Md Arman Hossain and Eero Sormunen
The purpose of this study is to develop a novel guided inquiry-based pedagogical practice embedded into regular library and information science (LIS) courses to improve LIS…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a novel guided inquiry-based pedagogical practice embedded into regular library and information science (LIS) courses to improve LIS students’ information literacy (IL) in a developing country.
Design/methodology/approach
A guided inquiry-based pedagogical practice for IL instruction was introduced and embedded into two regular courses in an LIS school. The effectiveness of the new approach was evaluated in a longitudinal pre-test- and post-test-based teaching intervention with a control group.
Findings
All aspects of IL skills improved among the students participating in the teaching intervention showcasing the benefits of the inquiry-based pedagogical practice. In addition, the students in the intervention group learned the course subject content more in depth than students in the control group. However, no consistent learning benefits were achieved in IL knowledge, and only sporadic associations were found between IL knowledge and skills.
Originality/value
This study breaks new ground in IL teaching intervention in LIS schools. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first to apply an inquiry-based approach, embed teaching into more than one regular course, collect pre-test and post-test data to evaluate learning outcomes in IL knowledge and skills and control learning outcomes in subject contents.
Details
Keywords
Tore Ståhl, Eero Sormunen and Marita Mäkinen
The internet and search engines dominate within people’s information acquisition, especially among the younger generations. Given this trend, this study aims to explore if…
Abstract
Purpose
The internet and search engines dominate within people’s information acquisition, especially among the younger generations. Given this trend, this study aims to explore if information and communication technology (ICT) practices, internet reliance and views of knowledge and knowing, i.e. epistemic beliefs, interact with each other. Everyday practices and conceptions among beginning undergraduate students are studied as a challenge for higher education.
Design/methodology/approach
The study builds upon survey-based quantitative data operationalising students’ epistemic beliefs, their internet reliance and their ICT practices. The survey items were used to compute subscales describing these traits, and the connections were explored using correlations analysis.
Findings
The results suggest that the more beginning undergraduate students rely on internet-based information, the more they are inclined to epistemic beliefs where knowledge is regarded as certain, unchanging, unambiguous and as being handed down by some authority.
Research limitations/implications
The approach used in the study applies to the sample used, and further research is required to test the applicability of the approach on larger samples.
Practical implications
The study highlights the risk of everyday information practices being transferred into the educational context.
Social implications
Ignorance of these changes may pose a risk for knowledge building on different educational levels and in a longer perspective, a threat to democracy.
Originality/value
While there is some research on epistemic beliefs in relation to internet-based information, studies approaching the problem over a possible connection between epistemic beliefs and internet reliance are scarce. In addition, this study implies a conceptual bridge between epistemic beliefs and internet reliance over the concept of algorithmic authority.
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Yassine Talaoui and Marko Kohtamäki
The business intelligence (BI) research witnessed a proliferation of contributions during the past three decades, yet the knowledge about the interdependencies between the BI…
Abstract
Purpose
The business intelligence (BI) research witnessed a proliferation of contributions during the past three decades, yet the knowledge about the interdependencies between the BI process and organizational context is scant. This has resulted in a proliferation of fragmented literature duplicating identical endeavors. Although such pluralism expands the understanding of the idiosyncrasies of BI conceptualizations, attributes and characteristics, it cannot cumulate existing contributions to better advance the BI body of knowledge. In response, this study aims to provide an integrative framework that integrates the interrelationships across the BI process and its organizational context and outlines the covered research areas and the underexplored ones.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reviews 120 articles spanning the course of 35 years of research on BI process, antecedents and outcomes published in top tier ABS ranked journals.
Findings
Building on a process framework, this review identifies major patterns and contradictions across eight dimensions, namely, environmental antecedents; organizational antecedents; managerial and individual antecedents; BI process; strategic outcomes; firm performance outcomes; decision-making; and organizational intelligence. Finally, the review pinpoints to gaps in linkages across the BI process, its antecedents and outcomes for future researchers to build upon.
Practical implications
This review carries some implications for practitioners and particularly the role they ought to play should they seek actionable intelligence as an outcome of the BI process. Across the studies this review examined, managerial reluctance to open their intelligence practices to close examination was omnipresent. Although their apathy is understandable, due to their frustration regarding the lack of measurability of intelligence constructs, managers manifestly share a significant amount of responsibility in turning out explorative and descriptive studies partly due to their defensive managerial participation. Interestingly, managers would rather keep an ineffective BI unit confidential than open it for assessment in fear of competition or bad publicity. Therefore, this review highlights the value open participation of managers in longitudinal studies could bring to the BI research and by extent the new open intelligence culture across their organizations where knowledge is overt, intelligence is participative, not selective and where double loop learning alongside scholars is continuous. Their commitment to open participation and longitudinal studies will help generate new research that better integrates the BI process within its context and fosters new measures for intelligence performance.
Originality/value
This study provides an integrative framework that integrates the interrelationships across the BI process and its organizational context and outlines the covered research areas and the underexplored ones. By so doing, the developed framework sets the ground for scholars to further develop insights within each dimension and across their interrelationships.