The think aloud method has been used in this research to generate data that reveals the thoughts of participants of a study while they are performing tasks. The pioneers of this method, Simon and Ericsson, have provided a method to analyze the data so as to obtain meaningful results. However, this analysis method is complicated and time consuming. Most researchers use some form of categorization to perform their analysis. Critical incidents were used to categorize the data gathered in the tests conducted as part of this research. This research proposed the use of tenets of Activity Theory while performing data analysis so that the cultural and environmental aspects that influence task performance are identified and addressed as part of the analysis. A data analysis template was created that directs the analyst to follow activity theory while performing the analysis. Sample data was gathered using the Think Aloud Method. The results obtained after analyzing this data using the proposed Activity Theory Based method were compared with those obtained when the same data was analyzed using a representative traditional method of analysis. The research included positive critical incidents, negative critical incidents and level of severity of negative critical incidents as the dependent measures. No significant differences were found between the two methods based on these dependent measures. Task type had a significant effect on the number of positive and negative critical incidents identified. / Master of Science

The overall aim of this thesis is to corroborate whether the Situation Awareness (SA) of older drivers is deficient to that of younger driving groups, due to the onset of age-related cognitive decrements. This is important to ascertain due to a presumed linkage between the concept and accident causation. In addition, the research undertaken to date to investigate this linkage has exclusively utilised rather artificial driving simulators and simulations. Thus there is a need for data from more ecologically valid methods. The research studies reported here have sought to preference on-road assessments (of different complexity), and to capture what information was selectively perceived, comprehended and reacted to; rather than, as in previous work, what was recalled. To achieve this, a Think aloud methodology was chosen to produce narratives of a driver s thoughts. This method was advantageously unobtrusiveness, but also flexible - it could additionally be used to compare an individual's SA to a driving performance measure, Hazard Perception. The driving-based studies undertaken found that for a relatively non-taxing route, an older driver group could produce cohesive awareness in parity with a younger driver group. However, the concepts from which that awareness was based upon drew more on general, direction based, concepts, in contrast to the younger group s focus on more specific, action based, concepts, and rearward and safety-related cues. For a more cognitively taxing route, the younger group produced significantly higher (p < 0.024) individual SA-related scores than their older counterparts. But the concepts/cues both groups relied upon remained similar - particularly in regards to the ratio of those indicative of a rearward and/or a safety-related focus. In a video-based study, however, and in contrast, the older driver group s SA scores improved sufficient to outperform a younger group, but, despite this, not for video-based scores indicative of Hazard Perception (HP). In this latter regard, age-related decrements appeared to be more influential, as the older group felt they were under time pressure during a HP test. However, the difficulty this presented appeared to advantageously bring more attention and effort to the task, which were argued as important factors for the uplift in their SA scoring. The thesis also showed that older groups judgement of the actual complexity of a driving task could potentially be deficient to that of younger driver groups. This could cause problems as incorrect perceptions could deflate the relevance and cohesiveness of information being processing. In contrast, the perceived complexity of a task could bring a rise or fall in SA score for both groups. Such results raised questions as to the impact of cognitive decrements, relative to task difficulty and related effort whilst driving. It also provided evidence that Situation Awareness, rather than being uniformly good or bad, could, like any other psychological construct, be prone to change. These aspects were drawn together in a proposed model of driving SA.

Academic libraries are increasingly collecting e-books, but little research has investigated how students use e-books compared to print texts. This study used a prompted think-aloud method to gain an understanding of the information retrieval behavior of students in both formats. Qualitative analysis identified themes that will inform instruction and collection practices. / Selinda Adelle Berg, Clinical Medicine Librarian, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, sberg@uwindsor.ca; Kristin Hoffmann, Head, Research & Instructional Services, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, khoffma8@uwo.ca; Diane Dawson, Natural Sciences Liaison Librarian, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, diane.dawson@usask.ca

Digitalization in work environment has been a trend in recent years and has profound impact on the way people work. We see the application of digital technologies in workplace greatly benefits people’s daily work, but we also notice health problems such as stress and pressure caused by poorly designed software systems. Two methods, to be used in software development, were proposed to improve the user experience of the software systems. The methods, Contextual Persona method and Contextual Think-Aloud method are supposed to extend IT professionals’ understanding of contextual factors when developing software systems. In this paper, we study students’ perception on the usage of the contextual methods through questionnaire-based survey. We identified the positive and negative aspects of using the contextual methods, and suggestions for improvement. Moreover, we conclude that using the contextual methods is helpful to deliver software systems that are well suited in users’ work environment, and therefore provide a better user experience for the users.

