Model Of Information Behaviour Research Articles

Information Needs and Utilization among Social Science Undergraduates in Nigerian Universities

Information is a means through which knowledge about a phenomenon derived from observation, study experience or instruction and collection in varying ways. However, failure rates continue to increase in some universities in Nigeria, and information dissemination is not improving. This study, therefore, examines the information needs and utilisation of undergraduates in the Departments of Accountancy and Business Administration within three selected Nigerian Universities based on ownership. The study adopts qualitative research approach using interview method to collect data in the federal, state and privately owned universities. The research adopted snowball sampling method as it was difficult to determine the specific sample frame due to non-availability of intake records. The study therefore recruited ninety respondents for an interview from the three universities covering various disciplines in social sciences including Business Administration, Accounting, Economics and Finance. The study was guided by Wilson’s 1991 information behaviour model using it major variables of information needs, seeking, awareness, utilisation and outcome. Findings revealed that students require relevant information that will assist them to succeed in their academic career. It also found that information needs of students vary depending on their course of study. Students, however, utilise information for various purposes including academic work, social networking, community development and lifelong learning experience.

Avaliação do comportamento informacional de usuários da página com açucar, com afeto do Facebook

Esta pesquisa apresenta a avaliação do comportamento informacional dos usuários da página do Facebook “Com açúcar, com afeto”. que adota como tema central a música popular brasileira (MPB). A interação entre os usuários ocorre a partir de postagens na rede social. Para identificar o comportamento informacional dos usuários foram avaliados um total de 120 postagens e suas “curtidas”, os compartilhamentos e comentários. Também foram realizadas entrevistas com 15 usuários para capturar informações sobre as necessidades de informação da página. A coleta de dados foi baseada no método qualitativo netnografia para capturar os dados disponíveis na página e entrevista para coletar informações complementares. Os dados foram analisados de forma qualitativa tomado como base o modelo de comportamento informacional desenvolvido por Tom Wilson. Os resultados sugerem que os usuários da página a procuram para satisfazer necessidades informacionais cognitivas e psicológicas, desencadeadas a partir de músicas o que é potencializado pelo caráter de grupo (rede) encontrado no ambiente.

Australian motor sport enthusiasts’ leisure information behaviour

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the leisure information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts, examining: their information needs; their information seeking and sharing; what personal information they had; and their satisfaction with their information seeking and personal information management efforts.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study examined participants’ information behaviour from a postpositivist and inductive research approach. An online survey was completed by 81 motor sport enthusiasts. The quantitative survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics, whilst the qualitative data were analysed using thematic coding.FindingsThe research findings highlighted that enthusiasts engaged in mixed serious leisure. They required information before, during and after race events, and sought this primarily from online sources, as well as from other individuals. Totally, 90 participants shared information about their interest in motor sport with family, friends and fellow enthusiasts, primarily via e-mails (69 per cent) and Facebook (49 per cent). They also gathered information about motor sport, including photographs and memorabilia. Participants were satisfied with their information management strategies for their personal collections.Research limitations/implicationsParticipants were limited to motor sport enthusiasts in Australia, hence findings cannot be generalised more broadly.Practical implicationsUnderstandings of enthusiasts’ information behaviour provide information management professionals with insights to work with this user community.Originality/valueThis study fills a gap in the literature about leisure information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts in Australia. It identifies and provides a typology of the 12 categories of information needed by enthusiasts. Provides a preliminary motor sport information behaviour model guided by the conceptual frameworks of the everyday life information seeking model; general models on information behaviour; and the information problem solving behaviour model.

INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL, PIETERMARITZBURG CAMPUS

Based on a study for a master’s dissertation, this article reports on an investigation of the information seeking behaviour of blind and visually impaired students. It investigated whether the services provided by the University of KwaZulu-Natal on its Pietermaritzburg campus (hereafter UKZN-PMB) accommodated the information seeking behaviour of blind students and those with visual impairments. The theoretical framework for the study was Wilson’s (1996) Model of Information Behaviour, Belkin’s (1982) Anomalous Stat of Knowledge approach and Oliver’s (1996) Social Model of Disability. Blind students and those with visual impairments, the subject librarians from the Main Library and the Disability Unit (DU) Co-ordinator were surveyed. The study revealed that the students exhibited information seeking behaviour that included the DU staff as an indispensable part of information access. Recommendations include developing a strategy to implement the UKZN disability policy and allocating a sufficient budget for the purchase of assistive devices or, preferably, incorporating principles of universal design in the information system.

