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Exploring Enactments of Agency in Children's Literature from School Libraries

The purpose of this study was to analyze student-selected library books for how, if at all, agency is enacted by the characters. This study uses tenets from critical multicultural analysis (CMA) and elements of visual analysis (VA) to guide a critical content analysis of enactments of agency in the most circulated books from three school libraries during the 2019-2020 school year. This study builds on and extends the existing research on agency development in children and demonstrations of agency in children's literature. Data revealed a variety of characters, genre, and contexts within the identified books. Analysis provided evidence that characters in these child-selected books demonstrated enactments of agency in varying ways and degrees across all titles. Following a discussion that is organized around the themes created from the findings, characters are identified as belonging within one of the following agentic groups: activists, survivors, problem solvers, and friends. Implications for practice and research include further study of agency in characters of popular books, how children perceive enactments of agency of the characters, and the need for school librarians and other educators to understand agency development and acknowledging the agency of children as they make choices in the literature they read.
Date: August 2021
Creator: Loomis, Kathryn Barkley
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
PubMed Commons: What Happened on the Way to the Forum? Retrospective Explanatory Case Study Research and Lessons Learned from the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Online Forum for Open Science (open access)

PubMed Commons: What Happened on the Way to the Forum? Retrospective Explanatory Case Study Research and Lessons Learned from the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Online Forum for Open Science

The U.S. National Library of Medicine brought the intensifying interest in open science to national attention when it joined enthusiastic scientists to introduce and host an Amazon-like rating forum on PubMed—the world's largest database of indexed biomedical and life sciences literature. The result was PubMed Commons. In June 2013, the commenting forum was introduced for open discussion about published scientific literature as part of a three-pronged approach to improve research rigor, reproducibility, and transparency. In Feb. 2018, the forum was unexpectedly discontinued. This retrospective explanatory case study research asked the question, "What happened on the way to the forum?" Answers came from a variety of resources using multiple methodologies for data collection and analysis. Historical data from PubMed Commons' 7,629 comments and 1,551 commenters; key informant interviews with PubMed Commons editors; and a systematized search for published articles, gray literature; and social media content about PubMed Commons were analyzed using computer-mediated discourse analysis and a social network analysis. Results from the quantitative content analysis described a forum with little participation, and the qualitative content analysis demonstrated that active forum members were focused primarily on providing links to other information resources and discussing aspects of post-publication peer review. The social network …
Date: December 2021
Creator: Farabough, Michelle Claire
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Social Disruption in Nigerian Public Universities: A Study of the Impact of Strikes on Students' Information Behavior

This study applied social disruption as a concept that highlights factors responsible for the breakdown of social relationships in societies. Social disruption has many forms, however, the focus in this study was on strikes, which create constant social disruption in Nigerian public universities and could have serious impact on students' information behavior. Two universities – Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) and Imo State University Owerri (IMSU) – were chosen for the study, and data was obtained through an online survey across sample of approximately 250 participants from the two selected public universities in Nigeria. The study applied the principle of least effort theory and the model of information search process to investigate the research questions of this dissertation which were: (1) what kinds of information do university students in Nigeria seek, and to what extent do strikes have implications on their information behavior?; (2) how do Nigerian students perceive the impact of strikes on their information source location and information resource usage?; (3) to what extent can information and communication technology (ICT) minimize the impact of strikes on students' information behavior?; and (4) how can universities in Nigeria prevent strikes from impacting students' information behavior? t-Tests were applied to …
Date: August 2020
Creator: Onye, Uriel U
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Using Curriculum Mapping to Understand Information Literacy in Political Science Curricula (open access)

Using Curriculum Mapping to Understand Information Literacy in Political Science Curricula

