scholarly journals Young children’s information-seeking practices in center-based childcare

2021 ◽  
pp. 096100062096216
Author(s):  
Sarah Barriage
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Day Care ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Information Practices ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Concept Of Information ◽  
Classroom Resources

Many children in the USA spend a significant amount of time in center-based childcare. However, research has yet to explore their information practices in this setting. This study investigates young children’s perceptions of the concept of information and their own information-seeking practices within the context of their day care classroom. The participants included 13 children between three and five years of age. Data was collected using participant observation, semi-structured interviews, child-led photo tours, and photo-elicitation interviews. The findings indicate that the children did not perceive the concept of information in a manner consistent with adult understandings of the term, and that they engaged in information-seeking related to finding out new things on their own, through interactions with others, and through classroom resources, activities, and routines. The findings have implications for both researchers and practitioners working with young children.

Crossing Borders: Building Radical Economic Subjectivities along the USA/Mexico Border from Sites of Privilege

2011 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 721-737
Author(s):  
Julie Steinkopf Rice ◽  
Emily R. Cummins ◽  
Aprildawn Willeford
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Approach ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Economic Issues ◽  
Alternative Economies ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Mexico Border ◽  
Poststructural Feminist ◽  
Political Economic

Research examining radical economic subjectivity processes involved in creating alternative economies remains extremely scarce. We address this lacuna by employing qualitative techniques including semi-structured interviews and participant observation to examine advocates who work to provide economic alternatives to economically dislocated communities along the USA/Mexico border. Theoretically we use a poststructural feminist perspective to illuminate the contradictions and complexities involved in how these advocates negotiate and often work against their interests arising from class, race, and geopolitical privileges. Contributions of this study include demonstrating the utility of a poststructural feminist approach to global political economic issues that extend beyond a focus upon gender. This theoretical approach provides insights into the complex relations radical economic subjects have to the state; the importance of critical self-reflection in building solidarity across different social locations; and the complexities related to language barriers and representation of the subaltern.

scholarly journals The factors that influence a lawyer’s use of and ability to develop effective electronic information seeking behaviour

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Geraldine Lewis
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Electronic Information ◽  
Electronic Resources ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviour

<p>Research Problem: The purpose of this research was to discover the factors that influence a New Zealand lawyer’s use of and ability to develop effective electronic information seeking behaviour. There have been no previous studies undertaken in New Zealand to understand the cognitive reasons and the reasons directly related to the resources themselves that impact on why lawyers do, or do not look for information effectively from electronic resources. Methodology: A phenomenological study design was used in order to understand an event from the viewpoint of the participants. Nine New Zealand lawyers participated, providing demographic information and taking part in semi-structured interviews. In addition two of these lawyers took part in a further participant observation. Results: The results indicated that factors personal to the applicant such as their previous training, electronic experience, personality and age have an impact on their ability to develop effective electronic information seeking behaviour. In addition external factors such as cost, time and lack of access directly related to electronic resources also have an impact. Implications: Based on the findings of this report it was found that electronic resources were considered to be an important part of a lawyer’s work and gaining increasing significance. However not all lawyers have the ability to make full use of these electronic resources. Therefore it is important that lawyers are provided with the opportunity to undertake appropriate training and to access high quality electronic resources. Further study needs to be undertaken to look at strategies and training methods required by lawyers and their employers to improve these skills.</p>

Developing teachers’ mathematical-task knowledge and practice through lesson study

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystal Barber
Keyword(s):  
Lesson Study ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Mathematical Tasks ◽  
Mathematical Task ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Task Knowledge ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Knowledge And Practice ◽  
High Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how lesson study can lead to teacher learning and improvement of instruction by developing teachers’ mathematical-task knowledge and by supporting teachers’ selection, modification, and implementation of mathematical tasks. Mathematical-task knowledge includes knowledge needed to use tasks that require a high level of thinking and reasoning. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study design was used to explore the learning and instruction of three teachers as they went through the process of lesson study, developed knowledge around mathematics tasks, and made changes to their instruction. Methods included direct observation of lessons, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation. Findings This lesson study project supported teachers in developing mathematical-task knowledge and in making change to instructional practice. The teachers discussed in this paper added to their understanding of mathematical tasks and changed how they implemented tasks after lesson study. The teachers began to challenge students to go beyond memorizing or executing procedures to deepen the students’ understanding of mathematical concepts. Teachers developed key insights and understandings of mathematical tasks, triggering shifts in their thinking, and changes to instruction. Collaboration and reflection altered the selection, modification, and implementation of mathematical tasks. Research limitations/implications This study reveals the connections between features of lesson study and the pathways that lead to learning and improvements to instruction. Limitations included the demands of the school district’s pacing guide and curriculum, and a limited number of interviews and observations were conducted after lesson study. Originality/value There are many different ways lesson study has been implemented in the USA, yet the effectiveness of many lesson study projects is still unclear. This study reveals more about the lesson study process, what features are important, and how these features lead to development of knowledge and practice. This study examines how teachers within the same lesson study group added to their knowledge and practice and how different features of lesson study prompt them to make changes.

