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  • × author_ss:"Ford, N."
  1. Li, X.; Cox, A.; Ford, N.; Creaser, C.; Fry, J.; Willett, P.: Knowledge construction by users : a content analysis framework and a knowledge construction process model for virtual product user communities (2017) 0.01
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    Abstract
    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a content analysis framework and from that derive a process model of knowledge construction in the context of virtual product user communities, organization sponsored online forums where product users collaboratively construct knowledge to solve their technical problems. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a deductive and qualitative content analysis of discussion threads about solving technical problems selected from a series of virtual product user communities. Data are complemented with thematic analysis of interviews with forum members. Findings The research develops a content analysis framework for knowledge construction. It is based on a combination of existing codes derived from frameworks developed for computer-supported collaborative learning and new categories identified from the data. Analysis using this framework allows the authors to propose a knowledge construction process model showing how these elements are organized around a typical "trial and error" knowledge construction strategy. Practical implications The research makes suggestions about organizations' management of knowledge activities in virtual product user communities, including moderators' roles in facilitation. Originality/value The paper outlines a new framework for analysing knowledge activities where there is a low level of critical thinking and a model of knowledge construction by trial and error. The new framework and model can be applied in other similar contexts.
  2. Madden, A.D.; Webber, S.; Ford, N.; Crowder, M.: ¬The relationship between students' subject preferences and their information behaviour (2018) 0.01
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    Abstract
    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between preferred choice of school subject and student information behaviour (IB). Design/methodology/approach Mixed methods were employed. In all, 152 students, teachers and librarians participated in interviews or focus groups. In total, 1,375 students, key stage 3 (11-14 years) to postgraduate, responded to a questionnaire. The research population was drawn from eight schools, two further education colleges and three universities. Insights from the literature review and the qualitative research phase led to a hypothesis which was investigated using the questionnaire: that students studying hard subjects are less likely to engage in deep IB than students studying soft subjects. Findings Results support the hypothesis that preferences for subjects at school affect choice of university degree. The hypothesis that a preference for hard or soft subjects affects IB is supported by results of an analysis in which like or dislike of maths/ICT is correlated with responses to the survey. Interviewees' comments led to the proposal that academic subjects can be classified according to whether a subject helps students to acquire a "tool of the Mind" or to apply such a tool. A model suggesting how IB may differ depending on whether intellectual tools are being acquired or applied is proposed. Practical implications The "inner logic" of certain subjects and their pedagogies appears closely linked to IB. This should be considered when developing teaching programmes. Originality/value The findings offer a new perspective on subject classification and its association with IB, and a new model of the association between IB and tool acquisition or application is proposed, incorporating the perspectives of both teacher and student.
  3. Ford, N.: "Conversational" information systems : Extending educational informatics support for the web-based learner (2005) 0.00
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    Abstract
    Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to review recent developments in educational informatics relating to the provision by information systems of pedagogical support to web-based learners, and to propose further investigation of the feasibility and potential value of web-based "conversational" information systems to complement adaptive hypermedia and information retrieval systems. Design/methodology/approach - The potential of Pask's conversation theory is considered as a potentially useful framework for the development of information systems capable of providing pedagogical support for web-based learners, complementary to that provided by existing computer-assisted learning and adaptive hypermedia systems. The potential role and application of entailment meshes are reviewed in relation to other forms of knowledge representation including classifications, semantic networks, ontologies and representations based on knowledge space theory. Findings - Concludes that conversation theory could be a useful framework to support the development of web-based "conversational" information that would complement aspects of computer-assisted learning, adaptive hypermedia and information retrieval systems. The entailment mesh knowledge representation associated with conversation theory provides the potential for providing particularly rich pedagogical support by virtue of its properties of cyclicity, consistency and connectivity, designed to support deep and enduring levels of understanding. Research limitations/implications - Although based on a considerable body of theoretical and empirical work relating to conversation theory, the paper remains speculative in that the gap is still great between, on the one hand, what has so far been achieved and, on the other, the practical realisation of its potential to enhance web-based learning. Much work remains to be done in terms of exploring the extent to which procedures developed and benefits found in relatively small-scale experimental contexts can effectively be scaled to yield enhanced support for "real world" learning-related information behaviour. Originality/value - The ideas of Pask, discussed in this paper, are capable of guiding the structuring of information according to parameters designed to facilitate deep and enduring understanding via interactive "conversational" engagement between the conceptual structures of information source authors and learners. If one can scale Pask's work to "real world" learning-related information behaviour, one can increase the range of web-based information systems and services capable of providing pedagogical support to web-based learners.
