Information modeling is the cornerstone of information systems analysis and
design. Information models not only provide the abstractions required to
facilitate communication between designers and end users, they also provide a
formal basis for tools and techniques used in developing and using
information systems. This dissertation reports on four empirical studies in
information modeling. The four studies focus on an important, yet
controversial, construct in information modeling — the relationship construct.
The theoretical foundation for the four experimental studies comprises
theories and findings from the information systems, cognitive psychology,
computer science, philosophy, and communication literature.
Because of the paucity of empirical research in the area, a two-stage research
design, consisting of the exploratory and formalized phases, is employed in this
dissertation. Two studies were conducted in the exploratory phase. The first
exploratory study investigated the effect of domain familiarity on selection of
mandatory or optional connectivity for the relationship construct by modeling
experts. The findings indicate that modeling experts tend to choose optional
over mandatory relationships, even for domains that are totally unfamiliar to
them. The second exploratory study analyzed the effect of conflicting textual
information and structural constraints on selection of mandatory or optional
connectivity by modeling experts. The results show that modeling experts tend
to focus on the information depicted by the structural constraints and ignore the textual information. This exploratory phase allowed us to explore and
develop empirical research methods and instruments for studying the
relationship construct in information modeling.
In the second phase, two formalized studies were conducted. The first
formalized study investigated the differences between modeling experts and
novices in their interpretation of information models. The results show
significant differences in the way modeling experts and novices interpret
information models. Modeling experts focus mainly on the structural
constraints and de-emphasize the textual information. Modeling novices, on
the other hand, pay more attention to the textual information than modeling
experts. The second formalized study examined the effect of different
representations of relationship on the interpretation of information models by
modeling novices. The findings indicate that the explicitness of relationship
construct and the use of verb versus noun description for relationship have a
profound impact on the accuracy of interpretation. The best combination is
one that uses an explicit relationship construct and verb for relationship
description. The worst combination is one where the relationship construct is
represented implicitly and described using noun. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/6169 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Siau, Keng Leng |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 10799717 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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