The following study aims to examine how multimodal texts are used in English as a foreign language education in a Swedish school. It explores both how multimodal texts occur in learning materials as well as how teachers could use these learning materials when teaching their pupils. The study is based on the theory of social semiotics by van Leeuwen (2005) and uses a model for analysis of teaching materials by Danielsson and Selander (2014). Two methods are used in the study: a think-aloud-method and a teaching material analysis. The result of the study shows that the teachers who were part of the survey showed a deep understanding of how different modes in the teaching materials could be used in meaning-making for the pupils. Furthermore the result also showed that the teachers often used external resources, such as movies, books and Youtube clips in their teaching. The teaching material analysis showed that the two pages in the teaching materials that were used were rich of different modal resources and that these resources were of high quality. Using teaching materials and external resources in a well functioning way creates an opportunity for meaning-making for the pupils. The teachers that were part of the survey used these in a well functioning way, even if they were not explicitly conscious of this. The use of multimodal texts in education is a cornerstone in creating a widened literacy within the pupils and giving them the ability to communicate in the modern world of multimedia.

Narrative visualization is a young and emerging field, driven mainly by data journalists. For this reason, most data stories available today are author-driven. However, with the rise of interactive visualizations the possibilities for creating reader-driven stories have become apparent. In this thesis, we present a straigthforward prototype, AsylKoll, built to support the articulation of reader-driven stories about Swedish immigration during 2015. We test its ability to support reader-driven stories by performing two user-studies based on the Think Aloud Method. In particular, we evaluate the prototype along the dimensions of reader engagement and learning. We find that user-centric data and various effects, such as transitions and mouse-overs, have a positive impact on reader engagement. In addition, we find that typical tasks such as extracting extremes and making comparisons are very important for users to gain insight and learn from the data. Foremost, this thesis shows the potential that simple, interactive visualizations have to make people engage and gain insights from data. / Att skapa faktabaserade narrativ med hjälp av datavisualiseringar är någonting som blir allt mer vanligt idag. Utvecklingen drivs framför allt av datajournalister och av den anledningen är det typiskt sett författardrivna historier som berättas. På senare tid har det dock blivit allt lättare att utveckla avancerade, interaktiva visualinsergar och det har öppnat för skapa faktabaserade narrativ drivna av läsaren istället. Läsardrivna narrativ är det som vi utforskar i den här studien. Med hjälp av en prototyp som vi byggt, AsylKoll, som visar statistik från asylinvandringen till Sverige under 2015, undersöker vi vad som krävs av en visualisering för att användare ska kunna härleda sina egna faktabaserade historier från den. Vi kollar i synnerhet på hur man kan uppmana användaren att interagera med verktyget samt vad som krävs för att användaren ska lära sig från datan. Verktyget testas genom två användarstudier med ’Think Aloud’-metoden. I studien finner vi att data centrerad kring användaren och olika typer av effekter, såsom transitioner och mouse-overs, påverkar användarens vilja att interagera med visualiseringarna positivt. Vidare finner vi även att typiska funktioner som exempelvis möjligheten att snabbt hitta extremvärden samt att kunna göra olika jämförelser av data, är viktigt för lärandet.

In the thesis, results of a research focused on monitoring strategies used by students during problem solving are presented. It follows previous studies conducted with the use of think- aloud method. Due to limitations of this method, an eye-camera is used. The record of the camera is used not only to analyse student's problem-solving process, but also as a tool eliminating one of the RTA limits - inaccuracies due to forgetting. The strategies were investigated among economics-oriented vocational school students in the first grade. They solved indicator tasks from the Methodical Comments and Tasks for Educational Standards in Lower-Secondary Education. The research sample was selected based on a pre-test composed of the selected tasks. According to the results, the students were divided into four categories, two students of each category were selected for the research. They solved a second set of the tasks. Based on eye-tracking and think-aloud data, their problem- solving processes were mapped and false-positive results were eliminated. The research results show that the students used the most expansive strategies, mainly work with the periodical table. However, in most cases, these strategies did not lead to a correct solution, due to the students' problems during solving. In these cases, they...