  4. Ford, N.: Cognitive styles and virtual environments (2000) 0.00
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    Abstract
    Virtual environments enable a given information space to be traversed in different ways by different individuals, using different routes and navigation tools. However, we urgently need robust user models to enable us to optimize the deployment of such facilities. Research into individual differences suggests that the notion of cognitive style may be useful in this prcess. Many such styles have been identified. However, it is argued that Pask's work on holist and serialist strategies and associated styles of information processing are particularly promising in terms of the development of adaptive information systems. These constructs are reviewed, and their potential utility in 'real-world' situations assessed. Suggestions are made for ways in which they could be used in the development of virtual environments capable of optimizing the stylistic strengths and complementing the weaknesses of individual users. The role of neural networks in handling the essentially fuzzy nature of user models is discussed. Neural networks may be useful in dynamically mapping users' navigational behavior onto user models to anable them to generate appropriate adaptive responses. However, their learning capacity may also be particularly useful in the process of improving systems performance and in the cumulative development of more robust user models
  5. Spink, A.; Wilson, T.D.; Ford, N.; Foster, A.; Ellis, D.: Information seeking and mediated searching : Part 3: successive searching (2002) 0.00
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    Abstract
    In "Part 3. Successive Searching.'' where Spink is the primary author, after a review of the work on successive searching, a portion of the Texas generated data is reviewed for insights on how frequently successive searching occurred, the motivation for its occurrence, and any distinctive characteristics of the successive search pattern. Of 18 mediated searches, half requested a second search and a quarter a third search. All but one seeker reported a need to refine and enhance the previous results. Second searches while characterized as refinements included a significantly higher number of items retrieved and more search cycles. Third searches had the most cycles but less retrieved items than the second. Number of terms utilized did not change significantly and overlap was limited to about one in five terms between first and second searches. No overlap occurred between the second and third searches. Problem solving stage shifts did occur with 2 moving to a later stage after the first search, 5 remaining in the same stage and one reverting to a previous stage. Precision did not increase over successive searches, but partial relevant judgments decreased between the second and third search.
  6. Birdi, B.; Ford, N.: Towards a new sociological model of fiction reading (2018) 0.00
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    Abstract
    Although much previous research has considered how we read, less attention has been paid to why we read, and the influence not only of individual or text-related factors on a reader's intention to read, but also of broader societal factors. This article presents a novel, empirically-based model of fiction reading in a public library context, taking into account the characteristics differentiating the readers of individual fiction genres. It begins with a literature review of factors motivating a reading choice or habit, and of the effects of reading different fiction genres, before introducing three previous studies by the first author into readers' attitudes towards, and engagement with, fiction and selected fiction genres. The methodologies are then summarized both for the three previous studies and the present study. The authors present a combined analysis that integrates the findings of the previous studies in order to generate a new, evidence-based model for the reading of fiction genres. Incorporating both demographic and motivational aspects, this model illustrates how the broad themes of the fiction reader profile interrelate, giving them a new causal ordering. Finally, there is a discussion of the implications of this work for library and information science research and practitioner communities.
