographic location, level of appointment, level of education, and work experience. Research was carried out through survey by using a questionnaire. This survey obtained a response rate of 92 percent from a sample of 131 health professionals. Their information needs/information seeking behaviour were correlated with their characteristics to determine relationships, and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. Frequency distribution, chi-square analysis, and descriptive analysis were used to obtain the results. The study found that the health information available did not match the health professionals' needs and that there was strong demand by these personnel for automated information services. It also found that total hours reading per week was significantly related to level of appointment, level of education, and work experience at other institutions. The perceived usefulness of journals as information sources was significantly related to institution, geographic location, level of appointment, level of education and work experience at other institutions. Government publications and statistical data as a source of information were found to be related significantly to institution and geographic location. There was also a relationship between the perceived value of reference books and work experience at the current institution. The usefulness of library catalogues as a guide to information was found to be related significantly to institution and geographic location, as was the usefulness of abstracting and indexing services to level of education. Frequency of visiting libraries was significantly related to institution, geographic location and level of appointment. The membership of professional organizations and obtaining useful information from friends, colleagues or personal contact were found to be significantly related to level of education. The study concludes with recommendations and suggestions for further research.

<p>The study aims to investigate student’s attitudes and experiences of information retrieval on the Internet, as tools for learning. I have been interested of their own views about their own knowledge and experience in the subject, information seeking on the Internet. The focus is on what they perceive as problematic, what skills they consider they have and what needs they have in terms of teaching. Data were collected via questionnaires. About 200 students at the second year in high school have been asked about the problems and difficulties they have within seeking on the Internet. The study is especially framed within a sociocultural perspective of learning. The study aims to answer following questions:</p><p>Do the students think that they, in a concentrated way, can orient themselves and seek information on the Internet? Do the students think that they had received education in information seeking on the Internet? Do the students think that they need more skills in information seeking on the Internet?</p><p>The result shows that this millennial generation see themselves as competent users of the Internet, the World Wide Web (www). Young people are attracted by working with the computer as tool for learning, while teachers may feel that the boundary between school and leisure time is small. The students have a sense of success in every moment of internet seeking. Pupils and teachers have different skills on the Internet. This applies to teachers gain knowledge of it and how to teach the skills students need. Since the computer is a common tool in our workplaces in the community, is it important for the school to prepare the students for the future. It is important for all educators in the school, individually and jointly to reflect on the information that will contribute to the student's own knowledge creation and in what way.</p><p> </p>

<p>Nine out of ten larger companies have an intranet today which is supposed to improve the communication withinthe company and save money. A great part of these intranets were established in the beginning of the 1990’swithout giving any thought to the users and their needs. How does the communication inside the corporationslook like when the intranets that are supposed to be the source for every information request, aren’t usable? Whatother sources do the users use and how much?The aim of this master thesis is to examine information source selection at a specific company. In addition,the aim is to study the companies intranet usability from the users’ perspective. Interviews with five employeesat Viking Line were carried out to analyze these questions. The empiric material also consists of a survey carriedout among 78 employees of the company. The principle of least effort and the cost/benefit model is introduced astwo possible theories that can explain the information source selection at the chosen company.The results show that the information source selection at the company cannot be explained by only onetheory or one model, in contrast to a great part of prior research. The selection of information source do dependon factors like perceived accessibility and perceived quality of the information but other factors are shown toaffect information seeking decisions as well. Therefore, the empiric material shows that time pressure affectsusers’ choice of source selection to more accessible information sources. Another factor that can have an effecton the user is how one employee treats another. When the employee has been negatively treated at the momenthe is seeking information, the employee is more likely to use impersonal sources.Furthermore, the intranet at Viking Line is the most used as well as the most reliable source according tothe users, even though the intranet does not satisfy all needs of the employees. The users are also highly accustomedwith the intranet which increases its perceived accessibility.The conclusion of this study is that the principle of least effort and the cost/benefit model do indeed explainthe users’ choice of information source, but only partly. The study was conducted at a specific company but theconclusions drawn could be applied to other similar companies where intranets are a great part of the employeesinformation seeking. Finally, I believe, that the effectiveness of the employee is directly connected to the effectivenessof the information sources available at the company. Moreover, if companies improved their intranetsthe companies would become more effective.This paper is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.</p>