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Cette recherche qualitative avait pour but d’explorer le raisonnement clinique d’infirmières de première ligne en CSSS/CLSC lorsqu’elles priorisent leurs interventions auprès de familles vivant en contexte de vulnérabilité dans le cadre du programme des Services intégrés en périnatalité et pour la petite enfance (SIPPE). Il s’agit d’une étude de cas qui comporte un échantillon intentionnel de sept épisodes de soins impliquant deux infirmières auprès de sept familles en période postnatale lorsqu’elles priorisent leurs interventions. La collecte de données a procédé par méthode think aloud, suivie d’entretiens semi-dirigés auprès des infirmières. Une analyse qualitative des données a été effectuée selon des méthodes interprétatives et par comptage de catégories. Ces dernières ont été formulées et mises en relation en s’inspirant de la modélisation du processus de raisonnement clinique de Tanner (2006) ainsi que des stratégies de raisonnement clinique proposés par Fonteyn (1998). Au terme de cette étude, le processus de raisonnement clinique ne semble pas être différent selon le type de priorité d’intervention auprès de familles en contexte de vulnérabilité, particulièrement lorsque nous distinguons la priorité selon un degré d’urgence (prioritaire ou secondaire). Aussi, nous constatons qu’il existe peu de diversité dans les processus de raisonnement clinique mobilisés à travers les sept épisodes de soins; et qu’un processus narratif de raisonnement est fréquent. Si une famille exprime un besoin urgent, l’infirmière y répond prioritairement. Par ailleurs, lorsque des conditions suggèrent un potentiel accru de vulnérabilité des familles, un mode de raisonnement clinique plus systématique, qui comporte une collecte et une mise en relation d’informations afin de formuler une proposition pour soutenir le passage à l’action, semble être mobilisé pour prioriser l’intervention. Il en est ainsi s’il s’agit d’un premier bébé, que la famille n’utilise pas d’autres ressources formelles de soutien. Autrement, s’il s’agit d’un deuxième bébé et que les familles utilisent d’autres ressources, les infirmières tendent plutôt à appliquer une routine d’intervention SIPPE. Aussi, cette recherche témoigne de l’engagement soutenu des infirmières auprès de familles vivant d’importants défis. Il importe toutefois de soutenir le développement d’un répertoire plus varié de processus de raisonnement clinique afin de renforcer leur capacité de prioriser leur intervention qui se déroule dans un contexte de multiples contraintes organisationnelles et interpersonnelles. / The goal of this qualitative study was to explore the clinical reasoning of primary care nurses in CLSC/CSSS when they set priorities for their interventions with vulnerable families as part of the Integrated Perinatal and Early Childhood Services (SIPPE) program. This case study comprises a purposeful sample of seven postnatal care episodes involving two nurses and seven families. Data were collected using the think-aloud method, followed by semi-structured interviews with nurses. Qualitative data analysis was performed using interpretive methods and category counting. The resulting categories and patterns were developed based on Tanner's (2006) model of clinical judgement in nursing and Fonteyn's (1998) clinical reasoning patterns. Study results suggest that clinical reasoning processes do not differ according to the type of priority, whether the situation is more or less urgent. Moreover, there is diversity in the types of clinical reasoning employed within the seven care episodes; and it appears that a narrative reasoning process is favoured. If a family's needs are urgent, nurses prioritize these needs. When conditions indicate that there is greater potential for vulnerability, a more systematic form of clinical reasoning, identified here as «collecting data to form relationships and to present a proposal for action», is used to prioritize interventions. This pattern is more likely when a first child is involved and when the family is less likely to turn to other support resources. Otherwise, if this is a second child and the family uses other resources, the nurse tends to apply routine SIPPE interventions. Finally, our results suggest that a systemic view of a family's living circumstances, rather than keeping the focus on the infant's well-being, could make it more difficult to set intervention priorities. This study highlights nurses' ongoing commitment to families facing significant challenges. However, it is important to support the development of a broader inventory of clinical reasoning processes to bolster nurses' capacity to prioritize interventions that take place in contexts of multiple organizational constraints.

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