Information Seeking Activities Research Articles

Children’s gaming involves much more than the gaming itself: A study of the metagame among 12- to 15-year-old children

In addition to gaming, there are many other activities around digital games. These metagame activities have so far been studied from the perspective of single metagame phenomena and rarely from the perspective of the children who play digital games. This exploratory, qualitative study provides an overview of children’s metagame activities. A total of 142 children’s essays and lists of their metagame activities were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The children’s metagame activities included game-enabling activities, strategizing activities, discussing activities, information-seeking activities, creating and sharing activities, and consuming activities. The results contribute to the body of literature on metagaming and provide an overview of children’s metagame activities around digital games, as well as new perspectives on digital games and learning.

The Urgency and Importance of an Active Information Seeking Task Influence the Interruption of Information Encountering Episodes

A Review of: Makri, S., & Buckley, L. (2020). Down the rabbit hole: Investigating disruption of the information encountering process. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 71(2), 127–142. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24233 Abstract Objective – To understand when and why information encountering episodes are interrupted. Design – Naturalistic observational and interview study. Setting – Personal network of the study authors in London. Subjects – Fifteen personal contacts of authors, aged 22-60, recruited via word-of-mouth and social media. Methods – Each participant was asked to conduct a search on a self-chosen topic. The researchers took notes and recorded search interactions and think-aloud protocols. After the search, a follow-up interview asked whether the participant had unexpectedly encountered any interesting or useful information; if so, the researchers asked for more details about that episode. If not, they conducted a critical incident technique interview, focused on a memorable example of a past information-encountering episode. The researchers used inductive thematic analysis to analyze the data, augmented with constant comparison across the data and the themes to ensure analytical rigor. Main Results – The most frequent point at which participants interrupted an information encountering (IE) episode was near its beginning, when the searcher noted an information stimulus but then immediately returned to the active information-seeking task. IE episodes were also interrupted 1) after the searcher examined the encountered content but did not explore it further, and 2) after the searcher explored it but decided it was not useful. The factors that influenced interruptions of IE episodes included the searcher’s reluctance to invest the time and effort needed to engage with the encountered information, due to the importance or urgency of the active information-seeking task; the searcher’s reluctance to leave the active information-seeking task, seeing IE as a distraction from that task; the searcher’s reluctance to multitask, i.e., to keep track of both the IE episode and the active information-seeking task; the searcher’s reluctance to risk a dead end; the searcher’s reluctance to be seduced by the “shiny thing” of encountered information (p. 136) and to drift too far away from the active information-seeking task; and the searcher’s reluctance to get “caught up” emotionally in the IE episode (p. 138), a “temptation that is satisfying only in the short-term” (p. 138). Conclusion – Overall, the results help us understand when and why disruption of IE can occur. When an IE episode begins, the searcher is not able to estimate the time and effort required to pursue it or the fruitfulness of following it through. Thus, factors associated with the primary information-seeking task (e.g., its importance or urgency) and with the searcher (e.g., ability to multitask) tend to influence decisions about when to interrupt an IE episode.

Living with Endometriosis: The Role of the Internet in Supporting the Diagnosis and Treatment Process

Those living with endometriosis turn to online resources for information and support. Despite an abundance of information, delays in diagnosis and perpetuation of untruths remain. This study aims to assess and evaluate the role of the Internet in the diagnosis, treatment options and support of people living with endometriosis. The results of this mixed-methods study show that people are very active information seekers with the majority favoring national endometriosis websites and their associated Facebook accounts. There is a positive attitude toward information and sharing experiences online, but women trust official endometriosis organizations more than other resources on the Internet.

