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"2008". / Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Australian Centre for Educational Studies, School of Education, 2009. / Bibliography: p. 268-283. / Introduction -- Review of the literature -- Methods and procedures -- Pre-intervention qualitative data analysis & discussion of findings -- Intervention -- Post-intervention qualitative data analysis & discussions of findings -- Post-intervention quantitative data analysis & discussions of findings -- Conclusions. / Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach that is organized around the investigation and resolution of problems. Problems are neither uniform nor similar. Jonassen (1998, 2000) in his design theory of problem solving has categorized problems into two broad types - well-structured and ill-structured. He has also described a host of mediating skills that impact problem solving outcomes. However, this list of skills is not exhaustive and in view of the utility of the Internet as an informational repository, this study examined the need for effective information searching skills to be included in this list. -- This study was aimed at studying how students solve well and ill structured problems and how different Internet information seeking strategies can be used to engage in problem solving. This study devised and empirically tested the efficacy of an interventionist conceptual model that maps the application of different information seeking techniques to successfully resolving well and ill structured problem types. The intervention helps to better understand the influence of information searching skills on problem solving performance and the various problem solving strategies students can adopt in approaching problem solving. The contrasting patterns of navigational path movements taken by students in seeking information to resolve ill and well structured problems were also investigated. -- A mixed methodology research design, involving a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches was used in this study. The research site was a polytechnic in Singapore that has implemented problem-based learning in its curriculum design. A first year class of 25 students were the sample population who participated in this study. Six problems from the curriculum were chosen for this study - three well-structured and another three ill-structured problems. -- The research findings of this study inform that information searching skills indeed play an important role in problem solving. The findings affirm the need for students to be systematically instructed in the skills of information searching to be aware of the complexities involved in information seeking and accomplish desired problem solving goals. This study has also shown that well and ill structured problems demand different cognitive and information seeking capabilities. Well-structured problems are easily solved and come with singular correct answers. The information searching necessary for solving well-structured problems is constrained and readily manageable. Thus, students only have to be acquainted with fundamental information searching skills to solve well-structured problems. On the other hand, ill-structured problems are messy and contain a number of unknown elements. There are no easy prototypic solutions. Subsequently, the information needs of ill-structured problems are usually complex, multi-disciplinary and expansive. Hence, students have to be trained to apply a more advanced set of information searching skills in resolving ill-structured problems. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / xiv, 283 p. ill

Many organizations are trying to re-create the ‘Google experience’, to find and exploit their own corporate information. However, there is evidence that finding information in the workplace using search engine technology has remained difficult, with socio-technical elements largely neglected in the literature. Explication of the factors and generative mechanisms (ultimate causes) to effective search task outcomes (user satisfaction, search task performance and serendipitous encountering) may provide a first step in making improvements. A transdisciplinary (holistic) lens was applied to Enterprise Search and Discovery capability, combining critical realism and activity theory with complexity theories to one of the world’s largest corporations. Data collection included an in-situ exploratory search experiment with 26 participants, focus groups with 53 participants and interviews with 87 business professionals. Thousands of user feedback comments and search transactions were analysed. Transferability of findings was assessed through interviews with eight industry informants and ten organizations from a range of industries. A wide range of informational needs were identified for search filters, including a need to be intrigued. Search term word co-occurrence algorithms facilitated serendipity to a greater extent than existing methods deployed in the organization surveyed. No association was found between user satisfaction (or self assessed search expertise) with search task performance and overall performance was poor, although most participants had been satisfied with their performance. Eighteen factors were identified that influence search task outcomes ranging from user and task factors, informational and technological artefacts, through to a wide range of organizational norms. Modality Theory (Cybersearch culture, Simplicity and Loss Aversion bias) was developed to explain the study observations. This proposes that at all organizational levels there are tendencies for reductionist (unimodal) mind-sets towards search capability leading to ‘fixes that fail’. The factors and mechanisms were identified in other industry organizations suggesting some theory generalizability. This is the first socio-technical analysis of Enterprise Search and Discovery capability. The findings challenge existing orthodoxy, such as the criticality of search literacy (agency) which has been neglected in the practitioner literature in favour of structure. The resulting multifactorial causal model and strategic framework for improvement present opportunities to update existing academic models in the IR, LIS and IS literature, such as the DeLone and McLean model for information system success. There are encouraging signs that Modality Theory may enable a reconfiguration of organizational mind-sets that could transform search task outcomes and ultimately business performance.

