Search Results

open access

Blogging and Tweens: Communication Portal to Reading Selection and Engagement

Description: The ethnographic study utilized the research techniques of observations, content analysis, and semi-structured interviews with tween participants (i.e., 9 through 13 year-old youth) during an 8-week literary blog project. Twenty-six participants created individual blog pages within a member-only classroom blog site that allowed for online communication between members. the blog project incorporated social networking applications with which youth frequently engage. the research questions ensured… more
Date: May 2012
Creator: Sharber, Shelli K.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Comparing the Readability of Text Displays on Paper, E-Book Readers, and Small Screen Devices

Description: Science fiction has long promised the digitalization of books. Characters in films and television routinely check their palm-sized (or smaller) electronic displays for fast-scrolling information. However, this very technology, increasingly prevalent in today's world, has not been embraced universally. While the convenience of pocket-sized information pieces has the techno-savvy entranced, the general public still greets the advent of the e-book with a curious reluctance. This lack of enthusiasm… more
Date: May 2010
Creator: Baker, Rebecca Dawn
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Effects of Tasks on Information-Seeking Behavior in a Police Work Environment in the Context of Criminal Intelligence

Description: Although dominant effects of tasks on individuals' information-seeking behavior is accepted by many scholars, a limited number of studies has been conducted to reveal the nature of the relationship between tasks and information-seeking behavior. In their studies, some earlier researchers categorized tasks according to their complexity while others did the same according to the specifications of tasks. Two of the groundbreaking researchers in this area are Katriina Byström and Kalervo Järvelin w… more
Date: May 2010
Creator: Tatil, Serkan
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Empirical Study of Quality and Satisfaction with a Focus on Creating a Parsimonious Measurement Instrument in an Information Space

Description: Student satisfaction and service quality are interrelated constructs that are associated with improving student retention. This research investigated the relationships between these constructs in the context of an institution of higher education as an information system and sought to reduce the dimensionality of what have traditionally been considered orthogonal factors of these constructs in order to produce a parsimonious model and survey instrument that may be useful in assessing and predict… more
Date: August 2014
Creator: Senn, William Donald
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Evaluating and Blending Multimedia Mobile Applications into Technical Training

Description: This study in the aerospace ground equipment (AGE) apprentice course at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, examined the use of mobile digital devices to determine which device leveraged the best results and was most compatible with military technical training requirements. The sample consisted of 160 students who attended the course between January and June, 2010. Three devices loaded with course materials were issued to the students, who used the devices in the classroom and were encouraged to … more
Date: May 2011
Creator: Moore, Billy R.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Factors Affecting Faculty Use Of Learning Object Repositories: An Exploratory Study Of Orange Grove And Wisc-online

Description: The purpose of this study was to identify factors that motivate or impede faculty use of learning object repositories (LORs). The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) served as the theoretical framework for this study. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in the study to explore two research questions relating to factors affecting faculty use of LORs. Research subjects were faculty and instructional staff users from two LORs: Orange Grove and Wisc-Online.… more
Date: December 2011
Creator: Xu, Hong
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Factors Affecting Police Officers' Acceptance of GIS Technologies: A study of the Turkish National Police

Description: The situations and problems that police officers face are more complex in today’s society, due in part to the increase of technology and growing complexity of globalization. Accordingly, to solve these problems and deal with the complexities, law enforcement organizations develop and apply new techniques and methods such as geographic information systems (GIS). However, the successful implementation of a new technology does not just depend on providing perfect technical support, but effective a… more
Date: August 2011
Creator: Cakar, Bekir
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Factors Related to the Selection of Information Sources: A Study of Ramkhamhaeng University Regional Campuses Graduate Students

Description: This study assessed students’ satisfaction with Ramkhamhaeng University regional library services (RURLs) and the perceived quality of information retrieved from other information sources. In particular, this study investigated factors relating to regional students’ selection of information sources to meet their information needs. The researcher applied the principle of least effort and Simon’s satisficing theory for this study. The former principle governs and predicts the selection of these s… more
Date: August 2011
Creator: Angchun, Peemasak
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Faculty Members' Readiness for E-learning in the College of Basic Education in Kuwait

