CITATION AND COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:
Cite as: Atwood, R. A. (1980). A test of race versus situational movement state in predicting information-seeking and use. Doctoral dissertation, University of Washington. Advisor, Brenda Dervin.
© Rita Ann Atwood (1980).
You may be able to order a full copy of this dissertation through the author, or through ProQuest Dissertation Express.

ADVISOR:
Brenda Dervin

ABSTRACT:
This study compared the strength of Race and Situational Movement State, or gap-facing, as predictors of information-seeking and use. The rationale for this test stems from a view of individuals uniquely moving through time and space, encountering gaps in their roads, and trying to bridge those gaps by seeking and using information. Therefore, it was argued that Situational Movement State, the nature of gaps faced by individuals, was linked to the ways individuals attempt to bridge gaps by seeking and using information. Further, it was asserted that Race was closely linked to the kinds of structural constraints, such as availability of sources, that individuals perceive in the process of seeking and using information. Thus, the two following hypotheses were posited: (H(,1)) Situational Movement State, or gap-facing, will be a better predictor than Race of the Nature of Questions Asked in Gap-Bridging; Was Gap Bridged with an answer; and How Information Was Seen as Helping in Gap-Bridging. (H(,2)) Race will be a better predictor than Situational Movement State, or gap-facing, of the Sources Sought for Gap-Bridging Information/Answers.

An available database, obtained from interviews with 646 randomly selected California residents, was used for this study. The questionnaire included time-lined situation descriptions; questions asked at each step in the time-line; respondent reports of whether their questions had been answered; reports of how they saw information or answers as helping; and the sources they sought for answers. Demographic information was also recorded. A sub-sample of 93 Anglo, 93 Black, and 93 Hispanic respondents was randomly chosen from this database, and was further reduced to 67 Anglo, 74 Black, and 64 Hispanic respondents who reported a most important question asked at a time-line step. Total n for analysis, then, was 205. Content analyses schemes were used to code the open-ended data for the predictor variable, Situational Movement State, and for the criterion variable class of Nature of Questions Asked in Gap-Bridging. These criterion variables were recoded as dichotomous dummy variables for analyses purposes. The criterion variable, Was Gap Bridged, was tapped from respondent reports of success in obtaining an answer. In addition, there were 13 items tapping How Information Was Seen as Helping in Gap-Bridging, and 14 items tapping the Sources for Gap-Bridging. Varimax factor analyses of these items produced two factors from the 13 items, and five factors from the 14 items. These factors solutions were then used to create factor scores.

Race and Situational Movement State were then tested against each other as predictors of the criterion variables by using factorial analyses of variance and Duncan’s post-hoc tests for significant mean differences. The results of this study supported Hypothesis 1, and provided evidence that Situational Movement State was a stronger predictor than Race of the Nature of Questions Asked; Was Gap Bridged; and How Information Was Seen as Helping. Although Hypothesis 2 was not confirmed, the findings suggested that both Race and Situational Movement State are related to the Sources Sought for Information/Answers.

OTHER MATERIALS BY THIS AUTHOR ON THIS WEBSITE:
See: http://communication.sbs.ohio-state.edu/sense-making/AAauthors/authorlistatwood.html