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Metatheoretical Snowmen: A Pedagogical Gedankenexperiment In Information Metatheory, Jenna Hartel

Jenna Hartel

Metatheory is the highest level conceptual device used in social scientific research and determines a way of thinking and speaking about reality and its information phenomena. Today, numerous metatheories exist in information science and create a dynamic climate. There is also widespread confusion about metatheory because it is a relatively new, abstract and elusive concept for students, practitioners and scholars alike. The article introduces metatheory in information science and its ontological, methodological, social and personal implications. Then "Metatheoretical Snowmen," a novel pedagogical strategy, is described. Metatheoretical Snowmen demystifies information metatheory through a gedankenexperiment, that is, a thought experiment. In Metatheoretical …