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Showing 13 results for Theory
Shahrzad Nasrollahzadeh,
Volume 1, Issue 4 (3-2015)
Volume 1, Issue 4 (3-2015)
Abstract
Background and Aim: In studies of special groups’ information seeking behavior, there is not a complete understanding of pregnant women's information seeking process. The purpose is to gain a deeper understanding of health information seeking behavior of the pregnant women.
Method: This is an applied qualitative method using Grounded Theory approach. Data were collected through semi- structured interviews with 15 pregnant women who were selected from 5 women's hospitals in Tehran. Data was analyzed using three stages of: Open axial and selective coding- used in Grounded theory approach- and a model of pregnant women’s health information seeking behavior was extracted.
Results: five conceptual categories: information seeking motives, barriers, information seeking, information evaluation, and information sharing were the results of three stages of coding, expanded around the main idea of “pregnant women’s health information seeking behavior” to establish a model for this process. Based on the findings, pregnant women's most essential information needs were psychological needs, nutrition, health of mother and fetus, and the ways of childbirth. The most important information seeking barriers were lack of time for searching information, lack of ability in information evaluation, and the high level of difficulty of the books. Physicians were the first and the most important reference in information acquisition and important criteria for information evaluation.
Conclusion: Findings reveal the importance of information acquisition in pregnant women, effective intervention of information professionals in meeting information needs, removal of information seeking barriers, facilitating information seeking process and more attention to information centers seems necessary. Also, results could be applicable to various organizations for women’s health.
Dr Hassan Behzadi, Dr Azam Sanathoo, Dr Javad Salehi Farardi, Dr Rahmatollah Fattahi,
Volume 2, Issue 4 (3-2016)
Volume 2, Issue 4 (3-2016)
Abstract
Background and Aim: This research aimed to study emotions attribution style of users in information retrieval based on Weiner's theory.
Methods: The survey method was used in this study. Population consisted of graduate students in humanities at Imam Reza (AS) International University. Sample of 72 students was selected. Data was collected by attribution style questionnaire (ASQ) and two researcher made questionnaires.
Results: Research findings showed that users attributed success and failure in information retrieval to internal causes. Also, consistent with Wiener theory, users attribute success to attempts and failure to inability and insufficient effort. On the other hand, it was found that there is significant relationship between users overall attribution style and information retrieval attribution style.
Conclusion: It can be determined that style of user attribution in information retrieval would strengthen correct attributions and destroys incorrect attributions in information retrieval and thereby provided better information retrieval.
Mrs Sanam Ebrahimzadeh, Doc Saeed Rezaei Sharifabadi,
Volume 3, Issue 2 (9-2016)
Volume 3, Issue 2 (9-2016)
Abstract
Abstract
Background and Aim: The socio-cognitive theory introduced in information science by Horland and Alberchtsen. The socio-cognitive view turns the traditional cognitive program upside down. The socio-cognitive theory emphasizes on different cultural and social structures of users. Hence, the aim of the article is to explain the role of socio - cognitive theory in information retrieval (IR).
Method: The role of the socio - cognitive theory in information retrieval was determined by reviewing of relevant literature and identifying its concepts. The current research methodology is descriptive, analytical and theoretical. The research paradigm is qualitative.
Results: The results revealed that the socio - cognitive theory can affect the information retrieval (IR), information behavior and relevancy. The socio - cognitive helps classification of a particular topic in information retrieval. It can change a thesaurus to ontology. Also, it can contribute to non-linguistic factors in understanding the meaning in ontologies and it can take account into the mediating factors in information-seeking behavior.
Conclusion. The result of this study showed that we can not only examine issues related to information retrieval, relevancy and information behavior through the traditional cognitive views. We have to sure that all the cultures and social factors are examined in our studies about IR.
Gholamreza Heidari, Zahed Bigdeli, Babak Mokhtari, Rohollah Khademi,
Volume 4, Issue 2 (9-2017)
Volume 4, Issue 2 (9-2017)
Abstract
Background and purpose: Business Information is among the important sources for companies, especially for those located in Science and Technology Park which intend to launch a technological business and enter the market. To this end, different aspects of business information behavior of the companies need to be investigated. The aim of this article is to study business information behavior of companies based in Khuzestan Science & Technology Park.
Methodology: This qualitative study was conducted based on grounded theory. Companies affiliated with Khouzestan Science and Technology Park formed our research population. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 14 companies.
Finding: The results show that the aims of business information seeking include: organizational goal completion and task fulfillment, updatedness, efficiency, competitiveness and preparation for difficult situations and problem solving. Furthermore, business information need includes knowledge of market, national and international policies, laws, financial information, information about products, information about management, as well as information management. Sources of business information were mass media, science and technology park, internet, educational courses, informal communication, and library and financial consultants. However, barriers to business information seeking included lack of information seeking and information literacy skills, problems about information, technical infrastructure, personal factors, cultural, political and ethical problems, problems in receiving information from the science & technology park and organizational problems.