Description: E-learning exposes students and instructors to different learning models such as constructivism rather than the traditional learning. E-learning as a part of today's technology has proven that it is appropriate for most students' mentalities and is a mind tool which promotes different learning models, such as problem solving strategy, collaborative learning, and critical thinking. The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) in Kuwait consists of more than 10 academic college… more
Date: August 2010
Creator: Alajmi, Mohammed
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Image Representation and Interactivity: An Exploration of Utility Values, Information-Needs and Image Interactivity

Description: This study was designed to explore the relationships between users and interactive images. Three factors were identified and provided different perspectives on how users interact with images: image utility, information-need, and images with varying levels of interactivity. The study used a mixed methodology to gain a more comprehensive understanding about the selected factors. An image survey was used to introduce the participants to the images and recorded utility values when given a specific … more
Date: August 2011
Creator: Lewis, Elise C.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Leadership Styles and Knowledge Sharing on Police Officers’ Willingness to Exert Extra Effort to Provide Better Security: A Study in the Riot Unit of the Turkish National Police

Description: The motivation for this study is to understand the factors affecting police officers’ willingness to exert extra effort for providing better service through knowledge sharing in different working environments such as riots. Since managers’ leadership styles may be important factors affecting subordinates’ willingness to exert extra effort, this study investigates which of the leadership styles -- transformational, transactional or laissezfaire leadership -- will have a positive effect on office… more
Date: August 2011
Creator: Tombul, Fatih
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Influence of Engagement with Graphic Narrative Text Formats on Student Attitudes Towards the School Library

Description: Comics, graphic novels, and manga differ appreciably from textual narrative formats, and materials with increasingly visual elements have found their way into progressive and student-centered library collections. But many educators and librarians still resist inclusion of graphic narratives in school libraries and devalue the reading practice of students who prefer more visual texts. Using the framework of radical change, which posits that both text conventions and reader expectations for text … more
Date: December 2014
Creator: Stephens, Wendy Steadman
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Information Censorship: A Comparative Analysis of Newspaper Coverage of the Jyllands-Posten Editorial Caricatures in Cross-Cultural Settings

Description: The identification and examination of cultural information strategies and censorship patterns used to propagate the controversial issue of the caricatures in two separate cultural contexts was the aim of this dissertation. It explored discourse used for the coverage of this topic by one newspaper in a restrictive information context and two newspapers in a liberal information context. Message propagation in a restrictive information environment was analyzed using the English daily Kuwait Times … more
Date: August 2010
Creator: Thomas, Julie George
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Information Literacy Skills in the Workplace: A Study of Police Officers

Description: Information literacy has become more important as more information is produced and communication has become easier. Better information skills are vital for individuals working in governmental organizations as well as in the business sector. Employees are expected to be confident and competent in interacting with information in their workplaces in order to deliver better service to customers and to the public. This study examines the differences in information literacy skills (ILS), computer lit… more
Date: August 2010
Creator: Kilic, Osman
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Information Seeking Behavior of Crime Scene Investigators in the Turkish National Police

Description: This exploratory research is the first one among occupational information seeking behavior studies that focuses on information seeking behaviors of the crime scene investigators. The data used in this dissertation were gathered via a self-administrated survey instrument from 29 cities in Turkey. Findings obtained from the data analyses show that there is a strongly positive relationship between the experience of the crime scene investigators and the use of personal knowledge and experience as … more
Date: May 2010
Creator: Demircioglu, Mehmet
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Information-Seeking Behavior of Digital Evidence Examiners

Description: The current research sought to gain in-depth insights into the information-seeking behavior of Turkish National Police digital evidence examiners (DEEs); to explore the information sources that DEEs use and the factors affecting their decisions about source selection. Factors that affect information source selection and use by DEEs are: accreditation, workload, type of information, time, cost, availability, reliability/scientific importance, up-to-date data, prior experience with the source, re… more
Date: May 2011
Creator: Yildirim, Idris
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Information-Seeking Behavior of Police Officers in Turkish National Police

