Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This paper explores patterns of cognitive movements in the context of information technology problem solving. The movements, based on Dervin's Sense-Making theory, are characterized as cognitive and affective perceptions of the individual as s/he experiences a situation through time– space. This study focuses on the interaction between the helper and the helped. A time-line interview is conducted to collect descriptions of respondents' perceptions of the meaningful behavioral sequence as a series of steps. The sample consists of 22 customer service representatives and 36 information technology service users. The findings offer a way of understanding the embedded nature of the perceptions of helper and helped in a problem-solving context. They support a model of collaborative problem-solving behaviors and suggest implications for the design and management of help systems or services.

Keywords

collaboration interaction problem-solving model Sense-Making cognitive movement time-line interview

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

B. Dervin , An overview of Sense-Making research: concepts, methods, and results to date . Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association (Dallas, TX, 1983). Available at: http://communication.sbs.ohio-state.edu/sense-making/art/artabsdervin83smoverview.html (accessed 19 July 2005)

T.D. Wilson , On user studies and information needs , Journal of Documentation 37(1) (1981) 3–15 .

C.C. Kuhlthau , A principle of uncertainty for information seeking , Journal of Documentation 49(4) (1993) 339–355 .

B. Brookes , Robert Fairthorne and the scope of information science , Journal of Documentation 30(2) (1974) 139–152 .

P. Ingwersen , Information Retrieval Interaction( Taylor Graham, London , 1992).

H.S. Kim , A theoretical explication of collective life: coorienting and communication. In: B. Dervin and S.H Chaffee (eds), Communication: a Different Kind of Horse Race( Hampton Press, Kresskill , 2003) 117–134.

R. Fidel , A.M. Pejtersen , B. Cleal and H. Bruce , A multidimensional approach to the study of humaninformation interaction: a case study of collaborative information retrieval , Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 55(11) (2004) 939–953 .

P. Prekop , A quantitative study of collaborative information seeking , Journal of Documentation 58(5) 533–547 .

B. Dervin , On studying information seeking methodologically: the implications of connecting metatheory to method , Information Processing and Management 35 (1999) 727–750 .

10.

B. Dervin and M. Frenette , Sense-Making methodology: communicating communicatively with campaign audiences. In: R.E. Rice and C.K. Atkin (eds), Public Communications Campaigns( Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA , 2001) 69–87. Also reprinted in: B. Dervin and L. Foreman-Wernet (eds), Sense-Making Methodology Reader: Selected Writings of Brenda Dervin(Hampton Press, New Jersey, 2003) 233–50.

11.

B. Dervin , Users as research inventions: how research categories perpetuate inequities , Journal of Communication 39(3) (1989) 216–232 . Also republished in: B. Dervin and L. Foreman-Wernet (eds), Sense-Making Methodology Reader: Selected Writings of Brenda Dervin(Hampton Press, New Jersey, 2003) 47–60.

12.

B. Dervin , M.S. Nilan and T. Jacobson , Improving predictions of information use: a comparison of predictor types in a health communication setting , Communication Yearbook 5 (1982) 806–830 .

13.

B. Newby , M.S. Nilan and L. Duvall , Toward a reassessment of individual differences for information systems: the power of user-based situational predictors . In: J.M. Griffiths (ed.) Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science 27th Annual Meeting (Learned Information, Medford, 1991) 73–82 .

14.

B. Dervin , Audience as listener and learner, teacher and confidante: the Sense-Making approach. In: R.E. Rice and C.K. Atkin (eds.), Public Communications Campaigns( Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA , 1989), 67–86. Also reprinted in: In B. Dervin and L. Foreman-Wernet (eds), Sense-Making Methodology Reader: Selected Writings of Brenda Dervin(Hampton Press, New Jersey, 2003) 215–31.

15.

M.S. Nilan , Cognitive space: using virtual reality for large information resource management problems , Journal of Communication 42(4) (1992) 115–135 .

16.

B. Dervin , A theoretic perspective and research approach for generating research helpful to communication practice, Public Relations Research and Education1(1) (1984) 30–45. Also reprinted in: B. Dervin and L. Foreman-Wernet (eds), Sense-Making Methodology Reader: Selected Writings of Brenda Dervin(Hampton Press, New Jersey, 2003) 251–68.

17.

W.A. Scott , Reliability in content analysis: the case of nominal scale coding , Public Opinion Quarterly 19 (1955) 321–325 .

18.

C.C. Kuhlthau , Developing a model of the library search process: cognitive and affective aspects , RQ 28(2) (1988) 232–242 .

19.

L. Westbrook , User needs: a synthesis and analysis of current theories for the practitioner , RQ 32(4) (1993) 541–549 .

20.

T.D. Wilson , Models in information behaviour research , Journal of Documentation 55(3) (1999) 249–270 .

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.05 MB