Conclusion: Companies based in science and technology parks are well-aware of the importance of business information. Moreover, their business information needs are in line with other researches. By identifying the relevant sources and obstacles, this paper can help to provide appropriate information services to these companies.
Hamidreza Mokhtari Aski, Sirous Alidousti, Maryam Nazari,
Volume 5, Issue 1 (6-2018)
Volume 5, Issue 1 (6-2018)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Myriad of IT projects failed in recent years. Digital libraries (DLs) as the product of the usage of IT in the library organization followed a similar trend. This paper studies the critical success factors (CSFs) of DLs in the context of Iran, with special focus on the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology. CSFs, in this paper, are those factors that if followed on a daily basis will result in the success of the DL.
Methods: The research approach in this paper is qualitative and the methodology is grounded theory. A non-probability snowball and theoretical sampling method was used for selection of eight DLs with their subsequent parent organizations and 29 interviewees. In addition to semi-structured deep interviews tool, direct observation by residing in the field, and field note taking were among other research tools for data gathering and analysis.
Results: Six CSFs "good leadership and management practice", "having suitable change plan", "recruiting and safeguarding expert manpower", "selecting suitable DL software", "correct selection of digital objects", and "correct organization of digital objects".
Conclusion: This research can be of value to the stakeholders who seek insights on the factors which would influence the success of digital libraries.
Vajihe Hoseini, Azam Sanatjoo, Atefeh Sharif, Seyed Amir Amin Yazdi,
Volume 5, Issue 1 (6-2018)
Volume 5, Issue 1 (6-2018)
Abstract
Background and Aim: The adolescence period is one of the most important stages in the life of each individual, and the basic component of this period is identity. So far, there have been different views about this period of life. One of these is the psychosocial theory of Ericsson, which defined the crisis as "identity against the confusion of the role". In addition, other people like Marcia and Berzonsky have referred to identity and identity processing styles. Story books are tools for gaining knowledge and identity in adolescents. The purpose of this study is to examine the status of adolescence stories in terms of dimensions and identity components.
Methods: The present research is applied in terms of purpose. The method of this research is descriptive. Also, content analysis approach has been used to collect research data. The research population includes all the fiction books of the age groups D and E, which were published by the Children's and Young Children's Intellectual Development Center in the years 1390-94, which totally cover 180 story titles. .
Results: Findings show that the focus of the stories is on individual identity, family identity, group identity, and national identity. Other types of identity differ in compilation and translation stories. In general, the main characters of the stories (compilation and translation) are confused. After that, the status of the identity of the person is too late and the status of the identity is successful. The fast-paced situation also includes the least percentage of stories. Also, most of the story's main characters used the information processing style. The other dominant style of information processing by the main characters of the stories is a confused style and the least amount is devoted to the normative style. T
Conclusion: In general, according to the findings of the present research, it is completely clear that in the fiction books examined, different types of identity are not taken into account in the same way. It is certain that little and very little attention is given to other identities, negative effects and serious and irreparable damage to the formation and identity of adolescents. Also, in assessing the status of the identity of the main characters of teenage stories, the findings showed that the abundance of these characters in the field of identification is different. In the study of identity processing styles, the same characters were not found in the main characters of the stories studied.
Faranak Zomorodpoush, Saeid Asadi, Mohammad Zerehsaz,
Volume 5, Issue 3 (12-2018)
Volume 5, Issue 3 (12-2018)
Abstract
Abstract
Background and Aim: Promotion of the life of people with disabilities depends on the provision of their information needs. Employment plays a key role in the lives of these people and is considered as a way to improve their lives. The present study is aimed at assessing the information needs of people with disabilities who participated in the supportive employment program.
Methods: A qualitative research with the use of Grounded Theory examines the information needs of people with disability. The required data in this research were collected from semi-structured interviews with twenty four jobseekers who were purposefully and theoretically selected, and interviews continued to the saturation of data. Then, in the three stages of Open coding, Axial coding and Selective coding which are used in the Grounded Theory researches, the information needs of those with disabilities participated in the Supportive Employment Pragramme, were extracted.
Results: The results of the study indicated that there was a wide variety of information needs in these four categories: general information and news, (2) empowerment and personal and family problems, (3) research, education, Lifelong Learning and (4) Professional and career information. The most important communication Channels were classified into five categories: cyberspace, mass media, human resources information, training courses, and responsible government bodies
Conclusion: Due to the importance of obtaining information by the people with disability, eliminating their concerns and other needs of these people, attention to their information needs seems to be necessary. These needs were in many respects similar to those of ordinary people. The observed differences are due to the specific physical and mental status of this community, which the responsible institutions are required to provide the necessary facilities for access to the information they need.