Description: A current trend that has emerged as a result of the information age is information-seeking behavior. From individuals to large social institutions, information-seeking behavior is utilized to attain a wide variety of goals. This body of work investigates the information-seeking behaviors of police officers who work in police stations in the Turkish National Police force. The study utilizes Leckie et al.’s (1996) model of information-seeking behavior of professionals. The findings indicated that… more
Date: August 2011
Creator: Guclu, Idris
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Middle School Students in Virtual Learning Environments

Description: This ethnographic study examined middle school students engaged in a virtual learning environment used in concert with face-to-face instruction in order to complete a collaborative research project. Thirty-eight students from three eighth grade classes participated in this study where data were collected through observation of student work within the virtual learning environment, an online survey, and focus group sessions with students involved in the project. Results indicated students found … more
Date: August 2010
Creator: Wyatt, Erin Drankwalter
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Modeling Student Perception of Web 2.0 Technologies Adoption in Kuwait

Description: The primary focus of this dissertation was to explore students' perceptions of adopting Web 2.0 applications at the School of Basic Education (SBE) in Kuwait. Although Web 2.0 applications are becoming more popular among the digital generation, there is still no evidence of students' perceptions of adopting the innovation of Web 2.0 technologies in Kuwait. The problem this study addresses is that the current status of Web 2.0 technologies usage by academic students has remained educationally un… more
Date: May 2011
Creator: Alajmi, Mohammad
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Rapid E-Learning Simulation Training and User Response

Description: A new trend in e-learning development is to have subject matter experts use rapid development tools to create training simulations. This type of training is called rapid e-learning simulation training. Though companies are using rapid development tools to create training quickly and cost effectively, there is little empirical research to indicate whether training created in this manner meets the needs of learners. The purpose of this study was to compare user responses to rapid e-learning simul… more
Date: May 2011
Creator: Rackler, Angeline
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Situational Small World of a Post-disaster Community: Insights into Information Behaviors after the Devastation of Hurricane Katrina in Slidell, Louisiana

Description: Catastrophes like Katrina destroy a community's critical infrastructure-a situation that instigates several dilemmas. Immediately, the community experiences information disruption within the community, as well as between the community and the outside world. The inability to communicate because of physical or virtual barriers to information instigates instant isolation. Prolonged, this scarcity of information becomes an information poverty spell, placing hardship on a community accustomed to eas… more
Date: December 2010
Creator: Slagle, Tisha Anne
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

User Acceptance of North Central Texas Fusion Center System by Law Enforcement Officers

Description: The September 11 terrorist attacks pointed out the lack of information sharing between law enforcement agencies as a potential threat to sound law enforcement in the United States. Therefore, many law enforcement agencies as well as the federal government have been initiating information sharing systems among law enforcement agencies to eradicate the information sharing problem. One of the systems established by Homeland Security is the North Central Texas Fusion Center (NCTFC). This study eval… more
Date: December 2010
Creator: Odabasi, Mehmet
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

User-Centered Evaluation of the Quality of Blogs

Description: Blogs serve multiple purposes, resulting in several types of blogs that vary greatly in terms of quality and content. It is important to evaluate the quality of blogs, which requires appropriate evaluation criteria. Unfortunately, there are minimal studies on framework and the specific criteria and indicators for evaluating the quality of blogs. Moreover, quality is related to user perception, and should therefore be evaluated by the receivers. This dissertation examines the criteria and indica… more
Date: August 2011
Creator: Chuenchom, Sutthinan
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Using Financial Rankings to Identify Characteristics of Libraries Serving Highly Profitable Private Law Firms

Description: This purpose of this study was to develop evidence of a relationship between law libraries and private law firm profitability for law library administrators to use when making strategic decisions that influence the value of their libraries. The highest ranked administrator at each private law firm listed on the 2008 Am Law 200 was invited to complete an online benchmarking survey. The adjusted sample population totaled 179 firms. Fifty-one valid surveys were completed for a 28.5% response ra… more
Date: August 2010
Creator: Carroll, Margaret Aby
Partner: UNT Libraries
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