Article presenting a curriculum mapping study of noncore course offerings in political science curricula by an early-career librarian. It combines syllabi study and curriculum mapping methods to analyze the language of student learning objectives (SLOs) from course syllabi and to integrate SLOs with threshold concepts from the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and the AAC&U Information Literacy VALUE Rubric. The methods produce two sample sets: one of core concept representation and the other of additional observances for syllabi improvements. Results analyze the frequency and percentage distributions of threshold concepts in SLOs. The author outlines strategies for engaging faculty in information literacy and suggests how librarians and faculty might inform information literacy teaching in the department.
Date: October 5, 2023
Creator: Henson, Brea
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Exploration of RDA-Based MARC21 Subject Metadata in Worldcat Database and Its Readiness to Support Linked Data Functionality (open access)

Exploration of RDA-Based MARC21 Subject Metadata in Worldcat Database and Its Readiness to Support Linked Data Functionality

Subject of information entity is one of the fundamental concepts in the field of information science. Subject of any document represents its intellectual potential -- 'aboutness' of the document. Traditionally, subject (along with title and author) is the one of three major ways to access information, so subject metadata plays a central role in this process and the role is constantly growing. Previous research concluded that the larger bibliographic database is, the richer subject vocabularies and classification schemes are needed to support information discovery. Further, a high proportion of information objects are unretrievable without subject headings in metadata records. This exploratory study provides the analysis of the subject metadata in MARC 21 bibliographic records created in 2020; and develops understanding of the level and patterns of 'aboutness' representation in the MARC 21 bibliographic records. Study also examines how these records apply the recent RDA and MARC21 guidelines and features intended to support functionality in a Linked Data environment. Methods of Social Network Analysis were applied along with content analysis, to answer research questions of this study. Suggestions for future research, implications for education, and practical recommendations for library metadata creation and management are discussed.
Date: August 2020
Creator: Zavalin, Vyacheslav I.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Sustaining Multilinguality: Case Studies of Two Multilingual Digital Libraries

Digital libraries have become valuable learning resources for information users. However, language barriers have greatly limited information access for many digital libraries, as users do not understand those languages. This study explored technical and operational challenges digital libraries faced in sustaining multilinguality. Using the multiple-case method, the study investigated two digital libraries that have sustained multilinguality for over a decade: the World Digital Library and the Digital Library of the Caribbean. On-site interviews were conducted at both digital libraries and the related documents were analyzed. The findings of the study showed that the two multilingual digital libraries faced many technical and operational challenges and employed various approaches to find solutions. A model of challenges and approaches in sustaining multilinguality was presented. As the first such case study, this research enriches the existing literature, and has theoretical, practical, and methodological implications for the research of multilingual digital libraries. The findings of the study provide useful guidelines and insights for the digital library community in sustaining multilingual services.
Date: August 2021
Creator: Wu, Anping
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
New Computational Methods for Literature-Based Discovery (open access)

New Computational Methods for Literature-Based Discovery

In this work, we leverage the recent developments in computer science to address several of the challenges in current literature-based discovery (LBD) solutions. First, LBD solutions cannot use semantics or are too computational complex. To solve the problems we propose a generative model OverlapLDA based on topic modeling, which has been shown both effective and efficient in extracting semantics from a corpus. We also introduce an inference method of OverlapLDA. We conduct extensive experiments to show the effectiveness and efficiency of OverlapLDA in LBD. Second, we expand LBD to a more complex and realistic setting. The settings are that there can be more than one concept connecting the input concepts, and the connectivity pattern between concepts can also be more complex than a chain. Current LBD solutions can hardly complete the LBD task in the new setting. We simplify the hypotheses as concept sets and propose LBDSetNet based on graph neural networks to solve this problem. We also introduce different training schemes based on self-supervised learning to train LBDSetNet without relying on comprehensive labeled hypotheses that are extremely costly to get. Our comprehensive experiments show that LBDSetNet outperforms strong baselines on simple hypotheses and addresses complex hypotheses.
Date: May 2022
Creator: Ding, Juncheng
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Agile Practices in Data Science and Data Analytics Projects: A Research Agenda (open access)