  7. Ford, N.: ¬The growth of understanding in information science : towards a developmental model (1999) 0.00
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    Date
    17. 1.2000 13:16:22
  8. Ford, N.: Introduction to information behaviour (2015) 0.00
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    Date
    22. 1.2017 16:45:48
  9. Eaglestone, B.; Ford, N.; Brown, G.J.; Moore, A.: Information systems and creativity : an empirical study (2007) 0.00
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    Abstract
    Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to report research that sought to understand the requirements of information systems designed to support people engaged in creative intellectual activity. The research aimed to provide empirical evidence based on a case study of a particular arena of creativity, namely electro-acoustic music composition. However, it also sought to identify issues that may apply more widely to other arenas of human creativity. Design/methodology/approach - The research was based on a related series of three in-depth studies of electro-acoustic music composers at work. These studies entailed the collection of qualitative data from interviews, observations and "think aloud" protocols. These data were analysed inductively to reveal concepts and relationships that formed the basis for a model of interactions between the composers and the information systems with which they were working. Findings - The paper presents a model of relationships between information system features and use, and the resulting effects in terms of the extent to which creativity was perceived by the composers to have been facilitated and inhibited. In particular, a number of tensions were identified which suggest that conventional "best practice" in the design of data-intensive information systems may be fundamentally at odds with the requirements of such systems to support important aspects of creativity. Research limitations/implications - The limitations associated with in-depth qualitative research based on small samples is acknowledged, relating in particular to its lack of ability to generalise on the basis of statistical probability. However, such an approach arguably offers the complementary strength of being particularly suited to exploratory research aimed essentially at charting new territory and identifying rich and possibly unanticipated constructs rather than testing hypotheses based on existing theory. The resultant findings, however, must remain tentative and provisional pending further systematic investigation designed to establish the extent to which they are generalisable. Practical implications - As well as identifying limitations in conventional approaches to designing data-intensive information systems, an alternative architecture is proposed which seeks better to map onto the requirements of creativity support. It is hoped that both the criticisms of conventional approaches and the proposed novel architecture may be of practical use to those engaged in the design of data-intensive creativity support systems. Originality/value - The research reported here offers a novel perspective on the design of information systems in that it identifies a tension between conventional "best practice" in system design and the requirements of important aspects of creativity support. It has the advantage of being based on the in-depth observation of real composers in action over protracted periods of time. It also proposes a novel system architecture which seeks to avoid reduce such tensions.
  10. Mansourian, Y.; Ford, N.: Web searchers' attributions of success and failure: an empirical study (2007) 0.00
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    Abstract
    Purpose - This paper reports the findings of a study designed to explore web searchers' perceptions of the causes of their search failure and success. In particular, it seeks to discover the extent to which the constructs locus of control and attribution theory might provide useful frameworks for understanding searchers' perceptions. Design/methodology/approach - A combination of inductive and deductive approaches were employed. Perceptions of failed and successful searches were derived from the inductive analysis of using open-ended qualitative interviews with a sample of 37 biologists at the University of Sheffield. These perceptions were classified into "internal" and "external" attributions, and the relationships between these categories and "successful" and "failed" searches were analysed deductively to test the extent to which they might be explainable using locus of control and attribution theory interpretive frameworks. Findings - All searchers were readily able to recall "successful" and "unsuccessful" searches. In a large majority of cases (82.4 per cent), they clearly attributed each search to either internal (e.g. ability or effort) or external (e.g. luck or information not being available) factors. The pattern of such relationships was analysed, and mapped onto those that would be predicted by locus of control and attribution theory. The authors conclude that the potential of these theoretical frameworks to illuminate one's understanding of web searching, and associated training, merits further systematic study. Research limitations/implications - The findings are based on a relatively small sample of academic and research staff in a particular subject area. Importantly, also, the study can at best provide a prima facie case for further systematic study since, although the patterns of attribution behaviour accord with those predictable by locus of control and attribution theory, data relating to the predictive elements of these theories (e.g. levels of confidence and achievement) were not available. This issue is discussed, and recommendations made for further work. Originality/value - The findings provide some empirical support for the notion that locus of control and attribution theory might - subject to the limitations noted above - be potentially useful theoretical frameworks for helping us better understand web-based information seeking. If so, they could have implications particularly for better understanding of searchers' motivations, and for the design and development of more effective search training programmes.
  11. Wood, F.; Ford, N.; Miller, D.; Sobczyk, G.; Duffin, R.: Information skills, searching behaviour and cognitive styles for student-centred learning : a computer-assisted learning approach (1996) 0.00
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    Source
    Journal of information science. 22(1996) no.2, S.79-92