PENGARUH GAJI, KEPUASAN KERJA DAN KOMITMEN ORGANISASI TERHADAP TURNOVER INTENTION KARYAWAN DI PT PEMBANGUNAN JAYA

This study aims to analyze the influence of salary, job satisfaction, organizational commitment to Intention at PT. Pembangunan Jaya. The research population is employees of PT. Pembanguna Jaya and the sampling method used Slovin formula which produces 80 respondents to be examined by questionnaire. Salary is an important element that can affect employee performance because it is used to meet various employee needs. Salary is divided into four dimensions, namely salary level (pay level), compensation (benefit) salary increase (pay raise), structure and payroll administration (pay structure and administration). Job satisfaction is a positive feeling about someone's work from a characteristic evaluation. Job satisfaction is divided into job satisfaction towards work (work ef self), pay (pay), promotion opportunities (supervisor) and supervisors (co. workers). Organizational commitment is the extent to which employees take sides with the organization to maintain it. Organizational commitment is divided into three continence commitments, effective commitment and normative commitment. Turnover Intention is an employee's tendency or intention to stop working from his job. Turnover is divided into three dimensions based on intentions (intention to quit), information seeking activities (job search) and thinking of going out (thinking of quit). In this study salary levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment have a positive effect.

Sources of Information for Learning and Decision-Making in Men With Localized Prostate Cancer.

Information seeking is essential for effective patient-centered decision-making. However, prostate cancer patients report a gap between information needed and information received. The importance of different information sources for treatment decision remains unclear. Thus, using the Comprehensive Model of Health Information (CMIS) framework, we assessed the antecedent factors, information carrier factors, and information-seeking activities in localized prostate cancer patients. Data were collected via semistructured one-on-one, interviews and structured survey. Men with localized prostate cancer were recruited from two urban health-care centers. Following the interview, participants completed a survey about sources that were helpful in learning about prostate cancer treatment and decision-making. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and subjected to a thematic analysis using NVivo 10. Fifty localized prostate cancer survivors completed the interviews and surveys. Important antecedent factors that were observed were age, marital status, uncertainty, anxiety, caregiver burden, and out-of-pocket expenses. We identified complexity, magnitude, and reliability as information carrier characteristics. Preferred sources for information were health providers, medical websites, and pamphlets from the doctor’s office. These sources were also perceived as most helpful for decision-making. Urologists, urological oncologists, and radiation/radiation oncologists were important sources of information and helpful in decision-making. Prostate cancer patients obtained information from multiple sources. Most prostate cancer patients make patient-centered choices by incorporating personal factors and medical information. By considering factors that influence patients’ treatment decisions, health-care providers can enhance the patient-centeredness of care. Multiple strategies and interventions are necessary for disseminating valid, reliable, and unbiased information to prostate cancer patients to facilitate informed decisions.

Development of HELISC Health Literacy, Information and Social Capital Model

Abstract Issues The literature and the interest of health professional on health information has grown rapidly during the last few years, but theory guiding this growth is lacking. The purpose of this article is to describe a developed model on Health Literacy, Information and Social Capital (HELISC) Model. Methods HELISc Model was based on the idea of a world of interrelated connections from virtual and traditional life without separation. Social capital represents the degree of social cohesion that exists in communities, furthermore social capital is recognised as the establishment between people of networks, norms, and social trust, and facilitate co-operation for mutual benefit. In evaluating the level of health-seeking information with social networks, it emerged that individuals, after obtaining the information requested, established ties with other individuals, similar to the development of social capital. Results The combination of interrelated connections from virtual and traditional life without separation leads to conscious action. This conscious action of health is given by the sum of antecedents (individual and environmental), by the formulation of the informative needs, by the reference information channels (offline/online), which leads to a conscious action. While the information-seeking activity can be labeled as a conscious action, the cohesion among individuals derived by the information exchange in the form of social support and social capital is unconscious. This model shows that there is not only the individual's interest in obtaining the information sought, but the development of a parallel mutual support leading to the development of social capital. Conclusions This model considers how virtual social network could be potentially considered as a new way to develop mutual support despite geographical distance and differences between individuals. More research is needed to support with evidence this model. Key messages Social capital and virtual health information, a new discover. Without Helisc model we don't understand influence of health information.

How to keep up to date with medical information using web-based resources: a systematised review and narrative synthesis.