Agile Practices in Data Science and Data Analytics Projects: A Research Agenda

The digital age comes with transformational activities (also referred to as digital transformation) triggered by emerging fields and technologies, such as data science and analytics, cybersecurity, cloud computing, blockchain, cryptocurrency, and nanotechnology; helping organizations stay current and competitive. This paper focuses on agile frameworks that support the delivery of data science/analytics projects to ensure organizations rapidly deliver analytics products and services to their customers.
Date: December 2020
Creator: Atolagbe-Olaoye, Abidemi
Object Type: Paper
System: The UNT Digital Library
Understanding the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) of Data Professionals in United States Academic Libraries (open access)

Understanding the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) of Data Professionals in United States Academic Libraries

This study applies the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) framework for eScience professionals to data service positions in academic libraries. Understanding the KSAs needed to provide data services is of crucial concern. The current study looks at KSAs of data professionals working in the United States academic libraries. An exploratory sequential mixed method design was adopted to discover the KSAs. The study was divided into two phases, a qualitative content analysis of 260 job advertisements for data professionals for Phase 1, and distribution of a self-administered online survey to data professionals working in academic libraries research data services (RDS) for Phase 2. The discovery of the KSAs from the content analysis of 260 job ads and the survey results from 167 data professionals were analyzed separately, and then Spearman rank order correlation was conducted in order to triangulate the data and compare results. The results from the study provide evidence on what hiring managers seek through job advertisements in terms of KSAs and which KSAs data professionals find to be important for working in RDS. The Spearman rank order correlation found strong agreement between job advertisement KSAs and data professionals perceptions of the KSAs.
Date: December 2021
Creator: Khan, Hammad Rauf
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Political Science Curriculum Map: Procedural Manual & Codebook (open access)

Political Science Curriculum Map: Procedural Manual & Codebook

This document provides directions and information needed to complete a curriculum map for the Political Science Department at the University of North Texas. Other subject librarians may use this document to guide their own curriculum mapping projects.
Date: March 20, 2020
Creator: Henson, Brea
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library

Three Essays on Social Media Use and Information Sharing Behavior

Social media platforms create rich social structures, expand users' boundaries of social networks and revolutionize traditional forms of communications, social interactions and social relationships. These platforms not only facilitate the creation and sharing of news and information, but they also drive various kinds of businesses models, processes and operations, knowledge sharing, marketing strategies for brand management and socio-political discourses essential for healthy and democratic functions. As such, social media has greater implications on organizations and society brought about by individuals' social media usage patterns, and therefore, calls for further investigations. The main objective of this dissertation is to explore and offer insights into such social media usage and information sharing behaviors via data driven examination of various theories. This dissertation involves three studies that focus on factors that explain individuals' three different social media usage behaviors. Essay 1 investigates individuals' perceived importance of online affiliation, self-esteem, self-regulation and risk-benefit structure as antecedents of users' geo-tagging behavior on social media. Essay 2 examines the role of online news quality, source credibility, individuals' perception towards online civic engagement, attitude towards news sharing and social influences to understand users' news sharing behavior on social media platforms. Essay 3 seeks to examine the individuals' …
Date: May 2021
Creator: Bhagat, Sarbottam
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Document and Information Experience in Virtual Zenanas: An Exploration of a Diaspora Small World (open access)

Document and Information Experience in Virtual Zenanas: An Exploration of a Diaspora Small World