A conceptual approach to practitioners’ health information literacy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine healthcare professionals’ own health literacy through the lenses of information behavior and evidence-based practice. These practitioners’ health information literacy is critical to client care.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper applies general and professional-specific models of information behavior and issues of bias to methods in which healthcare practitioners seek, evaluate and use research information within professional practice.FindingsCase examples from library, medical and the broader healthcare literature are used to explore ways in which care professionals’ information behaviors align with or deviate from information behavior models and the role of different types of bias in their information behavior. Adaption of evidence-based practice precepts, already familiar to healthcare professionals, is proposed as a method to improve practitioners’ health information literacy.Originality/valueExplorations of “health literacy” have primarily focused on healthcare consumers’ interactions with basic health information and services. The health literacy (and health information literacy) of care practitioners has received much less attention. By gaining a greater understanding of how information behaviors intersect with healthcare practitioners’ own health literacy, the librarians and educators who serve future and current care professionals can offer more informed information literacy instruction, enabling practitioners to provide improved patient care.

Informational behavior and public information policies: theoretical considerations arising from the case of DATASUS in Brazil

ABSTRACT The information age requires information policies to guide its global articulation. Brazil has attempted to answer this call with policies that despite their good intentions have not obtained desired results. datasus , the Brazilian health information system, operates under policies that seem to be designed without considering the latest discoveries of Information Science regarding the informational nature of humans. This article discusses several information behavior models and theories that must be considered when formulating information policies and proposes an “Information Field” model containing guideposts for their construction.

Controlling information behaviour: the case for access control

ABSTRACTIntentional dissemination of information is a key role of information systems. Yet methods for controlling access to information – as opposed to data – are still in their infancy, especially in relation to the key ‘decision points' that need to be made regarding what information users can access when, and under what conditions. This paper presents the case for access control to be explicitly integrated into models of information behaviour, especially as they relate to information access on the relatively unregulated internet. An observational case study relating to information access in Indonesia – which is a highly regulated society – is presented, through advertising on rogue websites – in this case, behaviour which is strictly regulated in the physical world (such as the promotion of gambling) is relatively unchecked online; the absence of effective controls, as suggested by situational crime prevention theory [Clarke, R. V. G., ed. 1997. Situational Crime Prevention. Criminal Justice Press] is reflected in the high levels of offending seen online. The extent to which information systems can manage information-seeking behaviour in a way that is consistent with regulatory or policy requirements in the online environment is discussed, with a view to establishing a foundation and terminology to modify information behaviour theory for the online environment.

생명 패러다임 정보행태모델

21세기에 들어서 인문학계와 과학계가 서로 융합되며 새로운 이론과 모델들이 창출되고 있다. 그 중에서도 여러 제반분야에서 관심을 받는 이론이 체화된(embodied) 인지이론이다. 본 연구는 이때까지의 정보학 이용자 행태에 대한 메타이론을 간략하게 살피고, 그 한계를 짚어 본다. 다음으로 이러한 체화된 인지이론과 더불어 정보행위의 주체인 인간이 속하는 생명체에 관한 엔트로피 개념을 도입해 새로운 시대의 흐름에 맞는 생명 패러다임 정보행태모델을 제시하고자 한다. 검색이라는 개념과 이용자의 행위에 대한 개별적인 접근의 한계를 극복하고 통합적 패러다임으로서의 새로운 정보검색이론의 담론을 기대한다. Humanities academia and scientific community have been fused together in 21st centurty and it creates new theories and models. Among them, the embodied cognition theory has received attention in several related fields. This study reviews the major metatheories in information user behavior with their limitations. Then, "Life paradigm information behavior model" is suggested as a new theory, which communsurates with new era's request, introducing the embodied cognition theory and the entropy concept. By overcoming the limitations of individual approach to the information retrieval and user behaviors, we expect the discourse of the new integrated information retrieval paradigm.

