Núria Ferran-Ferrer

Key factors in the transfer of information-related competencies between academic, workplace, and daily life contexts

Personal information behavior has been studied within a large number of different contexts; however, individuals show different information‐related competencies in their professional, academic or daily life contexts. Literature suggests that if a person is information‐related competent in one context, then he or she will be competent in the rest of the contexts of action. But this is only true for a basic level of information competencies. This article reports results from 24 interviews performed to mature e‐learning students and suggests that in a more advanced level of information competencies, some competencies that appear in one context are not manifested in another context. Several factors have been found to be related with information competencies transfer between contexts. Attitude is a key factor and feelings regarding Internet use is another critical factor. Specifically in learning environments, the results suggest that canned content and planned learning strategies can discourage a proactive attitude and enthusiasm for information and communication technologies, and therefore the acquisition of information‐related competencies. Understanding the differences and common patterns between these contexts may be useful for designing better information systems, services and instruction.

Diseño participativo de experimentos de ciencia ciudadana

Este articulo describe y analiza el diseno colaborativo de un proyecto de investigacion de ciencia ciudadana a traves de la cocreacion. Tres grupos de estudiantes de centros de educacion secundaria y un equipo de cientificos idearon de forma participada tres experimentos sobre comportamiento humano y capital social en espacios publicos y urbanos. El objetivo del estudio es abordar como pueden integrarse en una investigacion cientifica el trabajo interdisciplinar y la atencion a preocupaciones y necesidades sociales, asi como la construccion colectiva de preguntas de investigacion. Los 95 estudiantes participantes en el proyecto respondieron una encuesta para evaluar su percepcion sobre las dinamicas y herramientas utilizadas en el proceso de cocreacion de cada experimento, y los cinco cientificos respondieron a una entrevista semiestructurada. Los resultados de las encuestas y entrevistas demuestran como la ciencia ciudadana puede alcanzar una modalidad «cocreada» mas alla del paradigma habitual «contributivo», el cual unicamente suele implicar al publico o amateurs en la recopilacion de datos. Esta modalidad de ciencia mas colaborativa con la ciudadania fue posible gracias a la adecuacion de materiales y mecanismos de facilitacion, asi como al fomento de aspectos clave en una investigacion como pueden ser la confianza, la creatividad y la transparencia. Los resultados apuntan tambien hacia la posibilidad de adoptar estrategias similares de codiseno en otros contextos de colaboracion cientifica y generacion colaborativa de conocimientoThis article describes and analyzes the collaborative design of a citizen science research project through cocreation. Three groups of secondary school students and a team of scientists conceived three experiments on human behavior and social capital in urban and public spaces. The study goal is to address how interdisciplinary work and attention to social concerns and needs, as well as the collective construction of research questions, can be integrated into scientific research. The 95 students participating in the project answered a survey to evaluate their perception about the dynamics and tools used in the cocreation process of each experiment, and the five scientists responded to a semistructured interview. The results from the survey and interviews demonstrate how citizen science can achieve a “cocreated” modality beyond the usual “contributory” paradigm, which usually only involves the public or amateurs in data collection stages. This type of more collaborative science was made possible by the adaptation of materials and facilitation mechanisms, as well as the promotion of key aspects in research such as trust, creativity and transparency. The results also point to the possibility of adopting similar codesign strategies in other contexts of scientific collaboration and collaborative knowledge generation

Long-Term Appropriation of Smartwatches Among a Group of Older People

In this paper, we analyze long-term appropriation of smartwatches among a group of older people. For the purpose of the study, we provided five older individuals (aged 71 to 80; three women, two men) with Android smartwatches. We interviewed participants after 2 and 12 months of smartwatch usage and observed its usage in an informal gathering 12 months after the end of the study. Drawing on Morville’s model of user experience (2004), we focus on how the smartwatch was (not) useful, usable, valuable, and desirable for each participant in each stage of the process. Results show the relevance of valuableness and desirability in the (non-)appropriation of smartwatches for those participants. Specifically, participants used the smartwatches to express their sporty, techie and fashion identities.

Youth impact on the public sphere in Press and Twitter: The dissolution of the Spanish Youth Council

This article aims to contribute to the study of the difficulties that young people face in accessing the public sphere as political actors. It looks at the press coverage and the Twitter activity surrounding the restructuring process and the subsequent dissolution of the Spanish Youth Council (Consejo de la Juventud de España CJE). A content analysis was carried out on the news published in 22 newspapers between 2012 and 2014, as well as on the use of Twitter within the framework of the “Salvemos el CJE” campaign during the same period of time. The main objective of the analysis has been to see the prominence of this issue on both the media and citizens agendas. In most newspapers, the measures taken by the government vis-á-vis the CJE were treated as punctual news of peripheral importance. The online campaign, mainly orchestrated by youth grassroots movements, raised the controversy on the biased nature and the political consequences of this plan. The core of the campaign addressed the representation of young people in public institutions. The results of the study suggest that the increased potential for visibility offered by social media is not always maximized and does not necessarily alter the prominence of an issue in the public sphere. PALABRAS CLAVE |