Illustration and Validation of the Interactive IR Framework

Abstract

In order to illustrate and validate the planned-situational interactive IR model, I conducted an empirical study. This study was a pilot of a large-scale study, discussed in the summary of this chapter, that focuses on the investigation of how people seek and retrieve information in their research proposal writing process. The objective of the study is particularly concerned with whether multiple information-seeking strategies were applied and shifts in information-seeking strategies occurred in users’ information-seeking and -retrieving process. This study addressed the following research questions: 1. What are users’ levels of goals/tasks and their representation? 2. What are users’ personal information infrastructures? 3. What is the social-organizational context for users’ information seeking and retrieving? 4. What types of IR systems do users access and what types of influences do these systems have? 5. What are the types of information-seeking strategies employed by users? 6. Do users shift their current search goals and information-seeking strategies in the information-seeking and -retrieving process? If yes, how? 7. What are the factors that lead to different levels and types of shifts? This research helps us understand the nature of information seeking and retrieving, in particular, the nature of interactive IR. Applying emprical data to examine the major components of the planned-situational interactive IR model and their interactions effectively assists us to validate and illustrate this model. The major contribution of this study is that it investigates users’ dynamic information-seeking processes related to their work and search tasks instead of a snapshot of an information- seeking activity. The emprical data further enrich and enhance the interactive IR framework. In addition to this study, I also incorporate some related studies to validate and ilustrate the planned-situational interactive IR model.