Keeping up to date with the latest medical information using Web-based resources has been sparsely described, and a comprehensive up-to-date review is needed. To summarise the Web-based 'channels' that may assist the actors of the health care system (clinicians, medical researchers and students) to keep up to date with medical information. We searched PubMed and Scopus for English language articles published between January 1990 and February 2019 that investigated ways for keeping up with medical information. We used the results from our search and relevant information from other sources to conduct a narrative synthesis. We found that resources that push information (e.g. web alerts, medical newsletters, listservs), resources that rely on the active information seeking (e.g. access to health librarians and electronic databases, podcasts, mobile apps), collaborative resources (e.g. web conferences, online journal clubs, web social media) and resources that synthesise information (e.g. bibliometrics, living systematic reviews) can contribute in keeping up with new findings and can enhance evidence-based medicine. Clinicians, medical researchers and students can benefit from the proper use of such Internet-based technological innovations. Internet provides many resources that can help the actors of the health care system stay up to date with the latest scientific findings.

Google Trends and Information Seeking Trend of COVID-19 in Indonesia

WHO has declared COVID-19 as a pandemic due to its rapid increase in cases outside China. COVID-19 has also affected a growing number of countries. However, the Indonesia government responded to the declaration in a not-serious manner, which has generated uncertainty circumstance among its public. This circumstance has driven people to consume information as much as they are possible to consume. This study aims to map out the trend of information-seeking concerning COVID-19 in Indonesia using Google Trends and to compare it to the information available on Indonesia's Ministry of Health official website from January until March. This study was descriptive quantitative, which used Google Trends as data collection tools. The research found that information seeking concerning COVID-19 has been increasing since the end of January. Government statements were found as the trigger of the information-seeking activity escalation and also served as the reason behind different information-seeking trends each month.

Active and passive information behaviour of the professoriate: A descriptive comparative pattern analysis

Background: The study explored and analysed patterns in active and passive information behaviour of the professoriate in different information sources in teaching and research context. Exploring patterns in human information behaviour fills the knowledge gaps in this under-researched area, besides having practical significance. Objectives: The study explored the patterns in active and passive information behaviour in different information sources used by the professoriate in the social sciences and humanities in three federal universities in Nigeria. Methods: The study used a descriptive survey to explore the active and passive information behaviour of the professoriate. The sample consisted of 246 professors from the social sciences and humanities departments at three federal universities in Nigeria. Data were collected using an adapted questionnaire and analysed descriptively using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results: The patterns that emerged across electronic resources, media, print sources, interpersonal and academic gathering, in three usage categories, showed both consistent and divergent results. A broad pattern in frequently-used sources revealed that the more active information seeking takes place in an information source, the more chances of passive encounters, and vice versa. This pattern is, however, consistent in electronic resources, print sources, and academic gathering, but differs in media and interpersonal sources. Media has more instances of passive encounters than active usage whilst in interpersonal sources, information encountered in active engagements with professional colleagues did not yield significant result. Conclusion: Exploring patterns in human information behaviour is still evolving, with the benefit of advancing a better understanding of active and passive information behaviour at a micro level.

The rising impact of civic activism on health policy: The analysis of the closure of smaller obstetric units in Estonia

In 2017, the Estonian government performed an administrative reform with the promise to keep vital services available for people. In March 2018, the closure of two smaller obstetrics units (OU) was announced, thereby raising resistance by community members. The aim of the research is to identify public perceptions and information needs during the closure process of smaller maternity units, and examine it in the context of recently performed administrative reform. Data was collected from 226 respondents via a web-based questionnaire. To evaluate the level of information seeking activity for pregnancy- and birth-giving-related information, new aggregated index variables were constructed.For authorities and lay-people “near home” and “safety” had different meanings in the context of childbirth. Findings revealed strong correlations between perceived information availability and sufficiency (for pregnancy, birth-giving and transfer to the hospital). The subjective lack of information appeared in recognition of the start of the labour and how, when, and where to go. Respondents considered both the medical capability and personal aspects to be equally important. Considering the lack of knowledge and hesitancy among Estonians, the arguments of civic activists presented in the debate were well-grounded. To conclude, public communication must be consistent and people need clearer instructions for activities related to labour-period and security that necessary features of medical help and personal approach to be both available.