The word diaspora is currently understood as the large scale voluntary movement of people, along with capital and goods due to the mechanisms of globalization. Adopting a diaspora, gender and leisure perspective, this dissertation looked at the information and document experiences of a particular fan community of women belonging to the Indian diaspora and the online spaces created and occupied by them (fan fiction blogs which can be viewed as book clubs). The study also looked at memory making and documenting of the same as a part of document experience, resulting in what can be termed as "serendipitous memory archives." The blogs hosting fan fiction and the mediated practices they support were viewed as documents for the study. The online spaces were conceptualized as small worlds and the theoretical framework used for the study consisted of a preliminary model of a small world (based on literature review and my understanding of the world under study), information experience as a concept as well as document experience models. The results show that social ties play a big role in the information and document experience, while memory making and documenting of the same are also seen to happen as part of the document …
Date: December 2020
Creator: Kizhakkethil, Priya
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Advanced Research Directions on AI for Science, Energy, and Security: Report on Summer 2022 Workshops (open access)

Advanced Research Directions on AI for Science, Energy, and Security: Report on Summer 2022 Workshops

This is a report about a series of workshops sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) to gather input on new and rapidly emerging opportunities and challenges of scientific AI. The members of the workshops believes that AI can have a foundational impact on a broad range of DOE missions, including science, energy, and national security.
Date: May 1, 2023
Creator: Argonne National Laboratory
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library

Knowledge Management in the Technical Information Center/Library of a Navy Lab and as a Whole, as well as Metrics to Measure the Scientific Health of a R&D Center

In order to perform research data triangulation, there were three main sources of data: 1. External/Internal Survey of 15 Library Directors (5 in the Navy; 10 from Government/Universities), 2. Literature Review/Industry Best Practices, and 3. Navy Lab Interviews (Ten) . The results include "Harvest” the personal collections of classified and other materials (reach out to the end users to put documents in library repository); Need to modernize our workflow; Having research material that can be easily accessed for desktops; Need to share information and knowledge; Focus on the needs of your community and evolve with those needs.
Date: December 2020
Creator: Liebowitz, Jay
Object Type: Poster
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Information Theoretic Analysis of Multimodal Readability (open access)

An Information Theoretic Analysis of Multimodal Readability

Educators often inquire about the readability of books and other documents used in the classroom, with the idea that readability supports students' reading comprehension and growth. Documents used in classrooms tend to be language-based, so readability metrics have long focused on the complexity of language. However, such metrics are unsuitable for multimodal documents because these types of documents also use non-language modes of communication. This is problematic because multimodal reading is increasingly recognized as a 21st-century skill. One information theoretic solution is transinformation analysis, an approach that measures readability as the difference between the objective entropy of a document and the subjective entropy of its reader. Higher transinformation indicates more information complexity. This study explored the viability of transinformation analysis as a measure of multimodal readability. Think aloud screen recordings from 15 eighth grade "advanced readers" of Episode 2 of the born-digital novel, Inanimate Alice served as the dataset. Findings showed that 14 of the readers attended to less than half the information in the story. Mean readability was .57, indicating a complex reading experience. Readers attended to and recalled information primarily from the linguistic mode, which may have been a strategy for reducing cognitive load, or it may have …
Date: December 2021
Creator: Hovious, Amanda S.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Postmodernity and Pakistani Postmodernist Literature

Though scholars have discussed postmodernism in Islam and South Asia before, they tend to (i) assume Muslims as a monolithic group, bypassing the diversity of different cultures and the interaction of these cultures with indigenous practices of Islam; (ii) study postmodernity synchronically, thereby eliding histor(ies) and the possibility of multiple temporalities; and (iii) compare postmodernity in non-Western countries with Western standards, and when these countries fail this test, declare them not-yet-postmodern, or even modern. Negligible and scant discussions of postmodernity that do take place inside Pakistan, most of which are published in newspaper articles, tend to focus on Western postmodernity and its evolution and contemporary position. There is no book-length discussion of postmodernity and postmodernist literary texts from Pakistan and its curious sociopolitical blend of Indo-Muslim and Anglo-Indian influences and interaction with the Islamic political foundations of the country. This project discusses postmodernity and postmodern literature in Pakistan. I argue that, because of a different political, cultural, and literary climate, postmodernity and postmodern literature in Pakistan are distinct from their Western counterparts. Because of technological advancement and neoliberal globalization, Pakistan experiences a different kind of postmodernity resulting in the production of a different kind of postmodern literature. I trace the …
Date: August 2020
Creator: Shagufta, Iqra
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Life Coaches, Communities of Practice, and Everyday Life Information Seeking and Practices: An Exploratory Case Study (open access)

