Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 46-01, page: 0340. Adviser: Shannon P. Marquez. Includes bibliographical references.

Upon completion of this tutorial, you will be able to find information on the Internet and create a research log to organize and save the information for your paper.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / The project examines the information seeking behaviour of a small group of so-called Generation Y students at the Stellenbosch University as they undertake an academic assignment. There is consensus across the world that universities need to adapt to the needs of Generation Y students, brought up with high-level information technology, the internet and social networking. However, research shows that this does not mean that they are information literate. They have high-tech skills but often do not know how to analyse an information need or discriminate between information sources. Information scientist Carol Kuhlthau develop the ISP model upon which the study was based. Her model sees information seeking as a complex cognitive and affective process. Successful seekers have learned how to manage the process. University libraries need to adapt their information retrieval systems and services to meet the needs of their new kinds of students. The study, a small-scale intensive qualitative case study, hopes to provide insight into how they might do this. The researcher collected data while the participants were writing the assignment. Data gathering methods included interviews, journal writings and questionnaires. / South Africa

Background. In England and the UK there has been a move to provide the consumer with more choice in over the counter medicine. In recognition of the number of drugs now available without prescription, new models and frameworks are being utilised with the aim to educate the public about self-treatment. How health information is sought has also undergone transformation with the advent of the internet, the adoption and utilisation of this resource has had a significant impact on how the healthcare consumer seeks information. Aims and Methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the provision of and access to consumer health information in England, specifically with reference to over the counter medicines to promote understanding of the consumers attitudes and opinions to this type of medicine and their health information seeking behaviours. The findings of the study were used to provide recommendations to the stakeholders involved; healthcare organisations, healthcare professionals and the healthcare consumer. The research consisted of a survey (n=324) and was analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results. The majority of respondents utilised over the counter medicine responsibly and with few adverse events. The General Practitioner is the main source of information and online sources the next most utilised resource. Effectiveness and following advice/recommendations were amongst the themes identified that made a treatment episode with over the counter medicines successful. Unsuccessful treatment episodes included those with escalation of symptoms. Factors governing successful health information seeking were problem solving through self diagnosis and expanding knowledge on an existing health issue. Conclusions. Over the counter medicines are a widely used commodity but respondents continue to have a heavy reliance on the general practitioner for prescription medicines, especially for minor ailments. Evidence exists that individuals utilise information seeking behaviour for self treatment and the use of over the counter medicines. However, adoption of self care models need to be increased through educating health care consumers to maximise the potential benefits of these frameworks for the stakeholders.

Les vidéos sont de plus en plus utilisées dans un contexte pédagogique, mais les formats de présentation sur les plateformes spécialisées (e.g., MOOC) sont variés et peu analysés. Il paraît cependant nécessaire de s’intéresser aux processus à l’oeuvre lors des tâches d’apprentissage et de recherche d’information (RI) pour adapter au mieux les environnements vidéo aux besoins et ressources cognitifs des individus. Au cours de ces deux tâches (RI et apprentissage), la littérature scientifique fait apparaître l’importance de la qualité du modèle mental de l’individu. Pour favoriser la construction d’un modèle mental pertinent par l’individu, deux types d’étayage sont envisagés au cours de cette thèse : la segmentation de la barre de navigation et la structuration du contenu de la vidéo par une table des matières. Les trois premières études ont permis de montrer que la présence conjointe des deux niveaux d’étayage a favorisé la performance en RI (étude 1), mais qu’elle n’a pas permis la construction d’un modèle mental efficace du contenu de la vidéo (étude 2). Au cours de l’étude 3, différents formats de présentation ont été comparés : le format pop-up a permis de diminuer la difficulté perçue de la tâche de RI. Les deux dernières études se sont centrées sur les effets de l’étayage lors d’une tâche d’apprentissage. La présence d’étayage n’a pas amélioré la qualité de l’apprentissage (étude 4). Néanmoins, lorsque l’apprenant est rendu actif, grâce à une tâche de RI par exemple, la mémorisation du contenu de la vidéo a été améliorée (étude 5). Les résultats sont discutés en termes de rôle organisateur de l’étayage permettant une récupération efficace de l’information. L’étayage organiserait l’information entrante dans l’environnement vidéo ou la mémoire de l’individu selon la tâche. / Videos are more and more used in pedagogical contexts, but presentation formats on specific platforms (e.g., MOOC) are varied and not so much analyzed. However, it seems necessary to focus on processes involved during learning and information seeking (IS) tasks to adapt video-based environments to individuals’ needs and cognitive resources. During learning and IS, scientific literature highlights the importance of individuals’ mental models. To encourage the construction of a relevant mental model, two types of scaffolding are considered in this thesis: the segmentation of the timeline and the structuration of the video content using a table of contents. The first three studies showed that the conjoint use of the two levels of scaffolding enhanced IS performance (study 1), but it did not promote the construction of a relevant mental model of the video content (study 2). During study 3, several presentation format were compared: the pop-up format reduced perceived difficulty of the IS task. The last two studies focused on the effects of scaffolding during a learning task. The presence of scaffolding did not enhanced learning performance (study 4). Nevertheless, when the learner was made active, thanks to an IS task for example, memorization of the video content was improved (study 5). Results are discussed in terms of organizing role of scaffolding enabling effective recovery of information. Scaffolding is here thought to organize incoming information in the video-based environment or in individual’s memory according to the task.

