Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Impact And Management Of Mis/Disinformation At University Libraries In Australia, Nicole Johnston

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Mis/disinformation has in recent political and health climates become increasingly spread through social media and the internet, drawing increased discussion on the role libraries play in countering and combating the spread of mis/disinformation. This study investigated the impact and management of mis/disinformation at university libraries in Australia through a survey of 88 library staff and interviews with 17 managers. Library staff believe they have a role in teaching skills such as critical thinking and evaluation, advocating in this space and maintaining credible, balanced and inclusive collections. Although combating mis/disinformation is a strategic priority for libraries, it is often not a …

Libraries As Wellbeing Supportive Spaces In Contemporary Schools, Margaret K. Merga

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Schools are increasingly concerned with the promotion of student wellbeing, and relatively little is known about school libraries as wellbeing supportive spaces in contemporary schools. This article draws on qualitative interview data from students and library managers to explore how students make use of the school library, and how this relates to the library as a safe space. It finds that school libraries can be highly valued for their capacity to foster belonging and sanctuary and allow exposure to books and opportunities for reading. Students also appreciated how libraries provided a space for relaxing and recharging, supporting lively and social …

What Is The Literacy Supportive Role Of The School Librarian In The United Kingdom?, Margaret K. Merga

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© The Author(s) 2020. Building students’ literacy skills is a key educative purpose of contemporary schooling. While libraries can play a key role in fostering literacy and related reading engagement in schools, more needs to be known about school librarians’ role in promoting these goals. To this end, this article seeks to identify the nature and scope of the literacy supportive role required of the school librarian in the United Kingdom. It also investigates how this aspect is situated within the broader competing role requirements of the profession. Using a hybrid approach to content analysis including both qualitative and quantitative …

Exploring The Experiences Of Australian Science Researchers; Library, Google And Beyond, Ewa Maria Niewiadomska

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Universities and research institutions in Australia are under pressure to produce high-quality research outputs. To generate the desired level of research, continuous provision of information is required. As a result of developments of digital technologies, the information behaviour of academics, both as consumers and creators of new information and knowledge, has evolved and changed over the decades.

In this study, the primary research question focused on how science academics based at Australian universities experience digital information sources as part of their scholarly activities. To support these research goals, the thesis explores where science academics seek information to support their research …

How Do Librarians In Schools Support Struggling Readers?, Margaret Kristin Merga

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

While librarians in schools often face significant budgetary cuts, they can play an important role in supporting learning in literacy and literature. However, little is known about the practices that they may employ to this end. Of particular interest is the role of librarians in schools in supporting struggling readers, as these students may be increasingly disadvantaged as they move through the years of schooling. Semi-structured interview data were collected from teacher librarians at 30 schools and analysed to identify practices exercised by teacher librarians that aligned with extant research around supporting struggling readers. Teacher librarians provided support by identifying …

Academic Reading Format Preferences And Behaviors Among University Students Worldwide: A Comparative Survey Analysis, Diane Mizrachi, Alicia M. Salaz, Sereap Kurbanoglu, Joumana Boustany, Afris Research Group

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study reports the descriptive and inferential statistical findings of a survey of academic reading format preferences and behaviors of 10,293 tertiary students worldwide. The study hypothesized that country-based differences in schooling systems, socioeconomic development, culture or other factors might have an influence on preferred formats, print or electronic, for academic reading, as well as the learning engagement behaviors of students. The main findings are that country of origin has little to no relationship with or effect on reading format preferences of university students, and that the broad majority of students worldwide prefer to read academic course materials in print. …

Using Nvivo™ For Literature Reviews: The Eight Step Pedagogy (N7+1), Maureen M. O'Neill, Sarah R. Booth, Janeen Therese Lamb

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

While a literature review is a necessary milestone to be completed by all researchers in a timely and efficient manner, it is often one of the most difficult aspects of the research journey. Moreover, traditional approaches often leave novice researchers, to struggle with the conceptualisation of their literature review, now complicated by the overwhelming quantity of research available online. This paper presents a rationale the use of Qualitative Data Analysis Software (QDAS) programs for literature reviews. QDAS tools allow the researcher to explore large amounts of textual documents to see patterns. These programs are often overlooked by novice researchers due …

Using Phenomenography To Bridge The Gap Between Research And Practice: A Meta-Analysis Of Three Phenomenographic Studies, Nicole Johnston, A.M. Salaz

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction

The findings of three recent phenomenographic studies conducted by a practitioner-researcher team (the information literacy experiences of English as a foreign language (EFL) students, how international branch campus faculty members experience the academic library and the open access experiences of faculty members in online education) are analysed to discover what practical implications were revealed from the categories of description that can be used in practice.

Method

Meta-analysis of the categories of description of three phenomenographic studies was conducted.