Comparing Medical Term Usage Patterns of Professionals and Search Engine and Community Question Answering Service Users in Japan: Log Analysis.

BackgroundDespite increasing opportunities for acquiring health information online, discussion of the specific words used in searches has been limited.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to clarify the medical information gap between medical professionals and the general public in Japan through health information–seeking activities on the internet.MethodsSearch and posting data were analyzed from one of the most popular domestic search engines in Japan (Yahoo! JAPAN Search) and the most popular Japanese community question answering service (Yahoo! Chiebukuro). We compared the frequency of 100 clinical words appearing in the clinical case reports of medical professionals (clinical frequency) with their frequency in Yahoo! JAPAN Search (search frequency) logs and questions posted to Yahoo! Chiebukuro (question frequency). The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to quantify association patterns among the three information sources. Additionally, user information (gender and age) in the search frequency associated with each registered user was extracted.ResultsSignificant correlations were observed between clinical and search frequencies (r=0.29, P=.003), clinical and question frequencies (r=0.34, P=.001), and search and question frequencies (r=0.57, P<.001). Low-frequency words in clinical frequency (eg, “hypothyroidism,” “ulcerative colitis”) highly ranked in search frequency. Similarly, “pain,” “slight fever,” and “numbness” were highly ranked only in question frequency. The weighted average of ages was 34.5 (SD 2.7) years, and the weighted average of gender (man –1, woman +1) was 0.1 (SD 0.1) in search frequency. Some words were specifically extracted from the search frequency of certain age groups, including “abdominal pain” (10-20 years), “plasma cells” and “inflammatory findings” (20-30 years), “DM” (diabetes mellitus; 30-40 years), “abnormal shadow” and “inflammatory findings” (40-50 years), “hypertension” and “abnormal shadow” (50-60 years), and “lung cancer” and “gastric cancer” (60-70 years).ConclusionsSearch and question frequencies showed similar tendencies, whereas search and clinical frequencies showed discrepancy. Low-clinical frequency words related to diseases such as “hypothyroidism” and “ulcerative colitis” had high search frequencies, whereas those related to symptoms such as “pain,” “slight fever,” and “numbness” had high question frequencies. Moreover, high search frequency words included designated intractable diseases such as “ulcerative colitis,” which has an incidence of less than 0.1% in the Japanese population. Therefore, it is generally worthwhile to pay attention not only to major diseases but also to minor diseases that users frequently seek information on, and more words will need to be analyzed in the future. Some characteristic words for certain age groups were observed (eg, 20-40 years: “cancer”; 40-60 years: diagnoses and diseases identified in health examinations; 60-70 years: diseases with late adulthood onset and “death”). Overall, this analysis demonstrates that medical professionals as information providers should be aware of clinical frequency, and medical information gaps between professionals and the general public should be bridged.

Perancangan User Interface Website Institut Manajemen Wiyata Indonesia

The internet is an important channel in the distribution of information and promotional activities for a university. Many information-seeking activities in society have shifted from conventional methods to digital. The website then becomes an important digital storefront for a university to distribute information and conduct promotional activities, including in this case, Institut Manajemen Wiyata Indonesia. Institut Manajemen Wiyata Indonesia has had a website from the time it was first established, but the existing website is considered too monotonous. Development and changes in interface design then need to be done. This effort begins with first conducting a 5W + 1H analysis to identify existing problems, decipher the background of the problem, to present alternative solutions. Follow-up observations and interviews are conducted with interested users to find out what expectations or content needs to be posted on the website. From this study it was concluded that the design of the user interface on the website must not eliminate its function as a medium in disseminating information to the public. Then the delivery of a strong identity that characterizes universities is done through informative media and supported by visual processing that emphasizes the quality and readability of the content when accessed from various types of user devices.

