A metatheory integrating social, biological and technological factors in information behavior research
Journal Title: Webology - Year 2014, Vol 11, Issue 1
Abstract
A metatheory is presented and diagrammed as an integrated conceptual framework for information seeking and use. It represents the symbiotic relationship between users and the technological environment. Receiving and adapting to information is achieved through each user’s biological satisficing procedures defined by group information practices, namely, noticing information, appraising it and evaluating it. Information use is achieved through optimizing procedures, namely, activating goal-setting intentions, constructing a plan and executing it through acting upon the technological environment to attain one’s goals. Evidence is given by listing a variety of information seeking behaviors that others have identified in their review of the literature, then showing how each element fits within the model, as well as by analyzing the interpretive discourse of college students while engaged in carrying out assigned information tasks. Each discourse segment in the samples was categorized as either an affective, cognitive or sensorimotor procedure carried out by the user, and transcribed as a string or sequence. This code sequence was then compared with the sequence produced when the model’s mapping is followed. Every discourse sample inspected contained the six categories specified by the model. The metatheory is suitable for providing a common framework for discussing various areas of information behavior research.
Authors and Affiliations
Leon James and Diane Nahl
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP687729
- DOI -
- Views 262
- Downloads 0
Personalization: An emerging direction for tackling the web searching barriers faced by teachers when searching for educational resources
This paper reviews the efficiency of web searching by teachers in the 21st century. The aim of this paper is to highlight web personalization as a perceived solution to the many barriers faced by web users and in particu...
An Online Multi-Lingual, Multi-Faith Thesaurus: A Progress Report on FTHES
Reports the progress on a project to design and develop a machine-readable multi-lingual, multifaith thesaurus, specifically for the domain Religious Mysticism. Describes the procedure adopted for identifying the core co...
Digital Era in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Novel Strategies of the Telecom Service Providers Companies
A revolution in wireless communication began in the first decade of the 20th century with the pioneering developments in radio communications by Guglielmo Marconi, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909. Other highly...
What is not available online is not worth reading?
This short article discusses an emerging trend in the information-seeking behaviour of scientists, i.e. mere reliance on online information. Based on a study of physicists and astronomers, this article shows that more sc...
Editorial The International Scope of Webology
Since August 2004, the number of manuscripts submitted to Webology, an international open access journal, has increased. However, about 50 percent of the submitted manuscripts have been rejected by referees. This is one...