Chatman’s theory of life in the round applied to the information seeking of small populations of ethnic minorities in China

Abstract

Introduction. We explore Chatman’s theory of life in the round, that people living in small worlds will not cross their world’s boundaries to seek information, and examine its application to small populations of China’s ethnic minorities. Method. A qualitative investigation was conducted on information seeking, related to the daily lives of China’s ethnic minorities, and data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations of seventy-eight participants. Analysis. The data were processed by three levels of qualitative data coding. Results. In China, it seems that ethnic minorities with small populations prefer not to cross ethnic borders when seeking information, as they may not want to deviate from their traditions and customs, lifestyles or ethnic identities. Information is sought across borders when the information is general knowledge and important, or in an emergency. Conclusion. It seems that China’s ethnic minorities’ information seeking is consistent with Chatman’s fifth proposition of the theory of life in the round and that this behaviour may be influenced by their traditions and customs, lifestyles and ethnic identities. By applying Chatman’s theory to previously unstudied populations, this research enhances the understanding of ethnic characteristics and traditional culture, as contextual factors that can influence information-seeking behaviour.