An increasing proportion of people in the United Kingdom are living longer with long-term conditions. The National Health Service is facing the challenge of increased pressure on its service provision. A number of key health policy initiatives encourage individuals to make informed choices and purport to give them rights and control over their own health and healthcare. Within this context, people are actively encouraged to self-care, manage diseases, and make decisions and choices about healthcare in an informed way. To facilitate this, it is important to gain an understanding of the health information seeking behaviours of older people. Health information is available from various sources but little is known about the health information seeking behaviours of older people and what affects this. By exploring this, it helps to reveal how health information is sought regarding on-going health conditions and provides greater depth in understanding the health information seeking process. The study explores older people's experiences and views on their health information seeking behaviours and endeavours to gain a better understanding of these experiences and views. The study draws on constructivist grounded theory with two phases to data collection: Nine participants completed un-structured diaries over two months with follow up semi-structured interviews, a further twenty participants participated in semi-structured interviews. Major categories were inductively drawn from participant's responses. Strategies of health information seeking behaviours are not necessarily fixed, but subject to change over time. The analysis suggested three main categories that explained the health information seeking behaviours of older people. Three interrelated conceptual categories were identified: (1) Regulating self (2) Self managing and (3) Self-mobilisation. These categories formed the basis of the emergent substantive theory called 'navigating later life'. There were different patterns of behaviours between participants which captured variations in information seeking; these informed the development of a typology of health information seekers. Ageing in the 21st century is a complex process; with older people inhabiting a world of more choice, multiple sources of knowledge, changed healthcare roles and increased self-care undertaken within the home. The study provides important insights for healthcare professionals and raises implications for strategies aimed at improving older people's access to appropriate health information. The navigation model provides a potentially valuable tool for policy makers when considering the support older people require to self-care.

abstract: Online social media is popular due to its real-time nature, extensive connectivity and a large user base. This motivates users to employ social media for seeking information by reaching out to their large number of social connections. Information seeking can manifest in the form of requests for personal and time-critical information or gathering perspectives on important issues. Social media platforms are not designed for resource seeking and experience large volumes of messages, leading to requests not being fulfilled satisfactorily. Designing frameworks to facilitate efficient information seeking in social media will help users to obtain appropriate assistance for their needs and help platforms to increase user satisfaction. Several challenges exist in the way of facilitating information seeking in social media. First, the characteristics affecting the user’s response time for a question are not known, making it hard to identify prompt responders. Second, the social context in which the user has asked the question has to be determined to find personalized responders. Third, users employ rhetorical requests, which are statements having the syntax of questions, and systems assisting information seeking might be hindered from focusing on genuine questions. Fouth, social media advocates of political campaigns employ nuanced strategies to prevent users from obtaining balanced perspectives on issues of public importance. Sociological and linguistic studies on user behavior while making or responding to information seeking requests provides concepts drawing from which we can address these challenges. We propose methods to estimate the response time of the user for a given question to identify prompt responders. We compute the question specific social context an asker shares with his social connections to identify personalized responders. We draw from theories of political mobilization to model the behaviors arising from the strategies of people trying to skew perspectives. We identify rhetorical questions by modeling user motivations to post them. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2017

abstract: Using an adapted Straussian Grounded Theory approach, and as a participant observer, data from members of a Facebook group made up of parents and caretakers of infants or children with Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) were collected and analyzed. During the first exploratory phase, 31 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 theoretically sampled members of the group. During the second phase, 604 postings (original and comments) created by members of the online social media group, for one week, were analyzed. The study explored various dimensions of informal learning in this space. These included what learning strategies members used, what types of knowledge were encouraged and shared, how community within the group was characterized and its role in the learning space, what factors led members to join and share knowledge, and what patterns of participation existed in the group. The findings revealed a core concept of a disconnect between group members and their medical community that drove participation in the online health-related social media group, as well as a substantive theory of learning to survive. A new framework for understanding online informal learning spaces in social media was developed and proposed. It was adapted from Wenger’s Community of Practice and Gee’s Affinity Spaces. Its key components include a disconnect; inherent learning processes; community and space characteristics; and types of knowledge that are encouraged and available. Findings also contributed to a better understanding of online information-seeking behaviors by introducing a new model of information-seeking within online social media groups. This model includes the stages of initiating, lurking, and browsing; requesting information; being guided by a highly knowledgeable member; reconciling; applying; and appraising. The model is a continuous cycle with entry and exit permitted at each stage based on the learner’s needs. In addition, this study’s findings demonstrate that social media spaces are a viable avenue for the transferring of experience-based knowledge. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Technology 2018

