An information behavior theory of transitions

Abstract

This paper proposes a theory of life transitions focused on information behavior. Through a process of meta-ethnography, the paper transforms a series of influential theories and models into a theory of transitions for use in Information Science. This paper characterizes the psychological processes involved in transitions as consisting of three main stages, Understanding, Negotiating, and Resolving, each of which have qualitatively different information behaviors and which require different types of information support. The paper discusses the theoretical implications of this theory and proposes ways in which the theory can be used to provide practical support for those undergoing transitions.

Information seeking by experimentation: Trying something out to discover what happens

“…Finally, experimentation circumvents this gap by manipulating the seeker's situation and, in that way, creating information about it. This information—the backtalk—becomes available to the seeker as an experience of what the situation is like (e.g., Ruthven, 2022).…”

“…The people who engage in experimentation to obtain information include architects (Schön, 1983), engineers (Gerstberger & Allen, 1968), makerspace users (Einarsson & Hertzum, 2021), patients with diabetes (Low et al, 2016), people going through life transitions (Ruthven, 2022), and visual artists (Hemmig, 2009). Some of these people experiment by creating prototype models.…”

“…Experimentation is necessary because the effect of the options varies across patients and therefore cannot be determined in advance. Similarly, Ruthven (2022) finds that people who go through life transitions try on new practices and lifestyles to experience their fit. Life transitions are associated with strong emotions and considerable uncertainty.…”

Practices related to diabetes information in a group of Finnish adults living with Type 1 diabetes

“…Information and healthcare providers should be aware of possibly changing information needs, practices and reasons for avoidance in order to meet specific needs. Ruthven (2021) proposed a theory of transitions that can be used to examine information behaviour at different stages, and determine what support is needed for transitions. Further studies on larger populations are needed for insights that are more thorough, for example by studying diabetics' information practices in different stages based on transition models.…”

Chaos, expansion, and contraction: The information worlds of depression patients during theCOVID‐19 pandemic lockdown

“…However, the theory of information worlds places the social world, rather than the individual, at the center of information‐related activities (Burnett, 2015), which to some extent hinders the investigation of the information worlds with individuals as the focal point, and thus limits the discovery of changes in the individuals' information worlds. Transition, as a process concept, helps us explore the behaviors, feelings, and experiences in different parts of a transition (Ruthven, 2022) and better understand how contextual factors and emotions influence people's information behavior (Willson & Given, 2020), which fits well with the theory of information worlds. Therefore, this paper introduces the concept of transition to ask: How do the information worlds of individuals living with depression change in the context of a pandemic lockdown?…”