Physical activity information seeking among emerging adults attending university

Objective To assess preferred sources of information for seeking physical activity (PA), and how PA information seeking may contribute to participation in a campus PA program. Participants: Students attending a large, Western Canadian university between April 2015 and April 2018. Methods: Secondary analysis of an annual campus-wide survey. Results: Students sought PA information for general health. Females sought information about weight loss for appearances; males sought information for muscle gain for appearance. Internet and friends were primary sources of PA information. Regression analysis indicated females 2.49 (95% CI 1.98–3.13), domestic students 2.86, 95% CI (2.04–4.02), and first year students 24.88, 95% CI (18.12–34.17) were most likely to participate in a campus PA program. Only health reasons significantly contributed to participation 1.42, 95% CI (1.06–1.89). Conclusions: Emerging adults attending university may benefit from PA promotion that makes use of their preferred information sources.

The Move Your Way Campaign: Encouraging Contemplators and Families to Meet the Recommendations From the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

The Move Your Way campaign, developed by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, aims to improve Americans' adherence to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. This article describes the research that informed the campaign's products, messaging, and strategy. A mixed-methods approach was used to understand participants' preferences for physical activity messages and information seeking. Two rounds (round 1 [n = 95] and round 2 [n = 73]) of focus groups and an online survey (n = 2050) were conducted with adult physical activity contemplators. A third round (n = 84) of focus groups was conducted with children, teens, and parents of young children. Adults, parents, teens, and children preferred messages that reflected diverse examples of activities; most participants disliked "one-size-fits-all" recommendations. Adults and parents preferred messages that emphasized specific health benefits over generic messages about overall health. Although some participants preferred getting physical activity information from digital search tools and social media platforms, many preferred getting this information from family members and friends. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion translated these findings into 3 themes used for Move Your Way implementation: (1)leverage social and community connections, (2)emphasize representation through inclusion and diversity, and (3)customize physical activity recommendations to make them more achievable.

Ready for disaster: information seeking, media influence, and disaster preparation for severe weather outbreaks

ABSTRACT In light of recent severe weather outbreaks in the U.S., this study seeks to examine how individuals learn about and prepare for potential disasters in their area. Prior research has found that knowledge sufficiency and risk perception are two key factors that influence disaster preparedness. We examine the role of mediated and non-mediated sources in predicting information-seeking behaviors and disaster preparedness activities, as well as what influence the recent weather events may have on those issues. Findings indicated that worry and perceived risk about severe weather were significantly influential on information seeking, but that mediated and non-mediated sources, along with information sufficiency were key predictors of disaster preparedness. The findings are important for both scholars and practitioners of media messaging.

Responses to mass shooting events

Research SummaryPublic mass shootings tend to capture the public's attention and receive substantial coverage in both traditional media and online social networks (OSNs) and have become a salient topic in them. Motivated by this, the overarching objective of this paper is to advance our understanding of how the public responds to mass shooting events in such media outlets. Specifically, it aims to examine whether distinct information seeking patterns emerge over time and space, and whether associations between public mass shooting events emerge in online activities and discourse. Towards this objective, we study a sequence of five public mass shooting events that have occurred in the United States between October 2017 and May 2018 across three major dimensions: the public's online information seeking activities, the media coverage, and the discourse that emerges in a prominent OSN. To capture these dimensions, respectively, data was collected and analyzed from Google Trends, LexisNexis, Wikipedia Page views, and Twitter. The results of our analysis suggest that distinct temporal patterns emerge in the public's information seeking activities across different platforms, and that associations between an event and its preceding events emerge both in the media coverage and in OSNs.Policy ImplicationStudying the evolution of discourse in OSNs provides a valuable lens to observe how society's views on public mass shooting events are formed and evolved over time and space. The ability to analyze such data allows tapping into the dynamics of reshaping and reframing public mass shooting events in the public sphere and enable it to be closely studied and modeled. A deeper understanding of this process, along with the emerging associations drawn between such events, can then provide policy and decision‐makers with opportunities to better design policies and communicate the significance of their goals and objectives to the public.

Providing Information-Seeking Skills Feedback Within a Medical School Curriculum: A Partnership between Librarians and Education Specialists

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) revised their standards for MD program curricula with increased emphasis on the teaching and assessment of skills needed for life-long learning. This case study describes the collaboration between a team of librarians and a curriculum office to continuously improve information-seeking skills activities for medical students. This positive collaborative experience has firmly embedded librarians into the medical curriculum. Based on student feedback, the majority of students found the librarian-involved activities useful.