Mr Amir Hosein Beigzadeh, Dr Ahmad Askari, Dr Abdolah Naami, Dr Alireza Rousta,
Volume 6, Issue 4 (3-2020)
Volume 6, Issue 4 (3-2020)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Considering the importance of customer behavior, the purpose of this study is to present a local marketing model with emphasis on consumers' attitudes to purchase Iranian products with a customer information behavior approach.
Research Method: The method of this research was data-based theory and data collection was done through semi-structured interviews. Also, the statistical population of this research has been selected from all prominent academic experts with a scientific background related to marketing management and consumer behavior, managers and experts of companies.
Results: The results of the present study show the extraction of 6 main dimensions and 32 pivotal components in the form of a paradigm model including guerrilla marketing as a central category and causal conditions (knowledge, skills and marketing), underlying factors (functional advantages). Brand and social responsibility, intervening conditions (power resources, learning-based empowerment, communication model, customer relationship and consumer nationalism), strategies (corporate communication, comprehensive strategic planning, branding, creativity and innovation, Public relations and advertising) and consequences (intensity of brand competition, resource allocation, brand perception, branding and brand credibility).
Conclusion: Guerrilla marketing needs open minds and new attitudes to create amazing vibrancy in the audience by destroying the monotony of advertising. It has also replaced experience and imagination with high advertising costs, which have been very effective and useful based on psychological positions. In this type of marketing, not only the sale of the product and service is important, but also the profit of the sale of these products is highly considered.
Mr Ebrahim Beiraghipanah, Dr Ahmad Askari, Dr Abdolah Naami, Dr Alireza Rousta,
Volume 7, Issue 2 (12-2020)
Volume 7, Issue 2 (12-2020)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Considering the importance of customer behavior, the purpose of this study was to present a local marketing model with emphasis on consumers' attitudes to purchase Iranian products with a customer information behavior approach.
Research Method: The method was grounded based theory. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews. Population consisted of managers and supervisors of Pars Khazar Company. Sample included 14 senior managers and supervisors and sampling had been done in two dimensions of theoretical sampling and snowball sampling. The basis for concluding the interviews was theoretical saturation.
Findings: Results show the extraction of 38 codes or basic concepts from interviews, 38 core categories and 20 main themes which is in the form of a paradigm model including: Consumer attitudes toward service innovation, cultural component and social component as title of central category and causal conditions (knowledge, skills and marketing), contextual factors (advantages of brand attitude functions, social responsibility and attitude towards Iranian products), intervening conditions (sources of power, learning-based empowerment, communication model, Customer Relationship and Consumer Nationalism), Strategies (Corporate Communications, Comprehensive Brand Attitude Strategy Planning, Creativity, Innovation, Public Relations, and Advertising) and Consequences (Intensity of Competition, Resources, Perception of Brand Attitude, Credibility, and Evaluation of Consumer Attitudes) From the expansion of the brand name.
Conclusion: The results was used as a first phase in examining consumers' attitudes in buying Iranian products. Also, applicable to consumer behavior experts as well as prominent academic professionals with a scientific background in marketing management. Based on the results, courtesy to official’s knowledge and skills in marketing would provide favorable conditions to improve consumers' attitudes toward Iranian goods.
Hossein Narimani, Safiyeh Tahmasebi Limooni, Mitra Ghiasi,
Volume 8, Issue 1 (5-2021)
Volume 8, Issue 1 (5-2021)
Abstract
Purpose: The significance of collaboration of librarians and academicians in enhancing the students’ academic success and research capacity has been increasingly recognized by scholars. The purpose of this study is to provide a model of the impact of research interactions between faculty members and students with librarians on scientific products with a grounded theory approach.
Methodology: This is a qualitative approach using grounded theory research method. Data collection was a semi-structured interview using snowball sampling. Twenty interviews were conducted with faculty members of Mazandaran University and experts working at the University. Data analysis was performed in three stages of open coding, axial coding and selective coding based on which a qualitative research model was designed.
Findings: The results showed that out of a total of 264 open codes identified, 44 were central codes and in conclusion 10 selected codes were identified. A paradigm model including: Improving the research interactions of faculty members and students with librarians in scientific productions as a Axial category and causal conditions (training skills and information literacy, interaction and knowledge experiences), contextual factors (information and research consulting, resources Interventional conditions (research rules and regulations), strategies (evaluation of scientific output, management of research resources) and consequences (increase of scientific production, cost management and teamwork) was set.
