T.D. Wilson - Theory in Information Behaviour Research

Theoryin Information Behaviour Research

editedby

T.D.Wilson

Published byEiconics Limited at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 EiconicsLtd.

ISBN978-0-9574957-0-8

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Contents

The principles of activity theory

Activity theory in areas related to information behaviourresearch

Activity theory in information behaviourresearch

Conclusion

Introductory works and references

Chapter 2 - Critical theory by GeraldBenot

Introduction

Nature of origins of the theory

Current state of the theory

Applications

Conclusions

Introductory works and references

Chapter3 - Personal construct theory by RebeccaReynolds

Introduction

The application of personal construct theory in informationscience

Thetheory applied in other information scienceresearch

Conclusion

Introductory works and references

Chapter4 - Personality theory by Jannica Heinstrom

Introduction

Current state of the theory

Application in information behaviourresearch

Conclusion

Introductory works and references

Chapter5 - Practice theory by Andrew Cox

Introduction

Historical overview

Fourpre-occupations of the practice approach

Applications in information research

Applications to research in informationbehaviour

Evaluation

Conclusion

Introductory works and references

Chapter6 - Social cognitive theory by AgustaPalsdottir

Introduction

Social cognitive theory fundamentals

Applicability of social cognitivetheory

Conclusion

Introductory works and references

Chapter7 - Social phenomenology by T.D. Wilson & ReijoSavolainen

Introduction

Thebasic ideas of phenomenology

Typesexemplified The well-informed citizen

Social phenomenology

Regions of relevance

Social phenomenology as an integrative framework forinformation science

Social phenomenology in related fields information systemsand human-computer interaction

Criticism of social phenomenology

Conclusion

Introductory works and references

Chapter8 - Theoretical approaches in Russia and Eastern Europe by ElenaMaceviciute

Introduction

Research on information needs

Reading research

Information behaviour research

Conclusions

Introductory works and references

Contributors

Gerald Benot isan Associate Professor in computer science and in the GraduateSchool of Library and Information Science at Simmons College,Boston, Mass., USA. His research encompasses language modelsparticularly for biomedical and cross-language retrieval,interactive visualization, and the ethics of information systems.Prof. Benots lower degrees are in French and Russian, and higherdegrees from Columbia University (M.S.) and UCLA in informationscience (Ph.D.).

Andrew Cox hasbeen a lecturer in the Information School, University of Sheffieldsince 2006. His research is in the area of online community andsocial media, be that on the open Web (e.g., on Flickr), inorganizations (including communities of practice) or in learningcontexts. He holds a Humanities degree from the Open University;Masters degrees from the Open University, University of Sheffield,University of Aberystwyth and Thames Valley University, and adoctorate in Information Science from LoughboroughUniversity.

Jannica Heinstrm is a Senior Lecturer in Information Studies at bo AkademiUniversity, Finland. Currently she holds a Senior ResearchFellowship at the Institute for Advanced Social Research,University of Tampere (2012-2013). Her research interests lie inpsychological aspects of information behaviour, such aspersonality, motivation and emotion. In 2004-2008 she was avisiting scholar at the Center for International Scholarship inSchool Libraries (CISSL) at Rutgers, the State University of NewJersey, USA. Jannica holds a Masters degree in Psychology and aPhD in Information Studies.

Elena Maceviciute is Professor at the Swedish School of Library and InformationStudies, Bors University, Sweden and Professor in the Faculty ofCommunication, Vilnius University, Lithuania. Her research areasinclude reference work, information and communication needs,international and intercultural communication, and informationmanagement. Elena has worked as a consultant to the LithuanianMinistry of Culture, the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO,the Committee of Europe and others. She is Deputy Editor of thejournal Information Research

gsta Plsdttir is Professor at the Department of Library and InformationScience, University of Iceland, Reykjavk, Iceland, where she hasbeen employed since 1997. Her main research is in healthinformation behaviour, where she has investigated healthinformation seeking, choice of information sources and evaluationof information, as well as the associated social and psychologicalfactors. She has also investigated the information behaviour ofelderly persons and their relatives. gsta holds an MA degree fromthe University of Iceland and a doctoral degree from bo AkademiUniversity, Finland.

Rebecca Reynolds is Assistant Professor, School of Communication &Information at Rutgers, the State University of NJ, and affiliateof the Center for Inter-national Scholarship on SchoolLibrarianship. Funded by an Institute for Museum and LibraryServices early career development grant, she researches learning byyoung people during their active social media use and digital mediacontent creation, and issues of motivation, agency and structure inthe design of guided discovery-based e-learning interventions foryouth. Her research is. She holds a BA (Sociology), MA (MediaStudies) and a PhD (Mass Communication), with post-doctoral work inInformation Studies.

Reijo Savolainen is Professor in the School of Information Sciences,University of Tampere, Finland and holds a PhD from the sameinstitution. Reijos research has been mainly in the area ofinformation seeking behaviour and he is the author of Everyday Information Practices: A Social PhenomenologicalPerspective.

T.D. ( Tom) Wilson is Professor Emeritus, University of Sheffield and VisitingProfessor in the Universities of Bors (Sweden) and Leeds (UK). Hisresearch has spanned a number of areas including librarycooperation, information management and IT strategies and policies,but he is probably best know for his work in the field ofinformation behaviour. Tom holds a BSc in economics and sociologyfrom the University of London, a PhD from the University ofSheffield and honorary doctorates from the University of Gothenburgin Sweden and the University of Murcia in Spain.

Introduction

The aim in presenting thiscollection of essays on theoretical approaches in informationbehaviour research is quite simple; it is to provide a singlesource of information on these alternatives, which is readily (andcheaply) available to students and researchers.

The initialidea was to ask authors of papers in Information Research to develop the theoretical aspect of theirpapers, but it became evident that the structure of a chapter forthe purpose of presenting a theory could be very different fromthat of an original paper. Consequently, although a number ofchapters owe something to papers published in the journal andelsewhere, they are, in fact, entirely original.

In selectingthe topics for inclusion, consideration had to be given to what ismeant by theory . Anyresearcher will know that this is not word with any completelyaccepted meaning. Theory in the physical sciences is intended to bepredictive and testing a theory involves the collection of relevantquantitative data and, often, advanced mathematical techniques inthe analysis of data. It may also involve experiment and computersimulation.