scholarly journals The factors that influence a lawyer’s use of and ability to develop effective electronic information seeking behaviour

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Geraldine Lewis
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Electronic Information ◽  
Electronic Resources ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviour

<p>Research Problem: The purpose of this research was to discover the factors that influence a New Zealand lawyer’s use of and ability to develop effective electronic information seeking behaviour. There have been no previous studies undertaken in New Zealand to understand the cognitive reasons and the reasons directly related to the resources themselves that impact on why lawyers do, or do not look for information effectively from electronic resources. Methodology: A phenomenological study design was used in order to understand an event from the viewpoint of the participants. Nine New Zealand lawyers participated, providing demographic information and taking part in semi-structured interviews. In addition two of these lawyers took part in a further participant observation. Results: The results indicated that factors personal to the applicant such as their previous training, electronic experience, personality and age have an impact on their ability to develop effective electronic information seeking behaviour. In addition external factors such as cost, time and lack of access directly related to electronic resources also have an impact. Implications: Based on the findings of this report it was found that electronic resources were considered to be an important part of a lawyer’s work and gaining increasing significance. However not all lawyers have the ability to make full use of these electronic resources. Therefore it is important that lawyers are provided with the opportunity to undertake appropriate training and to access high quality electronic resources. Further study needs to be undertaken to look at strategies and training methods required by lawyers and their employers to improve these skills.</p>

‘Access necessitates being seen’: Queer visibility and intersectional embodiment within the health information practices of queer community leaders

2021 ◽  
pp. 016555152110406
Author(s):  
Travis L Wagner ◽  
Vanessa L Kitzie
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Community Leaders ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Queer Identity ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Information Practices ◽  
Information Professionals

Navigating healthcare infrastructures is particularly challenging for queer-identifying individuals, with significant barriers emerging around stigma and practitioner ignorance. Further intersecting, historically marginalised identities such as one’s race, age or ability exacerbate such engagement with healthcare, particularly the access to and use of reliable and appropriate health information. We explore the salience of one’s queer identity relative to other embodied identities when navigating health information and care for themselves and their communities. Thirty semi-structured interviews with queer community leaders from South Carolina inform our discussion of the role one’s queer visibility plays relational to the visibility of other identities. We find that leaders and their communities navigate these intersectional visibilities through unique and iterative approaches to health information seeking, sharing and use predicated upon anti-queer, racist, ableist and misogynistic sentiments. Findings can inform queer-inclusive, intersectionally informed interventions by health and information professionals such as non-profit advocacy organisations and medical librarians.

scholarly journals Spicing up hospitality service encounters: the case of Pepper™

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aarni Tuomi ◽  
Iis P. Tussyadiah ◽  
Paul Hanna
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Service Robot ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Previous Theory ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper aims to explore the implications of integrating humanoid service robots into hospitality service encounters by evaluating two service prototypes using Softbank Robotics’ popular service robot Pepper™: to provide information (akin to a receptionist) and to facilitate order-taking (akin to a server). Drawing both studies together, the paper puts forward novel, theory-informed yet context-rooted design principles for humanoid robot adoption in hospitality service encounters. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a multiple method qualitative approach, two service prototypes are evaluated with hospitality and tourism experts (N = 30, Prototype 1) and frontline hospitality employees (N = 18, Prototype 2) using participant observation, in situ feedback, semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation. Findings The adoption of humanoid service robots in hospitality is influenced by the following four layers of determinants: contextual, social, interactional and psychological factors, as well as extrinsic and intrinsic drivers of adoption. These empirical findings both confirm and extend previous conceptualizations of human-robot interaction (HRI) in hospitality service. Research limitations/implications Despite using photo-elicitation to evoke insight regarding the use of different types of service robots in hospitality, the paper mostly focuses on anthropomorphized service robots such as Pepper™. Practical implications Adopting humanoid service robots will transform hospitality operations, whereby the most routine, unpleasant tasks such as taking repeat orders or dealing with complaints may be delegated to service robots or human-robot teams. Social implications Working with and receiving service from Pepper™ changes the service encounter from direct practical, technical considerations to more nuanced social and psychological implications, particularly around feelings of self-esteem, social pressure and social judgment. Originality/value This paper presents one of the first empirical studies on HRI in hospitality service encounters using Softbank Robotics’ Pepper™. In doing so, the paper presents a novel framework for service robot adoption rooted in first-hand user interaction as opposed to previous, theory-driven conceptualizations of behavior or empirical studies exploring behavioral intention.

scholarly journals Language Maintenance and Core Values among Second Generation Arabs in the USA

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Turjoman
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Sunday School ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Value Theory ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Usa ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Arabic And English ◽  
At Home