Conclusion: Conferring inadequate studies inspecting factors affecting the interactions of faculty members and students with librarians on the scientific products of the University, results of this study will be beneficial in identifying the research priorities of the University and supporting researchers, enabling extensive and challenging research activities and improving research methods
Hamidreza Rostami, Shaban Elahi, Ali Moeini, Alireza Hassanzadeh,
Volume 8, Issue 4 (2-2022)
Volume 8, Issue 4 (2-2022)
Abstract
Background: Semantic technologies (STs) have made machine reasoning possible by providing intelligent data management methods. This capability has created new forms of interaction between humans and STs, which is called "semantic interaction." The increasing spread of this form of interaction in daily life reveals the need to identify the factors affecting it and introduce the requirements of a synergistic interaction, which in this study is interpreted as a model of symbiosis.
Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to investigate what, why, and how human-ST symbiosis occurs in the form of a symbiosis model. Providing such a model could be valuable in developing active strategies in the face of intelligent technologies.
Methodology: The study introduces actor-networks of human symbiosis based on the actor-network methodology. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with eight managers, experts, and users in the Computer Research Centers of Islamic Sciences (CRCIS) and examined using the actor network method. All phases of data collection, implementations, coding and analysis were done under NVivo software.
Findings: In the human-ST symbiosis, beside human eleven other actors: Semantic products, context, infrastructure, data, knowledge, social media, Web, scientific centers, organization, AI and ontology are identified. Their interaction establishes seven dynamic actors-networks of symbiosis: Product design and development, use, leadership and management, data, knowledge management, training and contextual conditions.
Conclusion: Semantic products alongside human beings are independent, autonomous, and self-aware actors who are able to go beyond mere mediation of change and govern social change in the Human-ST symbiosis. In such circumstances, man, as the creator and maintainer of the semantic product, in addition to strengthening the technical capabilities in the creation of the product, must entrust to the product the things that the product is able to do.
Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to investigate what, why, and how human-ST symbiosis occurs in the form of a symbiosis model. Providing such a model could be valuable in developing active strategies in the face of intelligent technologies.
Methodology: The study introduces actor-networks of human symbiosis based on the actor-network methodology. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with eight managers, experts, and users in the Computer Research Centers of Islamic Sciences (CRCIS) and examined using the actor network method. All phases of data collection, implementations, coding and analysis were done under NVivo software.
Findings: In the human-ST symbiosis, beside human eleven other actors: Semantic products, context, infrastructure, data, knowledge, social media, Web, scientific centers, organization, AI and ontology are identified. Their interaction establishes seven dynamic actors-networks of symbiosis: Product design and development, use, leadership and management, data, knowledge management, training and contextual conditions.
Conclusion: Semantic products alongside human beings are independent, autonomous, and self-aware actors who are able to go beyond mere mediation of change and govern social change in the Human-ST symbiosis. In such circumstances, man, as the creator and maintainer of the semantic product, in addition to strengthening the technical capabilities in the creation of the product, must entrust to the product the things that the product is able to do.
Fereshteh Kamran Toroghy, Dr Azam Sanatjoo, Dr Masoumeh Tajfari,
Volume 9, Issue 3 (10-2022)
Volume 9, Issue 3 (10-2022)
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of the current study is to create and validate the information literacy experience questionnaire in the workplace with an emphasis on activity theory.
Methodology: This study is a functional approach and a survey method was used. The current research is quantitative research that was conducted with the tool design approach. In this research, to investigate the psychometric characteristics of the questionnaire, the stratified random sample method of 86 employees of different educational groups of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad In 2020-2021 was used. Also, questionnaire construction methods such as content and face validity and confirmatory factor analysis were used to check to construct validity. To check internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha was used. In this research, smart pls and SPSS statistical software were used to analyze the data.
Findings: The content and face validity index of the scale obtained the desired value. Also, the value of statistics in all cases is greater than 1.96, and in the factor loading, all factors were confirmed with a suitable level of explanation in the factor analysis (greater than 0.4). Cronbach's alpha for all factors was an acceptable value of 0.7 to 0.9.
Conclusion: The results indicate the influence of information literacy experience factors according to activity theory. The scale designed to study the experience of information literacy in the workplace according to the factors of activity theory is considered appropriate. It is recommended to measure the new concept of information literacy, that is, the experience of information literacy that deals with activity theory.
Ms Elham Askarian Kakh, Ms Somaye Sadat Akhshik, Mr Abdolhossein Farajpahlou, Mr Reza Rajabali Beglou,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (1-2025)
Volume 11, Issue 4 (1-2025)
Abstract
Information poverty has a wide-ranging negative impact on people’s health and socio-economic well-being. Over the past twenty years, researchers have used Chatman’s information poverty theory as a guide to understanding information behaviors in diverse contexts and situations, and it continues to be useful in advancing our understanding of the social dynamics and cultural contexts of information behaviors.