Life Coaches, Communities of Practice, and Everyday Life Information Seeking and Practices: An Exploratory Case Study

Life coaching is a rapidly expanding industry that focuses on client development, enhancement of life experience, and goal attainment often when clients are experiencing personal, professional, and social change. Online communities of practice (CoPs) provide opportunity for individuals to connect, share experiences, and learn from each other under the auspices of a unifying theme or subject. Since the 1990s, CoPs have spread from education to other areas of business and industry and continue to shape participant professional development. However, the everyday life information seeking and practices of life coaches remains unexplored within information science literature from the perspectives of life coach engagement in seeking information, life coach engagement in CoPs, and life coach interactions with other coaches. The purpose of this research study was to explore life coach perspectives of coaching, the diverse information needs of life coaches, the types and strength of relationships between life coaches and CoPs, the role of coaching certification and/or licensing as contributing to the professionalization of life coaching, and the means of communication exchange by life coaches through information communication technologies. This mixed method study focused on life coaches who self-identify as belonging to a CoP and those that do not. Theoretical frameworks for …
Date: May 2022
Creator: Klein, Janette Dorlene
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Examining Human Information Behavior on Social Media: Introducing the Concept of Social Noise (open access)

Examining Human Information Behavior on Social Media: Introducing the Concept of Social Noise

Social media information behavior is increasingly critical, impacting not only individuals and groups but the beliefs, values, and direction of society and culture. The purpose of this study was to investigate how persistent observation by members of the online network influences social media users' information behavior, resulting in the phenomenon of social noise. Data analytics, including LDA, LSA, and clustering methodologies, were performed but could not provide information about the users' motivations. Using an ethnographic approach, participant observations and interviews were conducted with Facebook users as they interacted with informational posts, and the data collected was coded using a recursive method. Four key constructs of social noise were identified, and sub-codes were assigned within each construct as patterns emerged, providing insight into the different facets of social noise. Additionally, in most instances more than one of the four constructs were present, layering their influence on the information behavior. Based on these findings, social media users are not always interacting with information based on true personal beliefs or desires; instead, concerns surrounding their personal image, relationships with others, core beliefs, and online conflict are influencing their observable information behavior. The results of this exploratory study provide a basis to further develop …
Date: August 2020
Creator: Zimmerman, Tara D
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
A systematic literature review of personalized learning terms (open access)

A systematic literature review of personalized learning terms

Article providing a review of the recent research literature on personalized learning as technology is changing how learning can be effectively personalized. The emphasis is on the terms used to characterize learning as those can suggest a framework for personalized and will eventually be used in meta-analyses of research on personalized learning.
Date: October 23, 2020
Creator: Shemshack, Atikah & Spector, J. Michael
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Cyber Addiction and Information Overload and Their Impact on Workplace Productivity

The research examines the relationship between cyber addiction (excessive use of the Internet, CA), information overload (IO), and assesses their impact on workplace productivity. A multi-methods approach is used employing the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and a quantitative survey design to assess and test the stated hypothesis. The study used random sampling methods targeting 150 respondents from different information technology departments of various organizations. The study hypothesizes that CA and IO have a reciprocal association, which adversely affects workplace productivity and employee performance. From the findings, IAT scores increase with an associated possibility of reporting burnout, fatigue, and other components associated with CA and IO. Also, CA and IO were significantly correlated, as evaluated by the chi-square test, although the same approach did not yield significant associations between CA and perceived internet dependence. Other findings CA components, such as social media use, significantly associated with task postponement and burnout. As well, CA affected IO with substantial impacts on workplace productivity. The paper highlights managerial aspects that organizations should consider in optimizing the output of their staff. Recommendations include wellness programs, altering the leadership and management styles, and sensitizing the employees on the adverse effects caused by the two variables.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Alboulayan, Moneerah Abdulhameed M.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Information Communication Technology Efficacy in Reducing Social Isolation and Loneliness in Community Living Older Adults