Modeling Online Health Information-Seeking Behavior in China: The Roles of Source Characteristics, Reward Assessment, and Internet Self-Efficacy

ABSTRACTThe outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 marked the explosion of health information seeking online in China and the increasing emergence of Chinese health websites. There are both benefits and potential hazards of people’s online health information seeking. This article intended to test part of Wilson’s second model of information behavior, including source characteristics and activating mechanisms, and to identify the relationships among perceived access, perceived expertise credibility, reward assessment, Internet self-efficacy, and online health information-seeking behavior. Data were drawn from face-to-face surveys and an online survey of health information seekers (N = 393) in China. The results showed that source characteristics predicted activating mechanisms, which in turn predicted online health information-seeking behavior. Activating mechanisms, that is, reward assessment and Internet self-efficacy, mediated the relationship between source characteristics (i.e., access and credibility) and online health information-seeking behavior. Strategies for improving information access, expertise credibility, and Internet self-efficacy are discussed in order to maximize the benefits of online health information seeking and to minimize the potential harm.

Transgender information behaviour

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore information behaviour and the information barriers transgendered people encounter. This study produces new information about the information needs in the construction of the transgendered identity, the changing of the information needs during this phase, utilized information sources, information sharing and barriers encountered in the information behaviour displayed by transgendered people. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the information behaviour of 12 transgendered participants. This study represents a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. A qualitative content analysis was used in analysing the data with categories derived from previous research and research questions. Findings – Serendipity played an important role at the beginning of the participants’ information seeking phase: the young individual would not have terms corresponding to his or her experience because of the invisibility of the transgender phenomenon in the culture. The barriers to seeking information were psychological, demographic, role-related or interpersonal, environmental or source characteristic. Fear was apparent as a barrier in the surrounding culture often caused by expectations, attitudes in the family environment and people around. Source characteristic barriers were related to the lack of terms and vocabulary required to seek information and also the lack of the information itself. Information about transgender and gender minorities was essential in building up a clear gender identity, and the most relevant information sources of this sort of information this were other transgendered people and the experience-based information they had shared. Originality/value – The information behaviour of transgendered people has not been previously studied. In this study a model of information behaviour and information barriers was made. The model includes individual’s information practices, sources of information and also the barriers affecting information behaviour.

A new model of information behavior based on semantic modeling

ABSTRACTThis poster proposes a general model of information behavior (GMIB) based on semantic models. It uses ideas extracted from concept maps, ontologies, semantic networks and artificial intelligence. It also explores topics such as hierarchy, heritance, conceptualization and properties. This form of approach, which differs from traditional approaches based on flowcharts and block diagrams, allows the development of a model that can be extended, tailored, shared, reused and may contribute to the creation of taxonomy and a common conceptual and theoretical framework for the field. It focuses on describing “how” and “why” the phenomenon occurs. The model captures the key concepts of information behavior (IB) from both professionals in their work environment and ordinary people in their daily lives. Built upon previous researches, the model reorganizes, redefines, and introduces some concepts. A characterization of some open‐ended aspects of other models is an important issue of this one and may lead to a more precise understanding of human information behavior.

Effectiveness of Clinician Client Centered Counseling on HIV Knowledge and Attitudes of Adult HIV/AIDS Patients Enrolled in Care in Yola, Nigeria: A Randomized Clinical Trial