Information poverty is a condition in which individuals and groups in a particular context lack the skills, abilities, and tools necessary to access information appropriately, or to transform and use it optimally. The marginalization of information through institutional and contextual processes such as economic and racial inequalities, as well as information overload, negatively affects an individual’s information behavior. Marginalized groups find limited resources to meet their information needs, have limited economic and social capital, are suspicious of outside information, and engage in self-protective behaviors to reduce marginalization. Chatman (1996) proposed the information poverty theory. According to him, people who do not believe that external information can help them are inclined to engage in self-protective behaviors such as deception and secrecy, which ultimately make them unable to obtain richer information. The theory he proposed makes the following six propositions:
1. The information poor perceive themselves to be devoid of any sources that might help them.;
2. Information poverty is partially associated with class distinction;
3. Information poverty is determined by self-protective behaviors which are used in response to social norms;
4. Both secrecy and deception are self-protecting mechanisms due to a sense of mistrust regarding the interest or ability of others to provide useful information;
5. A decision to risk exposure about our true feelings is often not taken due to a perception that negative consequences outweigh benefits;
6. New knowledge will be selectively introduced into the information world of poor people. A condition that influences this process is the relevance of that information in response to everyday problems and concerns.
The components associated with Chatman's information poverty theory are: Secrecy, deception, risk-taking, and situational relevance. Risk-taking refers to a person’s perception of the value of a particular type of information and the perception of the risk involved in seeking or sharing this information. Secrecy is the intentional protection of oneself from revealing information. In contrast, deception involves the intentional presentation of a false reality, as the person shares meaningless information, and the information received is irrelevant. Situational relevance refers to the fact that, to be useful, information sources must be meaningful to the individual and accepted by others in the group. Lack of knowledge about issues leads people to resort to rumors and superstitions, to feel helpless, and to avoid actively seeking information. One area that has been particularly affected by information poverty has been the field of medicine, especially infectious diseases. The experience of illness is a phenomenon that evokes suffering, intense emotions, and a desire to talk to others. The desire to talk to others is shaped by the perception that other people who do not suffer from the disease are unable to understand the world of patients, so relevant information should only be obtained from insiders who share their experiences. One of the social concerns about pandemics is fatalism. Some attribute the information poverty during the COVID-19 outbreak to the spread of fake news through social media, and believe that fake news, conspiracy theories, poverty and hunger, a shortage of doctors for patients, and social ignorance have created challenges in combating the pandemic. A combination of fear, social stigma, criminalization, and narrow-minded laws prevent marginalized individuals and social groups from volunteering for information when they need health and medical care. Stigma has always been a social challenge in social studies of health. Social stigma caused by infectious diseases causes psychosocial stress and other social barriers. Stigma can hinder health information-seeking behaviors and delay diagnosis and treatment; and can also lead to poverty and ignorance through social marginalization, resistance to health institutions, and mistrust of information and information sources. One of the main challenges for health policymakers is to develop effective measures to reduce stigma associated with illness, which requires further research. Since Chatman's theory has been used for many years to assess information poverty, it is expected to be useful for investigating the subject of the present study.
The problem is that in such circumstances, when the level of trust between individuals (patients and non-patients) and medical staff decreases, the role of people such as healthcare workers as a bridge between specialists and non-specialists can be necessary. Healthcare workers also play the role of transferring information between these two groups. Therefore, measuring the level of information poverty of healthcare workers in relation to epidemic diseases is so important. On the other hand, if the factors affecting the information poverty of different groups of individuals, including medical staff, in the field of infectious diseases are identified, the results can also be extended to possible epidemic conditions in the future and help in appropriate interventions at different stages of managing and controlling public health emergencies as quickly as possible. Identifying the challenges and problems of information behavior of healthcare workers who face epidemic diseases and appropriate and timely planning for their management can lead to the design of effective strategies for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of affected communities.
The aim of the study was to show how the small world of Tehran healthcare workers fits into Chatman's information poverty theory. The main question of this research was to investigate their information poverty situation based on the components of Chatman's information poverty theory.
The sub-questions were as follows:
1. What is the situation of the secrecy component in healthcare workers?
2. What is the situation of the deception component in healthcare workers?
3. What is the situation of the risk-taking component in healthcare workers?
4. What is the situation of the situational relevance component in healthcare workers?
5. What is the grouping of healthcare workers based on the components of Chatman's information poverty theory?
Methods and Materoal
The method of this survey study included the identification and analysis of the key components of information poverty of healthcare workers who were working in health homes in Tehran during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because due to their direct contact with the community, they had valuable information about their health situation and health needs, and the information poverty of healthcare workers in this field could be extended to the community.
Data collection was conducted using a researcher-made questionnaire based on Chatman's information poverty theory. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's alpha formula, and the content validity ratio was used to examine the validity of the questionnaire.
A stratified random sampling method was used and 125 questionnaires were collected. In order to ensure better diversity and representation, the population was divided into subgroups, and the categories were identified based on the supervising universities, and a sample was selected from each category to ensure the necessary statistical sample size.