This sociolinguistics study investigated the maintenance of the Arabic language among three migrant Arab Muslim families, who have been living in the USA for at least ten years, particularly among the children. Each family has children between the ages of 10 to 15 and they attend American public schools. Arabic is essential in the religious rituals of the Muslim society. Yet living in an English-speaking environment makes it challenging for these families to maintain fluency in Arabic and English. The families live in Muncie, Indiana where the only means of formal teaching of Arabic is through a Sunday school held in the Mosque and parental attempts to teach them at home. Data were collected by using semi-structured interviews and participant observation over a six-month period and analyzed according to Smolicz’s (1981) Core Value theory. The findings of the study indicated that all three families are aware of the challenges of maintaining the Arabic language and therefore emphasize the use of Arabic at home, to supplement the Arabic lessons in the Sunday school. 

scholarly journals Mitigating risk: mediating transition through the enactment of information literacy practices

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 1190-1210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Hicks
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the emergent grounded theory of mitigating risk, which was produced through an analysis of the information literacy practices of English-speakers who are learning a language overseas as part of their undergraduate degree.Design/methodology/approachThe grounded theory emerges from a qualitative study that was framed by practice theory and transitions theory, and employed constructivist grounded theory, semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation methods to explore the information activities of 26 language-learners from Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA.FindingsThe grounded theory of mitigating risk illustrates how academic, financial and physical risks that are produced through language-learner engagement overseas catalyse the enactment of information literacy practices that enable students to mediate their transition overseas.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s theory-building is localised and contextual rather than generalisable.Practical implicationsThe grounded theory broadens librarians’ and language-educators’ knowledge of student activities during immersive educational experiences as well as extending understanding about the shape that information literacy takes within transition to a new intercultural context.Social implicationsThe grounded theory develops understanding about the role that local communities play within intercultural transition and how these groups can respond to and prepare for increasingly fluid patterns of global movement.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to an increasingly sophisticated theoretical conceptualisation of information literacy while further providing a detailed exploration of transition from an information perspective.

scholarly journals Life is Suffering: Thrownness, Duhkha, Gaps, and the Origin of Existential-Spiritual Needs for Information

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Chabot
Keyword(s):  
Martin Heidegger ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Human Existence ◽  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Information Need ◽  
Considerable Time ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Information Practices ◽  
The Human Condition

LIS scholars have spent considerable time investigating the incipient stages of information seeking: the so-called “information need” as well as a host of other motivators. A study of twenty New Kadampa Buddhists, whose experiences were collected through semi-structured interviews, sought to explore their spiritual information practices and their motivations for engaging in such behaviour. An analysis of these interviews suggests that Martin Heidegger’s concept of thrownness can be paralleled with Buddhism’s First Noble Truth and Dervin’s gap metaphor, all which identify existential-level faults as inherent to the human condition. This paper offers that it is these closely-related problematic elements of human existence that are the origin of spiritual and existential motivations for engaging in spiritual information practices.Les chercheurs en bibliothéconomie et sciences de l’information ont passé beaucoup de temps à étudier les premières étapes de la recherche d'information : le soi-disant «besoin d'information» ainsi qu'une foule d'autres facteurs de motivation. L’étude de vingt nouveaux bouddhistes kadampa, dont les expériences ont été recueillies à travers des entretiens semistructurés, a cherché à explorer leurs pratiques d'information spirituelle et les motivations de leur comportement. Une analyse de ces entrevues suggère que le concept de l’être-jeté de Martin Heidegger peut être mis en parallèle avec la Première Noble Vérité du Bouddhisme et la métaphore de la lacune de Dervin, qui identifient les failles au niveau existentiel comme inhérentes à la condition humaine. Cet article propose que ce sont ces éléments problématiques étroitement liés de l'existence humaine qui sont à l'origine des motivations spirituelles et existentielles pour s'engager dans des pratiques d'information spirituelle.

Talking, looking, flying, searching: information seeking behaviour in Second Life

2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 512-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Ostrander
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
One Year

PurposeThis research seeks to answer, “How do everyday Second Life users go about finding needed information?” as the primary research question.Design/methodology/approachA virtual ethnographic approach couched in grounded theory was utilized to conduct semi‐structured interviews with everyday users of Second Life, accompanied by participant observation.FindingsInformation seeking behaviors within the virtual world of Second Life were found to be rich, complex interaction with multiple facets. Five themes emerged to illuminate how users seek information.Research limitations/implicationsThis research took place over a six‐week period, although most enthographies last at least one year. Conclusions were drawn solely from interviews because participant observation did not penetrate a given community with enough depth to adequately address the research question.Practical implicationsVirtual worlds offer the promise of becoming an integrated part of the information seeking landscape for an increasing number of users. Understanding the factors influencing information seeking behavior that are outlined in this article will equip librarians and information professionals to best utilize virtual worlds and continue to create innovative, user‐focused services there.Originality/valueThis article extends current scholarship by offering a practical, five‐factor approach to understand how people seek information in virtual worlds. The literature is robust in description about library services and the nature of information in virtual worlds. Yet, investigation into information seeking behavior in this environment is in its nascent stages.

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