SGER: Talking with You: Exploring Interpersonal Information-Seeking

这项研究旨在探索为什么人们向他人寻求信息，目的是指导未来的学习，同时为专业实践和长期的系统设计提供信息。这项研究的重点是需要信息的日常情况，从寻找新工作和较低的抵押贷款，到医疗保健、住房、儿童保育、社交活动和日常生活的其他方面。它的目的是扩大人际信息寻求的经验和理论知识，长期侧重于设计改进信息服务的方法；让学生和代表不足的群体以不同的身份参与；与相关的企业、社区和学术组织合作；向国内和国际受众传播结果；促进社区对加强日常环境中发生的信息行为的兴趣和实践。这项研究将采用自然主义的方法进行，将对两组人(全职母亲和青少年)产生丰富的见解，以辨别他们日常信息行为的关键方面，特别是关于通过不同的同步和异步媒体(例如面对面、电话、电子邮件、聊天室、新闻组等)寻找人际信息的关键方面。使用扎根的理论方法、查特曼的规范行为理论和弗里德曼的价值敏感型设计，将使用多种方法收集数据，包括不同形式的观察、访谈、参与者日记记录和焦点小组，每个群体约有15-20名参与者。可以面对面和/或在线收集数据，这取决于每个小组的性质以及哪些方法看起来最可行。在实地观察期间，参与者与其他人的互动将被观察信息共享的事件，同时还将收集背景证据。在面试中，参与者将被问到这样的问题：他们与谁讨论特定的情况(找工作、疾病、育儿需求、人际关系、家庭维护等)，以及为什么，他们如何判断某人是否需要信息，他们如何个人管理日常信息等。潜在参与者将被定位在“信息场地”--他们自然地聚集在一起进行活动，但随后进行信息共享。数据收集和分析将反复进行，并与理论命题的产生相结合。研究结果将被用来得出人际信息寻求理论模型的初步框架，该模型将与与信息系统和服务的设计和提供相关的任何领域的学者和专业人员高度相关。这些领域从信息科学和计算机科学到商业、工程、医学和保健、社会工作和教育。到目前为止，从用户和信息的角度来看，几乎没有任何框架可以解释人们为什么向其他人寻求信息，以及可以用来支持人类行为的框架。该框架的丰富性将源于这项研究的自然主义和扎根的理论方法，以及它对参与日常生活的广泛参与者的关注。广泛的影响：本科生和研究生将参与项目所有阶段的正式和非正式能力，不同组织的合作伙伴也将参与，如联合之路和微软研究院。将通过与非营利性和营利性部门的不同利益攸关方合作，起草改进专业做法的具体建议，并广泛传播。

This research aims to explore why people turn to other people for information with the purpose of guiding future study while informing professional practice and, in the long run, system design. The study focuses on everyday situations in which information is needed, ranging from finding new jobs and lower mortgages, to healthcare, housing, childcare, social activities, and other aspects of daily life. It aims to expand empirical and theoretical knowledge of interpersonal information seeking with a long-term focus on devising ways for improving information services; involving students and underrepresented groups in varied capacities; collaborating with cognate business, community and academic organizations; communicating the results to national and international audiences; and facilitating a community of interest and practice around enhancing information behavior as it occurs in everyday contexts. The study will be conducted using a naturalistic approach that will yield rich insights into two groups of people (stay-at-home mothers and preteens) to discern key aspects of their everyday information behavior, particularly regarding interpersonal information seeking over different synchronous and asynchronous media (e.g., face-to-face, telephone, email, chat rooms, newsgroups, etc). Using a grounded theory approach along with Chatman's theory of normative behavior and Friedman's value sensitive design, data will be collected using multiple methods, including different forms of observation, interviews, participant diary keeping, and focus groups with approximately 15-20 participants for each population. Data may be collected in-person and/or online depending on the nature of each group and which methods appear most viable. During field observation, participants' interactions with other people will be watched for incidents of information sharing while contextual background evidence also will be gathered. During interviews participants will be asked such questions as with whom they discuss particular situations (finding a job, illness, childcare needs, relationships, home maintenance, etc.,) and why, how they can tell if someone needs information, how they personally manage everyday information, etc. Potential participants will be located at "information grounds"-places where they gather naturally for an activity but subsequently engage in information sharing. Data collection and analysis will occur iteratively and combined with the generation of theoretical propositions. The study results will be used to derive the initial framework for a theoretical model of interpersonal information seeking that will be highly relevant to scholars and professionals working in any field related to the design and delivery of information systems and services. These fields range from information science and computer science to business, engineering, medicine and healthcare, social work and education. To-date virtually no framework exists from a user and information perspective that can explain why people turn to other people for information and that can be used for supporting human behavior. The framework's richness will stem from the study's naturalistic and grounded theory approach together with its focus on a broad range of participants as they engage in daily life.Broader Impacts: Undergraduate and graduate students will participate in formal and informal capacities throughout all stages of the project, as will partners at different organizations such as the United Way and Microsoft Research. Concrete suggestions for improving professional practice will be drafted by working with different stakeholders in the nonprofit and profit sectors, and disseminated broadly.