Results and Discussion
The findings related to the main components showed that deception had the highest mean with a value of 3.85. This indicates a conscious effort to present a false social reality. After that, the mean of secrecy, protecting oneself from revealing information, is in second place with a value of 3.728. The mean of situational relevance is also in third place with a value of 3.687. This index indicates that the healthcare workers selectively received information about their daily lives. In addition, the mean of risk-taking (3.615) also indicates the healthcare workers' fear of the consequences of seeking information in complex health conditions.The findings related to the secrecy show that the highest mean (3.924) belonged to the component of "Coping with a lack of information processing skills". This was followed by “mistrust”, “privacy protection”, “adherence to one’s own in-group culture”, “welcoming cyberspace to exchange information”, “hiding one’s position, feeling or opinion”, “establishing and maintaining superiority over unwell individuals”, “lack of information and information assets”, and “avoiding negative consequences” and finally, “adherence to a unique personal attitude”.Findings related to the risk-taking showed that “usefulness and value of information” had the highest mean of 3.752. After that, "privacy protection" with an average of 3.74, "adherence to one's own in-group culture" with an average of 3.645, "welcoming cyberspace for information exchange" with an average of 3.642, "emotional and cognitive effort to choose between true and false information" with an average of 3.64, "mistrust" with an average of 3.58, "avoidance of possible negative consequences".
The situation of the situational relevance shows that the "usefulness and value of information" component with an average of 3.726 has the highest score. This was followed by “using insider information” with an average of 3.725, “adherence to one’s own in-group culture” with an average of 3.688, “lack of information and information assets” with an average of 3.616, and the “mistrust” with the lowest average.
Analysis of the situation of the deception showed that the “risk avoidance” had the highest average (3.988). This was followed by “mistrust” with an average of 3.884, “lack of information and information assets” with an average of 3.876, “maintaining privacy” with an average of 3.876, and “failing to present the true reality, situation, or feeling” with an average of 3.828, respectively. Finally, the lowest average (3.796) was related to the “establishing and maintaining superiority over unwell individuals” component.
The findings related to the grouping of healthcare workers showed that the deception component had the highest number of observations and the situational relevance component was in second place after the deception. Also, the number of observations of secrecy was higher compared to risk-taking.
Conclusion
The results indicate the complex behaviors of healthcare workers in interacting with information and information sources, and "deception" was prominent as the main strategy among these components, while situational relevance, risk-taking, and secrecy acted as complementary behaviors.
The most effective factor on healthcare workers' secrecy was coping with the lack of information processing skills. This is while mistrust of information sources and information also played a prominent role in the process of not presenting facts, feelings, and thoughts of healthcare workers. While the most important factor on risk-taking was ignoring information that did not match their conditions, because they were afraid of its consequences and possible risks. The second factor affecting risk-taking was due to the preservation of information and personal and group privacy. Also the most effective factor on "situational relevance" was that they assessed the usefulness and value of information from the perspective of their own needs and limited information. Another factor was that the healthcare workers prioritized the use of inside information because they considered it relevant to their position. Finally the most influential factor in the deception of the healthcare workers was that they reduced the risks of seeking information. Another factor was that they did not trust the information and the sources from which it was disseminated.
The grouping of healthcare workers showed that the largest number of them was in the deceptive group. A smaller number of them also assessed the relevance and usefulness of the information to their current situation and were placed in the second group. The third group, with a smaller number, belongs to the secretive group, while the number of risk-averse individuals was lower compared to secretive healthcare workers. There are signs in the findings that place people in two groups at the same time. This phenomenon can be caused by psychological and social complexities and the effects of various factors on information poverty. On the other hand, all four components can be involved in an individual's information-seeking behavior at the same time. It is also possible for one component to have an effect on the other. For example, the concept of secrecy is closely related to risk-taking. This highlights the depth of information poverty and the complexity of human behavior, which can be influenced by multiple factors, including social and cultural contexts. It also allows us to understand that individuals do not simply fit into a particular pattern and may act differently in different situations. Overall, these findings emphasize the need to develop training programs and create safe spaces for information exchange so that healthcare workers can more confidently access and utilize new information.
The analyses lead us to conclude that in order to reduce information poverty, we need to strengthen educational infrastructure, improve access to information, and create a culture of transparency and trust. Finally, the findings provide new insights into the constraints experienced by healthcare workers in health homes, and provide evidence of systematic marginalization and classification of access to and use of information, indicating that protective, secretive, and deceptive measures were employed by healthcare workers not only to cope with living in a small world, but also to circumvent socio-cultural boundaries. The results provide further insight into the role of health professionals and policymakers in supporting the information needs of healthcare workers and guiding their information behaviors.
Keywords: Information Poverty, Chatman's theory, Primary healthcare worker.