G2I: A principled approach to leveraging the goal-to-information nexus in BDI agents

Abstract In a number of settings, information requirements must be guided by the current goals of an agent. This paper shows how information requirements can be systematically derived from goals by examining the executability conditions of plans and actions that help achieve that goal. We extend the standard BDI framework by annotating beliefs, plans and actions with probabilities and propose the use of information-seeking actions to meet the information requirements. We show how agents can use such information-seeking actions, which can be expensive to execute (often at the cost of other mission-critical actions), to increase the expected utility of their goals, and thereby present a novel variant of the standard BDI framework.

Hubungan perilaku pencarian informasi dengan pemanfaatan media pembelajaran Edmodo

Edmodo is one of the electronic learning or e-learning platforms that have advantages, one of which is a display similar to Facebook's social media. This study aimed to determine the relationship of the information-seeking behavior of students of ‘Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan Negeri’ (SMKN -Vocational High School) 1, Bandung, with the utilization of Edmodo learning media. This study examined the relationship between the drive for needs, creating change, and environmental activities with the utilization of Edmodo learning media. The method used a correlation study with a quantitative approach. The population in the study were students of class X SMKN 1 Bandung, amounting to 448 people. The sample of this study was 150 people. This research used the information-seeking behavior theory from Krikelas and the concept of Information Technology (IT) Utilization from Thompson. The correlation test analysis technique used Pearson Product Moment (PPM). The results showed that the drive for needs, creating change, and environmental activities, all had a significant relationship with Edmodo learning media. This study concludes that the relationship of information-seeking behavior with the utilization of Edmodo learning media has a low level of closeness. This condition is due to several factors, for Edmodo still functions as a complementary tool and diversity of other learning resources that support student information-seeking activities at SMKN1, Bandung.

Health-Related Internet Use Among Men With Prostate Cancer in Canada: Cancer Registry Survey Study.

BackgroundAfter a prostate cancer diagnosis, men want information about their disease and treatment options. The internet offers a convenient means to deliver health information to patients with prostate cancer. However, there are concerns about the use of the internet among this largely senior population.ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the patterns and factors associated with the use of the internet as a source of health information among Canadian men with prostate cancer and the features and information required in a website.MethodsPopulation surveys were conducted in four Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario) in 2014-2015. Data analyses included descriptive, bivariable, and multivariable analyses. The Pearson Chi-square and univariable regression were used to examine associations between independent variables and health-related internet use. Correlates of health-related internet use were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsA total of 1362 patients responded across the four provinces. The mean age of respondents was 69 years (SD 8.2). In addition, 82% (n=1071) were internet users and 71% (n=910) used the internet daily. Further, 65% (n=784) used the internet as a source of prostate cancer information, and 40% (n=521) were confident about using information obtained from the internet to make health decisions. Men who used the internet to obtain prostate cancer information were more likely to be active information seekers (odds ratio [OR]: 4.5, 95% CI 2.6-7.8), be confident using information from the internet to make health decisions (OR: 3.6, 95% CI 2.3-5.7), have broadband internet access (OR: 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.7), and have more unmet supportive care needs (OR: 1.05, 95% CI 1.0-1.1). Top features wanted in a website, reported by more than 50% of respondents, were a library of resources (n=893, 65.6%), tools to support treatment decision making (n=815, 59.8%), and tools to help navigate the prostate cancer journey (n=698, 51.2%). Top three topics of information wanted in such a website were treatment options (n=916, 67.3%), disease progression (n=904, 66.4%), and management of side effects (n=858, 63%).ConclusionsOver two-thirds of Canadian patients with prostate cancer surveyed use the internet as a source of health information about prostate cancer, but over half did not feel confident using information from the internet to make health decisions. Being an active information seeker, having confidence in using information from the internet to make health decisions, having broadband internet, and having more unmet supportive care needs were significantly associated with health-related internet use. Future work should examine electronic health literacy interventions as a means to boost men’s confidence in using information from the internet and design websites that include information and features that help men navigate the prostate cancer journey and support treatment decision making and management of side effects.