Analysis

Categories of description were analysed iteratively in order to identify which library services and processes could be informed by the …

What Is Era Really Measuring?, Lyndall Adams, Clive Barstow, Paul Uhlmann

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

How successful is ERA in measuring creative research? The ERA (2015) results would appear to advantage: citations over peer review, traditional research over non-traditional outputs and certain geographical locations over others. If indeed this is true, what are the implications for the future development of NTOs in this country given the recent article by NAVA (Winikoff, 2016), presenting the debate about the state of play of our art schools as one of survival and loss. The case for survival is one that needs to be closely examined where local and geographical factors are at play.

The View From Above: How Consolidating Library Enquiries Led To A Streamlined And Enhanced Service, Ben Seabourne

Emerging Topics in Academic Libraries

At the beginning of 2013 Edith Cowan University’s Library Services switched the management and handling of all incoming electronic enquiries from campus service desks to a centralised Communications Team (Comm’s Team) composed of three library technicians and a coordinator. The team was to handle not only phone calls and incoming emails, but also an internet chat service and eventually also the Library’s Twitter account and maintenance of the library website.

The primary objective of the new Comm’s Team was to field all these electronic enquiries and function as a virtual library enquiry desk. At the team’s core is the customer …

New Content In Digital Repositories: The Changing Research Landscape, Julia Gross Ms

Emerging Topics in Academic Libraries

No abstract provided.

E-Book Adoption In Academic And Research Libraries, Pervaiz Ahmad

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Electronic books (e-books) have grown in importance in Academic and Research Libraries (ARLs). Some ARLs are now spending more on e-book acquisitions than hardcopy books. Whether this investment in e-book provision is justified by adoption outcomes is often the subject of simplistic, rather than rigorous research. This research has attempted to rigorously explore the phenomenon of e-book adoption in a case study ARL, namely, Edith Cowan University (ECU) Library.

The study population consisted of ECU academics, students and non-academic staff. The research had three aims. First, by employing a theoretical framework based on technology adoption and information behaviour theory, the …

Managing Research Data For Success, Darren Gibson, Agnes Noronha, Gordon Mcintyre, Luke Edwards

ECU Presentations

No abstract provided.

Icts For Agricultural Extension: A Study In Ratnagiri District Of Maharashtra, India, Niketa Gandhi, Leisa Armstrong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study describes an assessment of attitudes of farmers from the Lanja tehsil of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra in order to understand the information seeking behavior and reasons for the farmers seeking this agricultural information through different sources. To meet the objective of the study, a structured questionnaire and interviews were conducted to gather information on number of aspects related to the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) from 100 randomly selected framers. Additional semi- structured questionnaire and checklist was provided to the key stakeholders. The farmer based questionnaire sought demographic data, information requirement data and uses of ICT …

Information Provision And Retrieval In The Farming Industry In Western Australia, Hasham Al Musawi

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Agricultural information dissemination to farmers has been studied extensively. However, farmers preferred methods of delivery has not been investigated thoroughly within a Western Australia (WA) context.

Availability of different information delivery channels have led to the overwhelming and overlapping of information available to farmers. As a consequence, the type of information required by WA farmers should be considered as knowing information needs could allow farmers to access relevant, concise and timely agricultural information.

To answer the research questions, a survey was designed, using Likert-scale, close ended and open ended questions techniques, enabling qualitative and quantitative data analysis. The study‘s findings …

Community Building, Multiculturalism And The Suburban Public Library, Rajeswari Chelliah

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research investigates the role of public libraries in building communities and cross-cultural citizenship through provision of equitable information resources and services to English as Additional Language (EAL) speakers, particularly in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. The rapidly changing demographic profile of Western Australia is producing an ever increasing diversity of people who need to access information in order to thrive in their new community. However, access to these information services pose challenges to users who lack competency in language, computer and general literacy, while the increasing diversity in the local population creates widely divergent competencies in information seeking skills among …

E-Book Adoption In Academic & Research Libraries: Self Reported Information Behaviour, Pervaiz Ahmad

InfoSci@ECU Seminars

No abstract provided.

Library As Scholarly Publishing Partner: Keys To Success, Gordon Mcintyre, Janice Chan, Julia Gross

Research outputs 2013

Many academic libraries are looking at new ways to add value when they deliver services to faculty, and one potential area where the library can provide new services is in partnering with academic staff to support the dissemination of faculty research. Librarians have traditionally helped faculty researchers at the beginning of the research cycle, with the discovery and delivery of information sources. However, they are now playing a role at the end of the research cycle, providing services that support scholarly publishing. This paper examines library participation in faculty-led publishing ventures. In particular, it explores the value that smaller research …

Social Media, Research Ethics And Your Research, Kim Gifkins, Natacha Suttor

ECU Research Week

Social media platforms (like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) represent incredible potential for researchers to conduct research and recruit survey participants. However the old rules still apply, along with some new rules too. This presentation looks at current and emerging issues in conducting research on social media and recruiting participants using social media channels. It also covers guidelines that apply to your activities, examples and some best practices.

