Adapting Kuhlthau s Information Search Process Model. to a Life Information Need: The Search for a New Job. Stacey L. Kobe. Emporia State University

Transcription

1 Adapting Kuhlthau s ISP Model 1 Adapting Kuhlthau s Information Search Process Model to a Life Information Need: The Search for a New Job Stacey L. Kobe Emporia State University LI802XO Professor Jeonghyun "Annie" Kim Submitted November 19, 2006

2 Adapting Kuhlthau s ISP Model 2 Problem This paper will address a perceived weakness of Carol Kuhlthau s model, that it can only be used to represent academic research. In particular, Kuhlthau s model can be adapted to help understand life information seeking behavior. The subject of the interview is seeking a job in another school district. Job seeking can be very stressful and the seeker experiences a range of emotions, especially when other situational factors are explored. Because Kuhlthau s Information Search Process (ISP) model is the only one that addresses feelings at length, the interviewer decided this was the best model to use in order to understand this particular search. The difficulty in using this model is that it is based on academic research. It is often perceived that Kuhlthau s model only fits in academically structured research. But, with a few modifications, the model can be adjusted to also address life information needs. The cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects remain relatively the same in both academic and life information seeking situations. Theoretical Model Overview Nancy Thomas (2004) describes Carol C. Kuhlthau s model as being developed and empirically tested over a 10-year period. Kuhlthau drew from many disciplines to develop her theoretical framework. The framework identifies six stages; task initiation, topic selection, topic exploration, focus formulation, resource collection, presentation;

3 Adapting Kuhlthau s ISP Model 3 and the cognitive, affective, and behavioral activities that go along with each stage as illustrated in Figure 1. These stages will be described in more detail, with adaptations made, in the Results section. Figure 1 Kuhlthau s Model of the ISP (Thomas, 2004, p. 31) Method Data was collected using qualitative methods, specifically an interview of one subject. The subject is a female working full time as a high school librarian in a large urban school district. The subject is able to effectively use a variety of sources to locate information, due to her experience as a librarian. She has just completed an intensive 5- week search for a new job. The interviewer used a variety of open-ended questions in order to gain information about the subject s information need and behavior, mainly the situation surrounding her need and the feelings she experienced throughout her search. The subject was asked to recall her search, step-by-step. She was also asked what sources she used during each step and how she was feeling along the way.

4 Adapting Kuhlthau s ISP Model 4 Results When examining the search process through Kuhlthau s Model, it is evident that a subject seeking employment information experiences many of the same affective, cognitive, and behavioral cycles as a subject working on an academic research task. Each stage of the ISP will be explored and adapted below. Task Initiation Task initiation is the first step in Kuhlthau s model and begins with the assignment of a task. (Thomas, 2004) In this situation, the term task recognition might better suit this stage in a life experience. The subject was not given a task, but came to the conclusion that it was time to initiate change and begin a job search. She is in her seventh year as an educator at the same school. The state in which she works has been struggling to provide adequate and stable school funding. The district within the state is also struggling with funding. The school in which the subject works has been in an almost constant state of flux since she has been there. This has been due to underperformance on state assessments, a high level of disadvantaged students, a lack of support at the district level, and several school reconfigurations. These factors all led the subject to decide to look elsewhere for a job in which she would have time to collaborate and plan ahead, instead of constantly working reactively. During this part of the search, as in Kuhlthau s model, the subject experienced feelings of anxiousness. She was asking herself could this really work? She did not know what to expect and was uncertain as to what might lie ahead. Selection

5 Adapting Kuhlthau s ISP Model 5 The selection stage is the point in which a subject explores a topic of interest. (Thomas, 2004) In this study, the subject has been presented with a possible job opportunity and is tasked with deciding whether to pursue it further. A colleague told her of a job in his school district and asked if she would be interested. Her colleague served as her main source of information at this step and her questions to him were ambiguous, mostly concerning next steps. At this stage, she experiences feelings of excitement and elation at the prospect of a new opportunity. Exploration The exploration stage is described by Thomas (2004) as the stage in which students begin to seek information on a topic of which they know little. This is the stage where a subject will experience the dip. This dip results when a researcher s confidence begins to drop due to inconsistencies encountered, incompatibility with preconceived ideas, and self-doubt as to whether the task can be completed. (Thomas, 2004) The subject of this study begins looking at information online to find general information about the school, the district, and the programs the new school offers, particularly the AP program. She does not experience the dip heavily during this stage. She has mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness. Focus Formulation Thomas (2004, p.32) states, The ability to use information obtained in the exploration stage to draw some preliminary conclusions and create personal understandings enables students to create thesis statements and to formulate a personal point of view about the topic at focus formulation. The subject of this study has looked