This study assessed the effectiveness of a clinician client centered counseling on HIV knowledge and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS of adult HIV positive patients enrolled in care in Yola, Nigeria. The study was a 3 arm randomized single blind clinical trial involving 386 randomly selected and allocated adult HIV patients who were enrolled into ART at the 4 comprehensive ART sites in Yola. A clinician client centered training module was developed based on the Information Behavior and Motivation (IBM) Model. Nine Clinicians involved in ART care were trained with this module to deliver a 10 to 15 minutes clinic based intervention (Clinician Client Centered counseling). Intervention group 1 received two counseling sessions; at baseline and at 2 months. Intervention group 2 received one counseling session at baseline and the control group received routine care. An interviewer administered validated and structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was collected at baseline, 2 months and 6 months. Outcome measures were knowledge on HIV transmission and prevention and attitude towards HIVAIDS. Significant main effects for groups (F (2, 331) = 17.410, p = 0.0001), time (F (2) = 49.826, p = 0.0001, partial ἠ2 = 0.134) and group-time interaction (F (2, 331) = 4.239, p = 0.015, partial ἠ2 = 0.026) were seen for HIV knowledge scores. Significant main effects were seen for groups (F (2) =11.107, p = 0.021, partial ἠ2 = 0.065) and time (F (2) = 34.088, p = 0.0001, partial ἠ2 = 0.096) for HIV attitudes scores. Clinician client centered counseling is effective in improving knowledge on HIV transmission and prevention and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS.

Newcomers from the other side of the globe: International students' local information seeking during adjustment

ABSTRACTThrough the findings from a longitudinal survey and the preliminary analysis of the follow‐up interviews, this paper explores how international newcomer students' needs for local information and their information‐seeking behavior develop during adjustment to new host environments. Also, this study examines the relationships between their local information behaviors and the demographic and socio‐national contexts of newcomer students. The results are discussed in a way to deepen our understanding of international students' information‐seeking behavior during adjustment to unfamiliar local environments and the various contexts that shape the changes of their information behavior over time. Finally, this paper provides implications for developing information behavior models and theories in the contexts of newcomers and for designing information systems, policies, and services to better support international students' information practices and adjustment in unfamiliar environments.

Profiling information-seeking behaviour of distance learning students in Wawasan Open University

Purpose Wawasan Open University Library undertook a survey study, based on the Wilson’s revised model of information behaviour (1999), to profile information-seeking behaviour of their distance students in using library resources in their research and learning activities. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Using random sampling method, samples were selected to ensure proper representation of the population across four schools of studies and five regional centres. A total of 550 questionnaires were sent to undergraduate and postgraduate students, and 435 completed questionnaires were returned with a success response rate of 79 per cent. Findings Findings indicated significant differences between undergraduate and postgraduate students in using the university’s MyDigital Library and physical library for their information needs. Findings also indicated significant difference between first-year and post-first-year students in using internet search engines as part of their information-seeking process. Practical implications Students improving on their information-seeking behaviour in the learning and research work paved way for them to better experience university vivacity and not isolate themselves from distance learning. Originality/value This paper acknowledges the importance of promoting good information-seeking behaviour among distance learners in the scholarship of learning and research work. The paper also amplifies the important role library plays in minimizing students’ sense of isolation in university learning experience.

The Information Seeking and Communication Model

Purpose– This study investigated the application in the field of healthcare of a recently developed model of information seeking and communication. The purpose of this paper is to test the model’s validity and to identify insights that it may provide.Design/methodology/approach– To investigate the model’s application to information users, the findings from published literature on physicians’ information behaviour were studied. To investigate its application to information providers, interviews were carried out with staff working for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and with employees of pharmaceutical companies. The findings were examined using deductive content analysis.Findings– The findings endorse the validity of the model, with minor modifications. The model provides practical insights into the behaviour of both users and providers of information and the factors that influence them. It can be used to identify ways in which information behaviour may be positively modified in both finding and communicating healthcare information.Originality/value– This research demonstrates the practical value of a new model of information behaviour which was developed using insights from earlier models. In doing so it answers criticisms that research in library and information science often fails to build on previous research and that it has little practical usefulness.