Getting Found - Using Social Media To Build Your Research Profile, Julia Gross, Natacha Suttor

ECU Research Week

Have you thought about your online profile? There are so many options that will help you to get found and network with others (e.g. LinkedIn, Academia.edu, ResearchGate and more). But where do you start? Do you know what option(s) will be the right fit for you, your objectives and your research? This presentation will prime you to make informed decisions about building your profile on social/research networking sites.

Research Data Management In A Collaborative Network, Darren Gibson, Julia Gross

Research outputs 2011

Darren Gibson and Julia Gross explore the research data challenges that may arise within a collaborative research network, and offer possible solutions.

My Research Online: What's In It For Me?, Janice Chan, Gordon Mcintyre, Julia Gross, Lisa K. Billingham, Kay Saunders, Paul Wong

ECU Posters

ECU’s world class research is showcased in the institutional repository, Research Online. Research Online can help you expand the reach of your work and raise your research profile.

Altmetrics: Capturing And Measuring Impact In The Social Media Space, Gordon Mcintyre

ECU Presentations

No abstract provided.

Information Behavior And Japanese Students: How Can An Understanding Of The Research Process Lead To Better Information Literacy?, Yusuke Ishimura

Research outputs 2013

Academic librarians are striving to better serve international students as this emerging population grows on university campuses. Past studies of international students generally focus on linguistic and cultural differences in relation to information literacy skills development. However, it is necessary to go beyond these factors to better serve the population. By using a framework based in information behavior research, the present study investigates the factors that mediate students' behavior and information literacy skills. Practical recommendations based on the findings of an in-depth qualitative study of students' research process are provided.

Opening Ecu’S Scholarship To The World: A Case Study At The Australian Journal Of Teacher Education, Julia Gross, Janice Chan, Gordon Mcintyre

ECU Presentations

No abstract provided.

E-Learning With Docugames: Ae2 Commander, Mark P. Brogan, Martin Masek

Research outputs 2013

Mark Brogan and Martin Masek teach and research in the School of Computer and Security Science at Edith Cowan University. Dr Brogan teaches and researches enterprise information management and digital recordkeeping. With Associate Professor Karen Murcia, Dr Masek coordinates research activity in ECU's Research Centre for Transformational Games. 1 This paper describes outcomes from user acceptance testing of AE2 Commander 2 - a docugame released as alpha software in April 2011 by ECU's Research Centre for Transformational Games. Docugames form a genre of serious games that employ digitised copy of historical sources as part of the game narrative. The design …

Diversity And Equity...Community Building Strategies In Public Libraries For Multicultural Communities, Rajeswari Chelliah

Research outputs 2013

The research project focused on the community building potential in the public library due to increasing diversity in multicultural groups. Diversity in Australia and the world at large, is challenged by groups with backgrounds of traditionally embedded mind-sets, civil unrest, war, intolerance and poverty, and who live within the socio-cultural framework of the host culture. Building cohesion and integration among the residents is vital for all nations. The exploratory research project investigated the current level of public library services to Multicultural groups to obtain library staff views. The views of Multicultural individuals about their local public library experiences and information …

Searching For Health Information On The Internet : The Experiences Of Western Australian Adolescents, Lee-Anne Martins

Theses : Honours

Adolescents readily engage in online entertainment pursuits, however, it is their online social activities and health information searches that encourage psychosocial development and influence identity formation and autonomy. Considerable research has been completed on various aspects of adolescents’ encounters with online health information (for example, see Percheski & Hargittai, 2011), yet minimal research has been conducted using Australian adolescents. This study extends existing research utilising Western Australian adolescents who have used the Internet to obtain health information. The areas explored include how Western Australian adolescents search for online health information, by means of which devices, and their experiences of using …

A Study On The Effects Of Tertiary Education On Open Source Information Gathering Skills, Sara T.K. Cunow

Theses : Honours

Since the introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW), a large amount of information has become available and accessible to anyone with an Internet connection. Where in the past, the art of the intelligence profession was finding scarce information, currently information gathering is more focused on sorting relevant information from the available abundance. The purpose of the current study was to gain a better understanding of how information is gathered on the Web by potential intelligence analysts. Although the WWW is used by many people to search for information daily, relatively little research exists on how this source should be …

Pictures In Words : Indexing, Folksonomy And Representation Of Subject Content In Historic Photographs, Brian Stewart

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Subject access to images is a major issue for image collections. Research is needed to understand how indexing and tagging contribute to make the subjects of historic photographs accessible.

This thesis firstly investigates the evidence of cognitive dissonance between indexers and users in the way they attribute subjects to historic photographs, and, secondly, how indexers and users might work together to enhance subject description. It analyses how current indexing and social tagging represent the subject content of historic photographs. It also suggests a practical way indexers can work with taggers to deal with the classic problem of resource constraints and …