Enjoying the flow The role of personality, motivation and emotion in information behavior.

Enjoying the flowEnjoying the flow

The role of The role of personality, personality,

motivation and motivation and emotion in emotion in

information behaviorinformation behavior

I am late I am

late I am late

Thoughts

Feelings

Behavior

““Let’s not forget that the little Let’s not forget that the little emotions are the great emotions are the great

captains of our lives and we captains of our lives and we obey them without realizing obey them without realizing

it” it”

Vincent Van Gogh, 1889Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

Emotional experienceEmotional experience

Negative – neutral – positive: Why?Negative – neutral – positive: Why?

Motivation & self-relianceMotivation & self-reliance

The experience of flow The experience of flow

Practical implicationsPractical implications

Problems in Internet Problems in Internet searchingsearching

Information overloadInformation overload Formulating search strategies Formulating search strategies Critical evaluation Critical evaluation

Reaction:Reaction: SimplifyingSimplifying Satisficing – good enough result okSatisficing – good enough result ok

Library anxiety Library anxiety (Mellon, 1986)(Mellon, 1986)

80 % of students feel anxious in a new library 80 % of students feel anxious in a new library or searching in a new systemor searching in a new system

Worry to appear stupid & incapableWorry to appear stupid & incapable

Common for ambitious studentsCommon for ambitious students

Where can I find the documents I need?Where can I find the documents I need?

How do I search efficiently?How do I search efficiently?

Yerkes-Dodson law (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908)

Personality & problem Personality & problem solvingsolving

((Kernan & Mojena, 1973)Kernan & Mojena, 1973)

Responsible & insecure students Responsible & insecure students exaggerate information seekingexaggerate information seeking

Self-confident & dominant students Self-confident & dominant students seek too little seek too little

Self-efficacySelf-efficacy(Bandura, 1986).(Bandura, 1986).

““Whether you think you can or think Whether you think you can or think you can't you are right”  (Henry Ford)you can't you are right”  (Henry Ford)

Self-estimate influence performanceSelf-estimate influence performance

Unpredictability of searching difficult for Unpredictability of searching difficult for insecure persons insecure persons

People with low self-confidence may give People with low self-confidence may give up the search prematurely up the search prematurely

I feel a little anxious. I fear that I won’t be able to find what I

need or that it might be very difficult.

Woman, 25 yrs

Low motivationLow motivation

Imposed tasksImposed tasks Fast surfing Fast surfing Lack of engagementLack of engagement Easily available materialEasily available material Problems with relevance judgment &Problems with relevance judgment &

critical evaluation of information critical evaluation of information

Information seeking boring & difficultInformation seeking boring & difficult

The most difficult The most difficult and annoying and annoying

part of our task part of our task is looking up the is looking up the

information. information. It’s not that It’s not that hard, but it hard, but it seems like a seems like a

waste of time.waste of time. 88thth grade boy grade boy

Negative search Negative search experiencesexperiences

Complicated search systemsComplicated search systems Information overloadInformation overload Imposed tasksImposed tasks Lack of information literacy Lack of information literacy

skillsskills InsecurityInsecurity Lack of motivationLack of motivation

Goal-oriented searchingGoal-oriented searching

Persistence & conscientiousnessPersistence & conscientiousness

Ambition & self-disciplineAmbition & self-discipline

Effort in information seekingEffort in information seeking

Deep divingDeep diving

If it came an obstacle I just

pushed harder to overcome it.

Time management is important and you have to take

advantage of your sources and time .

10th grade boy

As long as I make progress, I feel I am making efficient use

of my time.

I get exited if I find exactly what I need or a perfect search

term.

Woman, 26 yrs

High motivationHigh motivation

Enjoyment of information seekingEnjoyment of information seeking

Reflective & analyticalReflective & analytical

Interest in learning Interest in learning

Quality-consciousQuality-conscious

It is pretty easy to search

information because I am

very interested in the topic. Girl, grade 10

Openness to experienceOpenness to experience

Creativity, curiosity, rich imaginationCreativity, curiosity, rich imagination Enjoy discovery & information Enjoy discovery & information

seekingseeking Explore wide variety of sourcesExplore wide variety of sources Incidental information acquisitionIncidental information acquisition Broad scanningBroad scanning

I love searching!I get a kick out of

finding information.

It is like a treasure hunt, where you can find something you didn’t know

existed.

Woman, 24 yrs

Flow Flow ((Csikszentmihalyi, 1990)Csikszentmihalyi, 1990)

Intense enjoymentIntense enjoyment Full involvement in the taskFull involvement in the task Energized focusEnergized focus Forgetting time and placeForgetting time and place Balance between ability & challengeBalance between ability & challenge

Search flow enablersSearch flow enablers

User-friendly search systemsUser-friendly search systems Task neither too easy nor too difficultTask neither too easy nor too difficult Curiosity, creativity & opennessCuriosity, creativity & openness Motivation, interestMotivation, interest Explorative, flexible searchingExplorative, flexible searching

Positive information Positive information experienceexperience

Key to information literacyKey to information literacy Motivated persons learn moreMotivated persons learn more Increased perceptiveness & Increased perceptiveness &

creativitycreativity Flexible & innovative thinkingFlexible & innovative thinking

Three search stylesThree search styles Fast surfers – unmotivated, insecure, Fast surfers – unmotivated, insecure,

unconscientious,unconscientious, search problemssearch problems

Deep divers – conscientious, Deep divers – conscientious, ambitious, structured, goal-orientedambitious, structured, goal-oriented

Broad scanners – creative, curious, Broad scanners – creative, curious, open, enjoy exploring information open, enjoy exploring information

Implications forImplications forinformation literacy information literacy

education Ieducation I Involving topics motivate fast surfersInvolving topics motivate fast surfers IL education integrated with IL education integrated with

curriculumcurriculum Encourage personal strengths & assist Encourage personal strengths & assist

with individual challengeswith individual challenges

Implications IIImplications II

Each search style has benefits dependent Each search style has benefits dependent on search task & stageon search task & stage

Deep divers effective but may need to Deep divers effective but may need to explore moreexplore more

Broad scanners creative but may need to Broad scanners creative but may need to focus morefocus more

Optimal IL educationOptimal IL education

Reminds of flowReminds of flow Suitable difficultySuitable difficulty RelevantRelevant PersonalPersonal FocusedFocused InterestsInterests MotivatesMotivates EncouragesEncourages Acknowledges individual strengthsAcknowledges individual strengths

ConclusionsConclusions Information seeking involves behavior, Information seeking involves behavior,

thoughts & feelingsthoughts & feelings

Personality may influence how a Personality may influence how a student approach information seekingstudent approach information seeking

Motivation essentialMotivation essential

Enjoying is being serious Enjoying is being serious

““The important thing is The important thing is not so much that every not so much that every

student should be student should be taught, as that every taught, as that every

student should be given student should be given the wish to learn” the wish to learn”

John LubbockJohn Lubbock

Thank you Thank you

for your for your attention!attention!