6 Adapting Kuhlthau s ISP Model 6 at general information about the district and the school and is using this to inform her decision to pursue this job further. She now concluded that this would be a good opportunity for her. She has an appointment to meet with the school principal for a tour of the new school. She is experiencing more clarity in her task and her interest has begun to increase. Collection During the collection stage, researchers are collecting pertinent information, instead of relevant information and experience a sense of direction and clarity. (Kim, 2006) The subject is seeking information from the principal about the facilities, the school, and the school s educational philosophy. She begins seeking pertinent information regarding benefits, salary schedule, holidays, and teacher certification information for the new district. Because the school district is in another state, there is a large amount of information that must be explored. Her search is mostly conducted by phone, talking with the teacher s union and the new school district. It is during this stage that the subject experiences what could be called a dip. Although her task has become clear and her interest has increased, she is still worried, stressed, and nervous. The new job means a decrease in salary, so the subject must consult with her family and mentors to decide whether or not it would be worth it and if her family could financially afford it. She is wondering if she is doing the right thing, if she can handle the financial impact, and if she will be able to do a good job. The new school will present challenges that she has not faced and is wondering if she is up to the task. She is experiencing some feelings of self-doubt. Presentation

7 Adapting Kuhlthau s ISP Model 7 The final stage is presentation in which information is pulled together and organized into a format that can be presented as the final project. Because life information needs are often not presented to anyone, a better description of this stage would be resolution. Ultimately, the subject of this study has to take all the information she has collected and analyze the benefits and disadvantages of taking the job and make a decision. She decides to accept the job and in doing so, feels a sense of relief that the search is over. After her first meeting with the staff at the new job, she feels satisfaction with having made the right decision and a sense of excitement and renewed energy. Discussion and Conclusion The contribution of this study is to explore how Kuhlthau s ISP model fits with a life information search, focusing on one individual s information seeking behavior and experiences while searching for a new job. Each stage could be identified within the subject s search and the subject experienced feelings identified by Kuhlthau in all stages. The main difference was that the dip described by Kuhlthau that occurs in the exploration stage was not experienced until the collection stage for the subject of this study. These feelings were more a result of the difficulty in making a large life change, rather than frustration with the search itself. The subject used mainly people when seeking information, but also consulted the Internet. This is due to the personal nature of job seeking and the limited amount of time in which a job may be open. People and the Internet can provide up-to-date information quickly. The subject expressed that the perfect source would have been another colleague that had experienced the same situation, moving from the district she is

8 Adapting Kuhlthau s ISP Model 8 currently working in to the district in which she was applying. This colleague has since moved away and was not able to be contacted. The subject did express that if she had to conduct the search again, she would follow the exact same steps. She did not experience any major barriers while conducting her search. Her main problem was in making a decision about whether she could handle the financial disparity. This was more a problem with the situation, not the search itself. Ultimately, the subject is satisfied with her results and she believes the problem was resolved. She considers her success largely due to the reliability of her colleague as a source of information. He would answer her questions or know where to direct her for accurate information. Finding a new job can be a very big life decision, especially when balancing salary with job satisfaction. There are many emotions involved during this process and this is why Kuhlthau s model is a good fit. It is the only model in which affective, cognitive, and behavioral factors are considered. This study has shown that the model can be successfully applied to life information seeking behavior. The only drawback is that the study is based on only one interview and one subject s experience. There is a possibility that this may be an anomaly.

9 Adapting Kuhlthau s ISP Model 9 References Kim, J. (2006, October). Users, patrons, or clients?: Their information need and information seeking. PowerPoint presented at LI802XO class session for Emporia State University, Portland, OR. Thomas, N.P. (2004). Information literacy and information skills instruction: Applying research to practice in the school library media center. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

10 Adapting Kuhlthau s ISP Model 10 Appendix Interview Questions Can you tell me a little about your search and the situations that led to your search? About how much time have you spent really searching on this task? For the next part, I am going to ask you to recall step-by-step what steps you went through, where you looked for information, and anyone that might have helped you or sources you used. If you could think step-by-step beginning to end. When you were checking into the benefits and salary, did you talk to people or was it online? I would like to find out how you were feeling during each of these steps, so if you could start with the initial to the end. What would you say was your most helpful source or if there was the perfect thing that would have helped you, it may not exist now, what would it be? What were the major problems or barriers you faced? Would you say it was difficult to search for a new job while you had your current job? If you were to go through this process again, are there things you would do differently? Would you say your information need was ultimately resolved? Is there anything else that you can think of that you would like to add?