D.Litt. et Phil. / The study reports on an investigation of information needs and information-seeking patterns of Africans living in selected rural villages in the Northern Province. A total of 302 respondents from six rural villages were randomly chosen for the study. The extent to which rural villagers are aware of their information needs, and their ability to express these needs was assessed and evaluated. The study also identified the nature of information sources and information providers used by rural villagers in their pursuit for information, as well as their level of satisfaction with the information sources and information providers used. Barriers to information-seeking and information provision in rural areas such as language, are also identified. The structured interview was used to gather data from the respondents. This incorporated the critical incident technique, which requires respondents to think back to a time when they needed information or knowledge, in order to solve a problem or make a decision. This technique has been proven to elicit more useful responses as the respondents are not directly asked about their information needs in an abstract, theoretical situation which they may not be able to practically relate to or recall. The study revealed inter alia, the existence of a communication gap between the libraries and community information centres in the villages and the people they are intended to serve. The study also reports on the general lack of awareness of rural villagers' information needs and their inability to articulate these needs. Preference for informal, interpersonal and largely oral methods of information transfer have also been identified by the study, and implications for the respondents' informationseeking behaviour in relation to rural information service provision are also discussed. The nature of information needs identified amongst respondents and their information-seeking behaviour call for the adoption of an appropriate model to cater for the unique needs of rural villagers. It is against this backdrop that current models of rural information provision are critically reviewed. The study argues for the need to adapt library and information services to the rural environment and proposes an alternative model of information provision in rural areas. This model represents a departure from the traditional model of library and information services, which is based on print-media and therefore largely unsuitable to the rural African environment. The proposed model is intended to reorientate and re-focus government departments charged with the responsibility for rural information provision, not only in the Northern Province, but in rural South Africa in broader terms. The model is also intended to enable the government and Library and Information Service(LIS) stakeholders to rethink the entire process of information provision and access to information in rural villages. Finally, the study makes recommendations regarding the improvement of rural information provision and acceleration of the establishment of community information centres in rural villages. A call is made for a more integrated approach to rural information provision, using all stake-holders such as chiefs, headmen, Transitional Local Councils, private sector companies and local businesspeople, amongst others.

Idag är det mycket vanligt att man använder internet för att söka reda på och ta till sig information, detta är ofta en mycket snabb och enkel metod. För personer med språkliga problem är det dock inte alltid lika enkelt, dagens sökmotorer tar inte hänsyn till hur lättläst en text är (Google har börjat experimentera lite med detta på engelska). En metod för att hjälpa personer med sådana behov är att sortera sökträffar efter hur läsbara de är enligt olika läsbarhetsmått som beräknas automatiskt av en dator. Risken är då att en sådan omfördelning av resultaten premierar träffar som innehåller mindre information eller är irrelevanta givet sökningen. Syftet med studien är att undersöka samband mellan läsbarhet innehåll och relevans för att i förlängningen kunna utforma algoritmer som kan användas för att hitta texter med lagom läsbarhet och informationstäthet åt personer med eller utan lässvårigheter. 21 texter hämtades från sökmotorn Google via sju olikasökningar. Försökspersoner har därefter fått läsa texterna och svara på frågor kring hur de upplevde dem. Alla automatiska läsbarhets och idédensitetsmått ser ut att ge viss indikation på hur en text upplevs av försökspersonerna och därigenom påverka vilka texter som föredras, även antalet ord i en text ser ut att vara en viktig indikator här. / In todays society it is common to use the Internet to search for and take in information, it is often a quick and easy method. For people with language problems it is not always as easy, todays major search engines do not take the readability of a text. One way to help peope with such needs is to sort the search result by readable the are according to automatic readability-measures. There's a risk that such re-ordering of the results will promote results containing less information or even being irrelevant to the search. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between readability, content and relevance in order to, in the future, produce algorithms aimed at finding texts with a good readability for people with or without a reading disability. Three searches were made with Google, collecting seven texts in Swedish per search. The subjects read texts from the searches and answered questions about their experience of them. All automatic readability and content measures seem to give some indication of how a text was experienced and therefore seem to affect which text is preferred, even the number of words seem to be an important indicator.