Information poverty is a condition in which individuals and groups in a particular context lack the skills, abilities, and tools necessary to access information appropriately, or to transform and use it optimally. The marginalization of information through institutional and contextual processes such as economic and racial inequalities, as well as information overload, negatively affects an individual’s information behavior. Marginalized groups find limited resources to meet their information needs, have limited economic and social capital, are suspicious of outside information, and engage in self-protective behaviors to reduce marginalization. Chatman (1996) proposed the information poverty theory. According to him, people who do not believe that external information can help them are inclined to engage in self-protective behaviors such as deception and secrecy, which ultimately make them unable to obtain richer information. The theory he proposed makes the following six propositions:
1. The information poor perceive themselves to be devoid of any sources that might help them.;
2. Information poverty is partially associated with class distinction;
3. Information poverty is determined by self-protective behaviors which are used in response to social norms;
4. Both secrecy and deception are self-protecting mechanisms due to a sense of mistrust regarding the interest or ability of others to provide useful information;
5. A decision to risk exposure about our true feelings is often not taken due to a perception that negative consequences outweigh benefits;
6. New knowledge will be selectively introduced into the information world of poor people. A condition that influences this process is the relevance of that information in response to everyday problems and concerns.
The components associated with Chatman's information poverty theory are: Secrecy, deception, risk-taking, and situational relevance. Risk-taking refers to a person’s perception of the value of a particular type of information and the perception of the risk involved in seeking or sharing this information. Secrecy is the intentional protection of oneself from revealing information. In contrast, deception involves the intentional presentation of a false reality, as the person shares meaningless information, and the information received is irrelevant. Situational relevance refers to the fact that, to be useful, information sources must be meaningful to the individual and accepted by others in the group. Lack of knowledge about issues leads people to resort to rumors and superstitions, to feel helpless, and to avoid actively seeking information. One area that has been particularly affected by information poverty has been the field of medicine, especially infectious diseases. The experience of illness is a phenomenon that evokes suffering, intense emotions, and a desire to talk to others. The desire to talk to others is shaped by the perception that other people who do not suffer from the disease are unable to understand the world of patients, so relevant information should only be obtained from insiders who share their experiences. One of the social concerns about pandemics is fatalism. Some attribute the information poverty during the COVID-19 outbreak to the spread of fake news through social media, and believe that fake news, conspiracy theories, poverty and hunger, a shortage of doctors for patients, and social ignorance have created challenges in combating the pandemic. A combination of fear, social stigma, criminalization, and narrow-minded laws prevent marginalized individuals and social groups from volunteering for information when they need health and medical care. Stigma has always been a social challenge in social studies of health. Social stigma caused by infectious diseases causes psychosocial stress and other social barriers. Stigma can hinder health information-seeking behaviors and delay diagnosis and treatment; and can also lead to poverty and ignorance through social marginalization, resistance to health institutions, and mistrust of information and information sources. One of the main challenges for health policymakers is to develop effective measures to reduce stigma associated with illness, which requires further research. Since Chatman's theory has been used for many years to assess information poverty, it is expected to be useful for investigating the subject of the present study.
The problem is that in such circumstances, when the level of trust between individuals (patients and non-patients) and medical staff decreases, the role of people such as healthcare workers as a bridge between specialists and non-specialists can be necessary. Healthcare workers also play the role of transferring information between these two groups. Therefore, measuring the level of information poverty of healthcare workers in relation to epidemic diseases is so important. On the other hand, if the factors affecting the information poverty of different groups of individuals, including medical staff, in the field of infectious diseases are identified, the results can also be extended to possible epidemic conditions in the future and help in appropriate interventions at different stages of managing and controlling public health emergencies as quickly as possible. Identifying the challenges and problems of information behavior of healthcare workers who face epidemic diseases and appropriate and timely planning for their management can lead to the design of effective strategies for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of affected communities.
The aim of the study was to show how the small world of Tehran healthcare workers fits into Chatman's information poverty theory. The main question of this research was to investigate their information poverty situation based on the components of Chatman's information poverty theory.
The sub-questions were as follows:
1. What is the situation of the secrecy component in healthcare workers?
2. What is the situation of the deception component in healthcare workers?
3. What is the situation of the risk-taking component in healthcare workers?
4. What is the situation of the situational relevance component in healthcare workers?
5. What is the grouping of healthcare workers based on the components of Chatman's information poverty theory?
Methods and Materoal
The method of this survey study included the identification and analysis of the key components of information poverty of healthcare workers who were working in health homes in Tehran during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because due to their direct contact with the community, they had valuable information about their health situation and health needs, and the information poverty of healthcare workers in this field could be extended to the community.
Data collection was conducted using a researcher-made questionnaire based on Chatman's information poverty theory. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's alpha formula, and the content validity ratio was used to examine the validity of the questionnaire.
A stratified random sampling method was used and 125 questionnaires were collected. In order to ensure better diversity and representation, the population was divided into subgroups, and the categories were identified based on the supervising universities, and a sample was selected from each category to ensure the necessary statistical sample size.
