Abstract
Introduction: This paper provides an overall picture of the authors’ research program on human information behaviour in the context of serious leisure (hobbies, amateurism and volunteer activities). It also introduces the Joy of Information as an emergent concept in this research niche. The paper presents a methodological reflection on the applicability of qualitative methods in this area.
Research question: The primary research question is to what extent serious leisure participants experience the joy of information and how qualitative methods enable researchers to capture, conceptualise and contextualise it.
Design: This research adopted the Serious Leisure Perspective as its theoretical framework and employed a naturalistic and interpretive approach using qualitative methods.
Sample: Twenty volunteers from Wagga Wagga city in Australia participated in the first project. They have been recruited based on the maximum variation sampling technique to represent a wide range of activities.
Data collection and analysis: A semi-structured interview with open-ended questions was used. The collected data was fully transcribed and analysed through a qualitative thematic analysis method.
Methodological insights: Qualitative methods are highly applicable to capture the joy of information. Across the spectrum of qualitative methods, phenomenological and hermeneutic perspectives are more appropriate and fruitful for this purpose.
Research question: The primary research question is to what extent serious leisure participants experience the joy of information and how qualitative methods enable researchers to capture, conceptualise and contextualise it.
Design: This research adopted the Serious Leisure Perspective as its theoretical framework and employed a naturalistic and interpretive approach using qualitative methods.
Sample: Twenty volunteers from Wagga Wagga city in Australia participated in the first project. They have been recruited based on the maximum variation sampling technique to represent a wide range of activities.
Data collection and analysis: A semi-structured interview with open-ended questions was used. The collected data was fully transcribed and analysed through a qualitative thematic analysis method.
Methodological insights: Qualitative methods are highly applicable to capture the joy of information. Across the spectrum of qualitative methods, phenomenological and hermeneutic perspectives are more appropriate and fruitful for this purpose.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 56 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 07 Jul 2021 |
| Event | 20th Thinking Qualitatively Virtual Conference - Virtual, Canada Duration: 05 Jul 2021 → 09 Jul 2021 Conference number: 20 https://tq-2021.ok.ubc.ca/ |
Conference
| Conference | 20th Thinking Qualitatively Virtual Conference |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | The world is watching |
| Country/Territory | Canada |
| Period | 05/07/21 → 09/07/21 |
| Other | This year, IIQM’s Qualitative Methods Conference has been combined with TQ. The program includes all of the usual features of TQ plus opportunities to present oral papers. The conference will be entirely virtual, and will be organized around seven regions based on time zones, with world leaders in qualitative research leading each regional program. We hope that this approach will make it easier for individuals from all parts of the world to attend TQ during their own daytime hours. Participants will also be able to attend sessions in other parts of the world that interest them. |
| Internet address |