This work describes the problem of information credibility in state institutions with the help of using various methods (deduction, induction and synthesis). Work describes mainly theory but also some existing approaches in real work of this institutions. The work describes the problem beginning from collecting information, verifying information and information sources, related credibility, concepts, typologies and so on. Then, it describes the phenomenon of misinformation (or disinformation) and clarifies if this phenomenon is a part of real daily work of certain state institutions. Then in work is described the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and their approach to information (typology of information, resources, verifying information, actors which collect information). In addition, work presents such institution as the Office for Foreign Relations and Information, which is also a state institution and is a leading supplier of information to the MFA. Understanding the issue of such a sensitive topic in such closed institutions is based on publicly published sources. In work are also described methodologies of verifying information and procedures of risk management used in the situation of obtaining false information. At the same time, work contains a few of author's solutions for some parts of the work.

Background: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests are tests sold directly to consumers, normally without the involvement of healthcare professionals, which aim to provide consumers with their relative genetic risk for various complex diseases. Providers claim that this information will enable and encourage consumers to improve their health behaviour in order to reduce their likelihood of contracting diseases for which they are at an increased genetic risk. However, there are many criticisms and concerns about DTC genetic tests in the literature. Two common concerns are the lack of positive effects, and possible negative effects, that the information generated by the tests may have on consumers health behaviour and health anxiety, and the identified poor quality of information provision on the websites of providers of DTC genetic tests. Although the literature contains some research in these areas it is noticeably limited and occasionally contradictory. Aim and Methods: The aim of the research was to investigate the informational aspects of direct-to-consumer genetic tests, including the provision of information by the companies, consumers information needs and information-seeking behaviour and the effect of the information generated by the tests on health behaviour and health anxiety. The research consisted of three studies: a survey of 275 consumers and potential consumers of DTC genetic tests, in-depth email interviews with 36 consumers of DTC genetic tests and a content analysis of the information provided on all identified providers websites. Results: Positive or neutral changes in health behaviour were identified in a large minority of respondents who had been exposed to genetic risk information, along with the mechanisms by which the information prompted or contributed to change. A minority reported a change in health anxiety, mainly but not exclusively a decrease, with mechanisms again identified. Consumers reported a wide variety of information needs, the most common of which were information to do with the coverage and accuracy of the tests. The provision of information on providers websites varied considerably, both between and within providers, but was generally poor. However, most consumers used other sources alongside these websites, the most common of which was blogs. Conclusions: The results suggest that concerns about possible negative effects of the information generated by the tests are unfounded and that a large minority of consumers have improved health behaviour and decreased health anxiety after purchase. The results also suggest that concern about information provision on providers websites is justified; although this is mitigated by consumers general use of other sources alongside the websites, it is likely that a substantial number of consumers do not have access to enough information to give fully informed consent to the test.

交易過程之所以會發生，源於顧客對某種需求或慾望產生了認知。需求未被喚起或認 知，就不會產生購買。然在過去的文獻中，對這決策過程的最初階段，卻少有探討。 本研究的目的即主在了解，消費者間是否存在著不同的問題認知風格，以及其對資訊 搜尋活動各層面的影響。 有關外部資訊搜尋方面的文獻相當豐富，較常被提及的構面有：（１）資訊的類型、 （２）資訊的來源及其相對重要性（３）資訊搜尋的程度。此亦為本研究的三組因變 數。至於在問題認知風格方面的文獻，理論部份以Engel, Kollat 及Blackwekll和H- awkins, Coney 及Best有較詳盡的描述。實證部分則僅有Sirgy 及Bruner分別從社會 認知及重覆購買的觀點加以討論。本研究採用Bruner的觀點，嘗試依消費者的需求認 知，主要是因理想狀況改變而激發，或因實際狀況改變而激發，將消費者分為ＤＳ型 與ＡＳ型兩種風格，並研究其對外部資訊搜尋各構面的影響。另外並加入產品重要性 、市場信念、過去購買經驗與常識、性別、及所得等為中介變數，以了解問題認知風 格是否對資訊搜尋產生直接的影響。 本研究以眼鏡為標的物，以政大企管系學生為樣本，問卷則分為：（１）問題認知量 表，（２）市場信念，（３）資訊來源及（４）人口統計變數四部分。研究方法有因 素分析與多變項變異數分析。 據相關文獻，預期研究結果，將可發現ＤＳ型比ＡＳ型重視所有的資訊來源，特別是 非人際來源。而由於ＤＳ型平時即對資訊較敏感，因此在購買當時，資訊搜尋的量較 少。