Results and Discussion
The findings related to the main components showed that deception had the highest mean with a value of 3.85. This indicates a conscious effort to present a false social reality. After that, the mean of secrecy, protecting oneself from revealing information, is in second place with a value of 3.728. The mean of situational relevance is also in third place with a value of 3.687. This index indicates that the healthcare workers selectively received information about their daily lives. In addition, the mean of risk-taking (3.615) also indicates the healthcare workers' fear of the consequences of seeking information in complex health conditions.The findings related to the secrecy show that the highest mean (3.924) belonged to the component of "Coping with a lack of information processing skills". This was followed by “mistrust”, “privacy protection”, “adherence to one’s own in-group culture”, “welcoming cyberspace to exchange information”, “hiding one’s position, feeling or opinion”, “establishing and maintaining superiority over unwell individuals”, “lack of information and information assets”, and “avoiding negative consequences” and finally, “adherence to a unique personal attitude”.Findings related to the risk-taking showed that “usefulness and value of information” had the highest mean of 3.752. After that, "privacy protection" with an average of 3.74, "adherence to one's own in-group culture" with an average of 3.645, "welcoming cyberspace for information exchange" with an average of 3.642, "emotional and cognitive effort to choose between true and false information" with an average of 3.64, "mistrust" with an average of 3.58, "avoidance of possible negative consequences".
The situation of the situational relevance shows that the "usefulness and value of information" component with an average of 3.726 has the highest score. This was followed by “using insider information” with an average of 3.725, “adherence to one’s own in-group culture” with an average of 3.688, “lack of information and information assets” with an average of 3.616, and the “mistrust” with the lowest average.
Analysis of the situation of the deception showed that the “risk avoidance” had the highest average (3.988). This was followed by “mistrust” with an average of 3.884, “lack of information and information assets” with an average of 3.876, “maintaining privacy” with an average of 3.876, and “failing to present the true reality, situation, or feeling” with an average of 3.828, respectively. Finally, the lowest average (3.796) was related to the “establishing and maintaining superiority over unwell individuals” component.
The findings related to the grouping of healthcare workers showed that the deception component had the highest number of observations and the situational relevance component was in second place after the deception. Also, the number of observations of secrecy was higher compared to risk-taking.
Conclusion
The results indicate the complex behaviors of healthcare workers in interacting with information and information sources, and "deception" was prominent as the main strategy among these components, while situational relevance, risk-taking, and secrecy acted as complementary behaviors.
The most effective factor on healthcare workers' secrecy was coping with the lack of information processing skills. This is while mistrust of information sources and information also played a prominent role in the process of not presenting facts, feelings, and thoughts of healthcare workers. While the most important factor on risk-taking was ignoring information that did not match their conditions, because they were afraid of its consequences and possible risks. The second factor affecting risk-taking was due to the preservation of information and personal and group privacy. Also the most effective factor on "situational relevance" was that they assessed the usefulness and value of information from the perspective of their own needs and limited information. Another factor was that the healthcare workers prioritized the use of inside information because they considered it relevant to their position. Finally the most influential factor in the deception of the healthcare workers was that they reduced the risks of seeking information. Another factor was that they did not trust the information and the sources from which it was disseminated.
The grouping of healthcare workers showed that the largest number of them was in the deceptive group. A smaller number of them also assessed the relevance and usefulness of the information to their current situation and were placed in the second group. The third group, with a smaller number, belongs to the secretive group, while the number of risk-averse individuals was lower compared to secretive healthcare workers. There are signs in the findings that place people in two groups at the same time. This phenomenon can be caused by psychological and social complexities and the effects of various factors on information poverty. On the other hand, all four components can be involved in an individual's information-seeking behavior at the same time. It is also possible for one component to have an effect on the other. For example, the concept of secrecy is closely related to risk-taking. This highlights the depth of information poverty and the complexity of human behavior, which can be influenced by multiple factors, including social and cultural contexts. It also allows us to understand that individuals do not simply fit into a particular pattern and may act differently in different situations. Overall, these findings emphasize the need to develop training programs and create safe spaces for information exchange so that healthcare workers can more confidently access and utilize new information.
The analyses lead us to conclude that in order to reduce information poverty, we need to strengthen educational infrastructure, improve access to information, and create a culture of transparency and trust. Finally, the findings provide new insights into the constraints experienced by healthcare workers in health homes, and provide evidence of systematic marginalization and classification of access to and use of information, indicating that protective, secretive, and deceptive measures were employed by healthcare workers not only to cope with living in a small world, but also to circumvent socio-cultural boundaries. The results provide further insight into the role of health professionals and policymakers in supporting the information needs of healthcare workers and guiding their information behaviors.
Keywords: Information Poverty, Chatman's theory, Primary healthcare worker.
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