This is what I’m doing and why: Methodological reflections on a naturalistic think-aloud study of interactive information behaviour

Many user-centred studies of electronic information resources include a think-aloud element – where users are asked to verbalise their thoughts, interface actions and sometimes their feelings whilst using these resources to help them complete one or more information tasks. These studies are usually conducted with the purpose of identifying usability issues related to the resource(s) used or understanding aspects of users’ information behaviour. However, few of these studies present detailed accounts of how their think-aloud data was collected and analysed or provide detailed reflection on methodological decisions made. In this article, we discuss and reflect on the methodology used when planning and conducting a think-aloud study of lawyers’ interactive information behaviour. Our discussion is framed by Blandford et al.’s PRET A Rapporter (‘ready to report’) framework – a framework that can be used to plan, conduct and describe user-centred studies of electronic information resource use from an information work perspective.     

Managing the Progressive Publishing Company During Market and Technology Transitions

As new media technologies and platforms emerge and take hold in our society, traditional publishers are wondering: What’s in this new content climate for me? The simple answer is: a lot. The digital world, mobile content delivery mechanisms and the public’s increasing comfort—even preference for—a media menu from which they can pick and choose what they want and how they want to receive it, brings exciting and potentially lucrative opportunities. For publishers who understand how to leverage their brand and create authentic, identifiable value in the eyes of the customer, risk can be reduced and new revenue streams built. Here are four best practices to position your publishing company for growth.     

Medical and health informatics services during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic should be virtual,tailored, responsive and interactive: a case study in Belgium

This is part of a new series in this regular feature regarding trends in the provision of information by health science libraries. By sharing expertise and drawing together relevant trends the series intends to serve as a road map for both health science librarians and health informatics professionals. This article shows how a medical and biomedical research library changed practices, and reassessed user needs for the COVID‐19 emergency. Discusses changes to online education (and collaborative working) to provide user‐friendly services, researcher support tailored to need and re‐visioning library space. J.M.     

Supporting resilience in early years classrooms: the role of the teacher

It is an accepted fact that resilience is a multifaceted phenomenon which has been proven to affect the learning, growth and development of individuals. A child’s formative years are a time when resilience needs to be promoted so they can cope with the challenges of life. This paper reports some of the findings of an Australian Research Council-funded longitudinal study which investigated resilience in the context of significant transitions in the lives of children and young adults. This study explored the conditions and characteristics of resilience, looking at the educational, health, work-related or leisure interventions that support and foster resilience. Outlined in this paper are findings from the early years cohort of the study involving teachers’ pedagogy informing the practical approaches and strategies that promote and protect resilience in young children. It is argued that teachers working with young children need to be mindful of using enabling strategies in which their practice works purposively with the school environment and the building of relationships.     

Vocational Students Experiences with Assessment in Workplace Learning

Vocational education, as part of the Norwegian upper secondary education, includes both school-based learning and workplace learning. While school-based learning is characterized by formal structures and guided by aims in the curricula, workplace learning is often informal, incidental and directed by the daily work-tasks. Assessment in workplace learning is mainly formative and different stakeholders are involved in the assessment; namely students, teachers and workplace instructors. However, the guidelines for assessment are vague and call for a close cooperation between the stakeholders. This is demanding and has resulted in a variety of assessment practices. The study presented in this article is a qualitative study of students’ experiences with assessment in workplace learning periods in their first year in vocational education. The aim of the study is to give voice to students` experiences with assessment and illuminate how assessment supports their learning processes. Data was collected through focus group interviews with two groups of students in the Programme for Health and Social Care. The main findings indicate different assessment cultures in school and workplaces. This is expressed through the students’ perceptions of assessment, assessment criteria, tools for assessment and vocational knowledge. It is recommended that an open dialogue about the discontinuity in assessment between schools and workplaces is one of several measures necessary to bridge the gap between the stakeholders.     

Point/counterpoint

Discussion focuses on those problems caused by the isolation of studies in logic from studies in education. The authors recommend a taxonomic distinction in formal inference‐making routines that has long been recognized in the field of logic. The authors illustrate how this taxonomic distinction can be usefully employed in the classroom to help children think more precisely and to think about thinking more deliberately.     

An exploration of teacher's use of iPads for students with learning support needs

This project explored how iPads were being used in a range of K‐12 schools to support the learning of students with a range of learning support needs. Groups of teachers (and other professionals) from the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK were invited to complete an online survey focused on the use of iPads in their classrooms, perspectives of their skill level, and how their school and school districts support the use of iPads. The survey focused on iPad use in classrooms (curriculum and skills); teachers’ skill levels; whether iPads are addressed in the Individualised Education Program (IEP); the systemic support for the iPads; and the perceived benefits and barriers. The results reveal that respondents are using iPads across many areas of the curriculum, which affirms the research in the emerging literature base. However, there are teacher reported differences in the manner and scope of iPad use in the classrooms and also the integration of the iPad in the IEP. The research also highlights variability in reported skill level for the iPad and an increased need for enhanced systemic support, such as training, funding, technical support and administrative support for the use of the iPad as a pedagogical tool.