Music information seeking behaviour as motivator for musical creativity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the connection between musicians’ information seeking behaviour and the creative process in music, providing a framework for understanding the role of information needs satisfaction in musical creativity. A number of studies in information science literature have been carried out attempting to model cognitive, affective, behavioural and contextual factors associated with music information seeking behaviour. However, only few studies have addressed the relationship between information seeking behaviour and musical creative activities such as composition, performance and improvisation, listening and analysis. Design/methodology/approach – The focus of this paper is to provide a framework for the study of information seeking behaviour for the purposes of satisfying musical creativity information needs, combining the theoretical basis of an established model of information behaviour developed by Wilson and the theoretical perspectives of a music creative thinking model proposed by Webster. The key features of the two models are synthesized in a unified model of information seeking behaviour for musical creativity and enriched with research findings identified in the literature of both musical information seeking and musical creativity. Findings – The proposed conceptual framework offers an integrated interpretation of the combinations of information needs, information resources and environmental/personal barriers, which enable musical creativity. In the authors’ approach “musical creativity” is treated as a musician’s aim or ambition or drive for expression and is influenced by the way musicians seek information for that purpose. Therefore, musical creativity is an intentional behaviour which acts as motivator for information seeking and is affected by the available information and the musician’s information seeking profile. The current study include three important findings: first, the design and development of music library and information services for musical creativity; second, the development of music information literacy skills for creativity; and third, the information seeking behavioural perspective for universal musical creativity, and the implications for cultural musical heritage diffusion around the world. Originality/value – An integrated information seeking behaviour model which includes musical creativity is developed through the synthesis of two already existing approaches, that of Wilson for information seeking behaviour and that of Webster for creative thinking in music. The present conceptual study presents a three stage pattern or process for modelling information seeking for musical creativity: the process initiates with the intention-motivation for creativity, then proceeds to information seeking behaviour and then concludes with the musical creativity outcomes. This is the first study that seeks to understand the relationships between creativity and information seeking behaviour.

The missing link: Information behavior research and its estranged relationship with embodiment

In this brief contribution I argue that an apparent dichotomy between information behavior seen as the behavior of individuals and their respective information styles and information behavior considered as a social practice may be resolved by considering the underresearched corporeality of the human body aka embodiment, which is a fundamental aspect of any kind of behavior, including information behavior. Practice is inherently embodied too, which means embodiment can be utilized as a vantage point to seek conceptual grounding for the rather diverse range of theories and models in information behavior research. The challenge then is to articulate in what ways and on what levels a particular approach contributes to advancing information behavior research. Conceptual clarity would also help information behavior models and theories developed in libraries and information science become more accessible and hopefully also more relevant to researchers in cognate disciplines.

The Information Seeking Behaviour of Distance Learners: A Case Study of the University of London International Programmes

An examination of the information behaviour of distance learning students is described, based on a case study of the International Programmes of the University of London. A comprehensive literature analysis, and comparison of relevant information behaviour models were carried out, supported by a survey of student behaviour. Following a pilot study, the main survey gained responses from 649 students, in 81 countries and following diverse study programmes. A variety of inter-related factors were found to influence information behaviour, level and subject of study being most significant. Ease and speed of access, and familiarity of sources were predominant factors. An extension of Wilson's information behaviour model is proposed to cater for the specific features of the distance learning context.

A quantitative analysis of information-seeking behaviors regarding medical institutions with Spanish language support among South American Spanish-speaking migrants in Aichi Prefecture, Japan