Bien que les apprenants québécois de tous les niveaux d’éducation cherchent majoritairement vers le Web pour trouver de l’information dans le cadre de leur formation, bon nombre d’entre eux présentent des difficultés pour obtenir celle dont ils ont besoin. Face à cette nouvelle réalité, les enseignants actuels et futurs ont certes pour mission de développer les compétences informationnelles des apprenants, à savoir leurs compétences de recherche, d’évaluation et d’utilisation de l’information, mais sont-ils pour autant bien préparés pour le faire? La présente étude vise donc à vérifier si les futurs enseignants québécois possèdent les compétences nécessaires pour chercher, évaluer et utiliser de l’information pour répondre à leurs propres besoins informationnels et s’ils sont adéquatement formés pour enseigner ces compétences à leurs élèves. Afin d’atteindre cet objectif général de recherche, la présente thèse s’appuie sur un cadre conceptuel élaboré autour de trois éléments complémentaires : le concept de compétences informationnelles, le processus de recherche et de traitement de l’information et les méthodes d’enseignement des compétences informationnelles en milieu scolaire. Pour atteindre les objectifs spécifiques de recherche qui ont découlé de la synthèse de ces éléments, cette thèse a eu recours à une méthodologie mixte mariant sondage, entrevues et observations auprès de 353 futurs enseignants d’une université québécoise. Dans un premier temps, nous avons décrit et analysé leurs pratiques déclarées et effectives en recherche et traitement d’information sur le Web. Les principaux résultats concernant la recherche d’information démontrent que la majorité des futurs enseignants font figure de novices alors qu’ils planifient peu ou pas leurs recherches, emploient des stratégies de recherche basiques et diversifient peu les outils de recherche pour arriver à leurs fins, Google dominant largement. Dans un deuxième temps, les principaux résultats au sujet du traitement d’information montrent que la plupart des futurs enseignants évaluent l’information trouvée selon plusieurs critères dont la vérifiabilité de l’information et son utilisation à des fins d’enseignement et d’apprentissage. De plus, on constate que si la majorité d’entre eux sont en mesure de synthétiser l’information trouvée sur le Web, il reste que seule une minorité cite les sources utilisées. Dans un troisième temps, nos résultats dénotent que la formation initiale en compétences informationnelles est nettement insuffisante aux yeux des futurs enseignants, celle-ci étant principalement concentrée en début de baccalauréat sous la forme d’ateliers offerts par la bibliothèque. Parallèlement, les résultats démontrent que la majorité des futurs enseignants mettront davantage l’accent sur l’enseignement de l’évaluation et l’utilisation de l’information que sur sa recherche sur le Web. De fait les élèves seront sensibilisés à évaluer l’information trouvée selon une multitude de critères et à faire attention au plagiat. Dans un dernier temps, les résultats de notre étude sont synthétisés et analysés à la lumière de la littérature et des pistes de recommandations sont proposées dans le but d’améliorer la formation initiale en compétences informationnelles. / While Québec’s students from elementary schools to university now mainly use the Web to find information for their studies. many have difficulties getting the information they need. Faced with this new reality, inservice and preservice teachers must give students the proper information literacy training, that is to learn how to search, evaluate and use information to meet their needs. This study aims to analyze if Québec’s preservice teachers have the information literacy competencies to meet their own needs and if they are adequately trained to teach information literacy. To achieve this goal, this research uses a conceptual framework developed around three complementary elements: the information literacy concept, the information seeking process, and information literacy teaching methods. To meet the specific research objectives that resulted from the synthesis of these elements, a mixed methodology combines data collected from a survey, interviews and observations conducted with 353 preservice teachers of a university in Québec. Results on reported and actual practices of the students’ information seeking process on the Web show, firstly, that a majority of them are novice information searchers, as they plan little or not at all their research on the Web, use basic search strategies, and scarcely diversify their research tools, with Google as their preferred tool by far. Secondly, results show that most preservice teachers evaluate the information they find on the Web according to several criteria, including information verifiability and potential use for teaching and learning. But while a majority of preservice teachers are able to synthesize the information found on the Web, only a minority cites correctly their sources. Thirdly, results indicate that preservice teachers perceive their initial training in information literacy as clearly insufficient, for it has been mainly received at the beginning of their program and in the form of workshops by the university’s librarians. Our results also show that while a majority of preservice teachers plan to teach how to evaluate information found on the Web using many criteria and educate them about plagiarism, they will put less emphasis on teaching how to search for information on the Web. We conclude our study by summarizing and analyzing our results in the light of the existing literature and offering recommandations to improve information literacy teacher training.

本研究嘗試從社會比較理論的觀點出發，欲探討線上參考團體（即網友意見）對消費者行為之影響。經由文獻回顧，本研究釐清了社會比較行為與參考團體影響力之基本意涵與兩者間之關係，並引入產品特性、自我監控程度以及資訊搜尋價值等變項，欲探討此三變項於上述關係中之干擾效果是否存在。 本研究以台大批踢踢實業坊作為施測場域，利用網路問卷蒐集使用者資料。調查發現，受訪者之社會比較行為（區分為反射式評估和對照式評估）與線上參考團體之影響力（區分為資訊依賴、來源可信度及購買選擇三構面）之間，確實可能存在顯著關聯性與影響關係。而瀏覽不同產品特性、具有不同自我監控程度或是獲得不同程度資訊搜尋價值之受訪者，他們受到線上參考團體影響之程度亦有所差異。然而，上述三變項在社會比較行為與線上參考團體影響力兩者關係間之干擾效果未被證實。