This study will extend the current body of knowledge about how accessible and affordable information communication technologies (ICT; smartphones, tablets, and computers) can foster social interaction and reduce social isolation and loneliness in older adults aged 55 plus. The first study is a systematic literature review of existing studies on ICT and the willingness of older adults to use technology. The second study is quantitative research that investigates the trust and reasoning of older adults using ICT, like smartphones, tablets, and computers that foster social interaction and the level of technological ownership. The second study is conducted using research data through surveys conducted by Pew Research Center on behalf of Princeton University. Finally, the third study explores the level of ownership of technology and methods to reduce social isolation using ICT. The effectiveness of smartphones, tablets, and computers that foster social interaction were reviewed to create a sense of community to reduce social isolation.
Date: May 2022
Creator: Harllee, Heath D
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hybrid medical simulation – a systematic literature review (open access)

Hybrid medical simulation – a systematic literature review

This article presents a systematic literature review of papers published from 1960 to 2019 that illustrate hybrid simulation can be as effective as high fidelity simulators in certain training scenarios while at the same time providing a superior training context to enhance learners patient to care-giver interactions and to better immerse the trainee in the feelings and emotion of the scenario.
Date: June 12, 2020
Creator: Brown, Wayne J. & Tortorella, Richard A. W.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Seeking Behaviors of Transitioning Veterans When Job Hunting in North Texas (open access)

Information Seeking Behaviors of Transitioning Veterans When Job Hunting in North Texas

This study explored a part of our population that can be misunderstood, marginalized, and underserved: veterans who are seeking to transition from the military to employment in North Texas. At the time of this research (before the COVID-19 pandemic), overall unemployment in North Texas was only 3.9%.Veteran unemployment was calculated at approximately the same before considering the underemployed veterans or those who have given up finding employment (and before the COVID-19 global pandemic), and that calculation likely exceeds 16-18% according to the Texas Workforce Commission. By understanding the information-seeking behaviors of the veteran population targeting North Texas for future employment, their ability to find useful information for successful relocation, attainment of employment, and the resources that enables their sense-making processes, the services provided to veterans seeking employment can be improved. Further understanding can be gained by using a qualitative approach that references Dervin's sense making model (SMM) as the framework. The revelations and conclusions can be used to improve existing programs, inspire new programs, and provide answers that are useful to the Veteran's Administration (VA), other veteran-focused organizations, policymakers, non-profits who serve veterans, veterans themselves, and future employers who enable successful transitions by providing satisfying and inclusive employment opportunities for …
Date: December 2020
Creator: Eaves, Tresia D.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

The Scope and Value of Healthcare Data Science Applications

Health disparities are a recognized public health concern and the need to address these disparities remains worthy of bringing new methods that assist in closing the gap. This research examined the effectiveness of data science to highlight health disparities, and to convey the value of data science applications in related health care applications. The goal of this research was accomplished by undertaking a multi-phased and multi-method approach, best represented in three individual essays. In essay one, a systematic literature review assessed the state in current academic literature of data science applications used to explore health disparities and to determine its applicability. The systematic review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Essay two assessed the capacity of data science software to address the effectiveness of these data science technologies in examining health disparities data. This was conducted using KDnuggets data pertaining to analytics, data science, and machine-learning software. The research in this essay demonstrated the potential utility of leading software to perform the kinds of data science operations that can achieve improved care in healthcare networks by addressing health disparities. Essay three provided an appropriate case study to showcase the value data science …
Date: May 2021
Creator: Huerta, Jose Oscar
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library