This study aimed to explore the factors associated with information-seeking behaviors regarding medical institutions with Spanish language support among South American Spanish-speaking migrants living in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The survey targeted South American Spanish-speaking migrants aged 18 years and older currently residing in Aichi Prefecture who had lived in Japan for at least three months and who had previously seen a doctor in Japan. The questionnaire was written in Spanish and the survey was conducted from April to July, 2010. Wilson's information behavior model was used to study information-seeking behavior regarding medical institutions with Spanish language support among 245 respondents who completed the questionnaires (response rate: 58.9%). Experience seeking medical institutions with Spanish language support in the Tokai area was set as the dependent variable and a chi-square test was conducted to examine relationships with language support needs, recognition of and access to medical institutions with Spanish language support, living situation in Japan, and Japanese language skills. Among the 245 respondents, 106 were male (43.3%) and 139 were female (56.7%). The average age was 39.6±11.2 years old and 84.5% were Peruvian. The average length of residency in Japan was 11.0±5.7 years, and 34.3% of respondents had lived in Aichi for 5-9 years. A total of 165 respondents (67.3%) had searched for medical institutions with Spanish language support, while 80 (32.7%) had not. Information-seeking behavior regarding medical institutions with Spanish language support was associated with having previously experienced a need for Spanish language support when seeing doctors in Japan, finding and attending medical institutions with Spanish language support in the Tokai area, length of residency in Japan, Japanese language skills, and the language used in daily life. Experience in requiring Spanish support when sick or injured in Japan motivated respondents to seek medical institutions with Spanish language support. Communication difficulties in Japanese, speaking Spanish in daily life, and length of residency in Japan were relevant factors in their information-seeking behaviors. Respondents were likely to obtain information from family, friends, co-workers, and Spanish media, but not from public institutions that distribute Spanish material. Finding an effective way to disseminate health-related information was a fundamental health issue for South American Spanish-speaking migrants.

IT professionals’ information behaviour on Twitter

INTRODUCTIONInformation behaviour is a term used to describe various ways in which people interact with information and utilise it (Bates, 2005). Information behaviour refers to human behaviour in relation to information, and explicit, implicit and tacit mental states related to information. The information behaviour literature identifies several discrete information behaviours, such as recognition of information needs (Belkin, 2008), information seeking (Chatman, 1991), information use (Bartlett & Toms, 2005), berry-picking (Bates, 1990), and information foraging (Pirolli & Card, 1999). Much of information behaviour research has focused on individuals' day-to-day information needs rather than information behaviours for professional purposes in online space. In information age, use of microblogs has significantly transformed way people seek and use information (Power, 2015). The microblogging phenomenon has also influenced information behaviours, but this influence has not yet been considered in relation to existing information behaviour models. In digital age, professionals use information that is available on Internet creatively, and share it as posts on social media. The audience who can access and read these posts are much wider than audience of traditional word-of-mouth information sharing or dissemination (Hughes, Rowe, Batey, & Lee, 2012). However, not all professionals use social media in same way. Social media relationships differ between strong-ties and weak-ties type users. Strong-ties type users consider their online social networks to be as real and interactive as their offline interactions; for weak-ties users, the online network can be something qualitatively different, where privacy is virtually non-existent (Skageby, 2012, p. 332). In both cases, their networks are carefully selected. In weak-ties framework, an individual's network comprises weak-ties (acquaintances) and strong-ties (close family and friends). One advantage of weak-ties framework is that weak-ties are more useful sources of new information, because individuals with strong-ties usually possess same information as other members of network. Hence, weak-ties type users have a wider network, but not much personal interaction or participation in that network. Skageby (2012) has conducted ethnographic studies of Facebook, Flickr and a music-sharing site; however, users examined in that study were not part of a professional network. It would be useful to explore, as this current study does, whether information technology (IT) professionals, who can be assumed to be more familiar with privacy and security implications of social media, have similar perceptions when using Twitter.The literature confirms that online spaces enable online collaboration, facilitate social interaction and attract wider audiences as well as participants worldwide. Microblogs support online collaboration that is independent of time and place (Ebner, Lienhardt, Rohs, & Meyer, 2010). This is because microblogs are perceived as places, comparable to physical spaces, that engender a sense of belonging that enable IT professionals to create communities of practice. This is consistent with extant research findings that Twitter is a flexible and powerful electronic form of word-of-mouth communication channel for sharing and disseminating information (Jansen, Zhang, Sobel, & Chowdury, 2009). It allows users to repurpose tool to suit their needs (Straumsheim, 2014). The flexibility and usability of Twitter encourage IT professionals to use it for professional purposes. Twitter has helped IT professionals to share their knowledge and create communities of practice much more easily compared to offline information grounds. An information ground refers to a public (and physical) social setting where people go to carry out everyday life activities such as eating and hairdressing, but ultimately end up engaging in seeking and sharing of information (Fisher, Landry, & Naumer, 2007). …