Universities in the new millennium find themselves in a knowledge-driven economy that is challenging them to produce a qualified and adaptable work force if they are to contribute to societal development. Owing to the structural change in the economy, entrepreneurs require high level scientists, professionals and technicians who not only have the capability to create and support innovations by adapting knowledge to local use but also people with managerial and lifelong learning skills. Such are they who can accelerate changes and make organizations more productive and efficient in the services they render. Consequently, universities in Sub-Saharan Africa are challenged to transform learning so as to produce graduates who have both knowledge and competencies. Such a system will create a balance between university education and the changing labour market. Satisfying these new educational demands are only possible through research and unhindered access to global information resources. Paradoxically, some private university libraries, because of limited funding, find themselves fiscally constrained in the provision of unhindered access to global stores of information particularly at a time of exponential growth both in number and cost of information resources. This had led libraries to re-examine resource sharing as a viable option to meeting the new demands placed on universities. It is for the reasons above that this study examines the practice, problems and prospects of resource-sharing in selected Seventh-day Adventist university libraries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It examines scientifically the causes of poor sharing practices that are unique to each library, the situational and environmental factors that can enhance resource sharing. It provides also research-based information that will help to determine the best ways by which each library can have greater access to information resources. There are proposals for resolving the problems, and there are recommendations for dealing with the matter on a more permanent basis. The study advances resource-sharing model called Consortium of Adventist University Libraries in Africa (CAULA) as a resource sharing network for Seventh-day Adventist libraries in Africa. The organizational structure for CAULA are outlined and discussed. The proposed cooperation is not only sustainable but also structured to provide efficiency and greater regional cooperation of SDA libraries in Sub-Saharan Africa. / Information Science / DLITT ET PHIL (INF SCIENCE)

我國主機板業在短短不到二十年的時間內迅速竄起並獨霸全球，但由於市場的飽和、產品的規格化，主機板業邁向產業集中化及強者恒強、弱者恒弱的趨勢日趨明顯。因此，各廠商經營效率的改善及提升，及同業間生產規模擴展之競爭，乃至於對未來市場變化之因應便成為一重要研究之探究課題。 本研究採用問卷調查的方式，從主機板產業中選擇中國大陸大學二年級學生為研究對象，發現入學後購買電腦的學生比例達到71％。從各個時段的購買相對值來看，假期結束後回校的前兩個月是購買高峰。按購買電腦類型，DIY的整體份額在29％，筆記型電腦最高在62％；按計劃購買的性別來看，不論是男性或女性，皆是以筆記型電腦為主，其次是DIY；沒有計劃購買電腦的同學中，目前沒有需求是主要原因，而受限於價格是其次。質量可靠、知名品牌與朋友推薦是同學們選擇主板的主要因素。 產品規格及性價比，事先搜尋相關產品資訊確認主板產品的確能提供其廠商所強調的功能或價值，同學多會通過 「詢問朋友」、「媒體推薦」、「網上搜索」等來獲取相關信息，因此相關之「外顯單位效益成本」、「買者資訊搜尋成本」、「買者道德危機成本」等預算，應當維持相當水準， 對於「買者專屬陷入成本」的行銷預算，可以酌情減少， 當廠商了解客戶在面臨的問題及顧慮後，即可透過4C策略行銷的分析，設計出能夠解除客戶疑慮的方案，建立共識，降低雙方的交易成本及風險，以確保合作有個好的開始。本論文從廠商的角度以4C架構進行行銷策略分析，以協助廠商隨著專案進展也可以很方便地檢視各種策略組合，故即使是在多專案併行時，依然能有效掌握各種策略的執行。 / The motherboard industry has developed soon within 20 years and now become the top in the world. In 2000 the market share reached to 84.7%. However, due to the saturation of the whole market and the standardization of the products, it is obvious that the industry has stepped to centralization. The trend of “The stronger will be stronger; the weaker will be weaker” can be seen in the industry. Therefore, the improvement of efficiency, the competition within the industry, and the ways to cope with the market changes in the future are critical topics to research. This research adopted the method of questionnaire survey and took sophomore from universities in China as research objects. We could found in this research that the time students bought their computers concentrated on 2008 and 2009；That is, the frequency which students bought their computers peaked when they were freshmen and sophomore. Also, according to this research, we could found, in the type of computers students bought, that students who bought DIY computers account for 29% and who bought note books account for 62%, the highest percentage. Furthermore, we could found, in the gender who bought computers, that the percentage of boys who bought DIY computers is obviously greater than the percentage of girls and that the percentage of girls who bought note books is obviously greater than the percentage of boys. The primary factors influenced the decision that students bought motherboards are the quality, famous brand, and friends’ recommendation.