Book review

In this book review, Collaboration in Designing a Pedagogical Approach in Information Literacy (Landøy, Popa, Repanovici, 2020), we address the main characteristics approached by the authors, such as conceptual issues of information literacy, pedagogical approaches, the use of tools and exercises for the development of critical thinking about selection and use of information sources. This book, published by Springer in 2020 and open access, becomes a pedagogical option for addressing the topic of information literacy in the training of new information professionals.

Analysis of Sources for Information Gathering Before Visiting a Festival in the Case of Generation Z

In recent years, festivals have become an essential part of summer activities for many members of Generation Z. Programs that last several days also mean significant financial burden for young people, so they gather information from multiple sources before decision-making. The purpose of the study is to examine which information sources – especially social media – and which motivations have become significant in the context of festival tourism's decision process.An online survey was conducted as part of and exploratory research over four consecutive years dealing with the use of information sources and the importance of the music festivals' characteristics targeting the Hungarian Generation Z attendees of festivals. Besides the descriptive statistics cluster analysis and ANOVA tables were used.It can be emphasized that in the case of festival tourism, the influence and usage of social media, relying on the opinions of acquaintances and friends is much more significant in the decision-making phase than in the case of traditional tourism. The program and the leading performers are not the only important factors, but meeting friends, the atmosphere of the festival, and reasonable value for money are also significant. Three groups of users could be identified: those who are mainly browsing official websites and search engines, those who try to make decisions based on earlier experiences, and those who are also looking at social media sites and digest several types of content to make the decision. Organisers of festivals should understand the differences among these groups to create better communication strategies.

The practical activity of development of a system of tasks as an important condition for training a future teacher for a digital school

The problem and the aim of the study. A teacher of a digital school, according to the requirements of the standard of professional activity, must possess such universal qualities related to information and communication technologies, formed communicative competence, the ability to work in a team. The formation of the relevant skills within the framework of university education is complicated by a number of problems of a different nature. The authors suggest organizing a practice of designing a system of specially selected tasks to improve the training of future teachers of a digital school. Research methods. The most important idea is the acquisition of new knowledge by creation and solving tasks. The solution of the system of educational, specially designed tasks supports the implementation of the provisions of the system-activity approach to learning. The pedagogical experiment involved 120 students of specialty 44.03.01 Pedagogical education (two training profiles, bachelor's degree level), Vyatka State University, Kirov, Russia Federation. Statistical verification of the obtained results was made using Fisher's criterion (angular transformation). Results. Students of the experimental group were involved in practical activities to design their own tasks on the example of studying the theory and methods of teaching Informatics (situational-motivational; support; border): self-determination of the plot, the development directions of intensification and extensification. Statistically significant differences were revealed between the experimental and control groups in terms of the level of professional training φcrit < φemp (1.64 < 2.558). In conclusion, the authors generalized the features of the organization of practical activity for the development of a system of own tasks for a digital school: the choice of the first task, the use of information sources of various nature, learning with and without a computer, group discussion of a result, resolving contradictions, "ignorance–knowledge–understanding–skill–proficiency", work in conditions of uncertainty, etc.

Learning about COVID-19: a qualitative interview study of Australians’ use of information sources

