Library and Information Science Commons^™

Complex Adaptive Systems Theory Applied To Virtual Scientific Collaborations: The Case Of Dataone, Arsev Umur Aydinoglu

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is the exploration of the emergence of DataONE, a multidisciplinary, multinational, and multi-institutional virtual scientific collaboration to develop a cyberinfrastructure for earth sciences data, from the complex adaptive systems perspective. Data is generated through conducting 15 semi-structured interviews, observing three 3-day meetings, and 51 online surveys. The main contribution of this study is the development of a complexity framework and its application to a project such as DataONE. The findings reveal that DataONE behaves like a complex adaptive system: various individuals and institutions interacting, adapting, and coevolving to achieve their own and common goals; during the process new …

Users’ Help-Seeking Behaviors Within The Context Of Computer Task Accomplishment: An Exploratory Study, Lei Wu

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated computer users’ help-seeking behaviors within the context of accomplishing a novel and challenging computer task. In addition, this study examined how different help-seeking behavioral variables relate to both personal factors and outcome measures in an exploratory manner. Finally, a structural model examined the effect of personal factors on task performance through the mediating function of help-seeking effectiveness. A total of 67 undergraduate students participated in the study. Participants were asked to perform a challenging task in Microsoft Word. The usability software MORAE was used to record the interactions between participants and computer systems. Participants had access to …

A Bibliometric Analysis Of The Use Of Technical Report Literature: Pre- And Post- Internet Distribution, Cynthia Gayle Manley

Doctoral Dissertations

Technological advances have changed the way information is accessed, retrieved, and utilized. The Internet has contributed to greater accessibility of scientific and technical information (STI), particularly in the arena of technical report literature. Technical reports, which communicate the results of research and development activities, are significant indicators of scientific trends because they often represent public and governmental interest in emerging fields of study. Prior to the widespread use of the Internet, technical reports were disseminated in print format with the use of specific, and often limited, distribution lists. However, as technical report literature found a home on the Internet, it …

Contradictions Between How Students Are Taught To Write And What They Are Expected To Read In General Education Courses, Rachel Anne Kirk

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between how students are taught to write in first-year English composition classes and what they are expected to read as part of the general education requirements at a publically-funded large university in the southeast (PLUS), and then to determine whether a gap exists. If a gap is found to exist between the preparation of students and their ability to read material that has been assigned by the teaching faculty, these students are less likely to be considered information literate by any rubric.

This study uses a mixed-methods approach. Content analysis is employed to examine the …

The Information Behavior Of Public Health Educators Working In Appalachia, Karen Jean Mcclanahan

Doctoral Dissertations

Public health educators serve as a vital interface between medical and public health authorities and community members for the dissemination of important information related to disease prevention and health promotion. Public health educators deliver packaged educational programs, develop their own original programs, field impromptu health questions, and conduct community health assessments. This dissertation research employed a survey in January 2011 to illuminate the information-related attitudes and activities of health educators working in public health departments in Appalachia. The research questions explored how these health educators find and use information, how they perceive their information needs and their abilities to find …