Background A multitude of information sources are available to publics when novel infectious diseases first emerge. In this paper, we adopt a qualitative approach to investigate how Australians learnt about the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 and what sources of information they had found most useful and valuable during the early months of the pandemic. Methods In-depth semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with a diverse group of 40 Australian adults in mid-2020 about their experiences of the COVID-19 crisis. Participants were recruited through Facebook advertising. Detailed case studies were created for each participant, providing the basis of a thematic analysis which focused on the participants’ responses to the questions about COVID-19-related information sources. Results Diverse sources of COVID-19-related information, including traditional media, online media and in-person interactions, were actively accessed, appraised and engaged with by participants. There was a high level of interest in COVID-19 information as people grappled with uncertainty, anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. Certain key events or experiences made people become aware that the outbreak was threatening Australia and potentially themselves. Most people demonstrated keen awareness that misinformation was rife in news outlets and social media sites and that they were taking steps to determine the accuracy of information. High trust was placed in health experts, scientists and government sources to provide reliable information. Also important to participants were informal discussions with friends and family members who were experts or working in relevant fields, as well as engaging in-person in interactions and hearing from friends and family who lived overseas about what COVID-19 conditions were like there. Conclusion A constantly changing news environment raises challenges for effective communication of risk and containment advice. People can become confused, distressed and overwhelmed by the plethora of information sources and fast-changing news environment. On the other hand, seeking out information can provide reassurance and comfort in response to anxiety and uncertainty. Clarity and consistency in risk messaging is important, as is responding quickly to changes in information and misinformation. Further research should seek to identify any changes in use of and trust in information sources as time goes by.

Travel booking intentions and information searching during COVID-19

PurposeThis exploratory paper examined consumers' use of information sources and intentions to book future travel in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Authors expected that general news and travel information accessed on the Internet would impact travel intentions.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 547 US online consumer panelists when all states were under “stay-at-home orders” in April 2020.FindingsDifferences existed in the impact of three stressors (health, personal and financial) on the use of information sources (general news and travel sources) and ultimately on booking intentions.Practical implicationsThe lack of influence health stressors had on travel research activity raises a question for the travel industry as to critical choice of messages to be imparted during pandemic environments.Originality/valueA three-factor model was used to assess the determinants of booking intentions during uncertain times. Authors applied the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework to explore information searching for travel during the pandemic.

Learning about COVID-19: a qualitative interview study of Australians' use of information sources

Background A multitude of information sources are available to publics when novel infectious diseases first emerge. In this paper, we adopt a qualitative approach to investigate how Australians learnt about the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 and what sources of information they had found most useful and valuable during the early months of the pandemic.Methods In-depth semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with a diverse group of 40 Australian adults in mid-2020 about their experiences of the COVID crisis. Participants were recruited through Facebook advertising. Detailed case studies were created for each participant, providing the basis of a thematic analysis which focused on the participants’ responses to the questions about COVID-related information sources.Results Diverse sources of COVID-related information, including traditional media, online media and in-person interactions, were accessed, appraised and engaged with by participants. There was a high level of interest in COVID information as people grappled with uncertainty, anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. Certain key events or experiences made people become aware that the outbreak was threatening Australia and potentially themselves. Most people demonstrated keen awareness that misinformation was rife in news outlets and social media sites and that they were taking steps to determine the accuracy of information. High trust was placed in health experts, scientists and government sources to provide reliable information. Also important to participants were informal discussions with friends and family members who were experts or working in relevant fields, as well as engaging in-person in interactions and hearing from friends and family who lived overseas about what COVID conditions were like there. Conclusion A constantly changing news environment raises challenges for effective communication of risk and containment advice. People can become confused, distressed and overwhelmed by the plethora of information sources and fast-changing news environment. On the other hand, seeking out information can provide reassurance and comfort in response to anxiety and uncertainty. Clarity and consistency in risk messaging is important, as is responding quickly to changes in information and misinformation. Further research should seek to identify any changes in use of and trust in information sources as time goes by.

Cross-Cultural Digital Information-Seeking Experiences

The number of Saudi female international students (SFISs) pursuing higher degrees in Western countries has increased dramatically. Many are faced with unusual challenges, especially acting without a male’s permission, interacting with males, and using an open, free Internet. This article proposes that SFISs experience a “digital shift” whereby their cultural, educational, and digital backgrounds impact their information-seeking behavior in Australia. The study used a qualitative interpretivist methodology, interviewing a diverse group of SFISs studying in Australia, to better understand this impact on their everyday information needs and use of information sources. Findings indicate that SFISs’ imperfect online search skills, exacerbated by English language deficiency, increase their challenges. Recommendations for supporting SFISs are offered for institutions and service providers.