Using progress logs to research the information behaviour of higher education students in prison.

Virgo, Isabel

Abstract

This short paper introduces 'progress logs', an adaptation of the solicited diary method, and details their planned use in a forthcoming study on the information behaviour of students in transition from prison to higher education. Progress logs are designed to capture individual-level qualitative data over a period of time, using prompts which build on previous prompts to generate rich data, allow opportunities for participant reflection and provide a narrative of progress. The suitability of this method for studying the behaviour of individuals in transition is evaluated. Details of the proposed study are provided, including consideration of sampling, recruitment and ethics. The application of the progress logs method to the study context is described, covering the duration, frequency of prompts and choice of topics. The strengths and weaknesses of this method are evaluated. Despite sharing some of the drawbacks of the solicited diary method, progress logs also build on their advantages to build a narrative of change over time. It is concluded that progress logs offer a suitable means to gather in-depth data about individuals' information behaviour, especially during transitions.

Citation

VIRGO, I. 2024. Using progress logs to research the information behaviour of higher education students in prison. Information research (online), 29(2): Proceedings of the 15th ISIC (Information seeking in context) Information behaviour conference 2024, 26-29 August 2024, Aalborg, Denmark, pages 602-610. Available from: https://doi.org/10.47989/ir292850

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Conference Name: 15th ISIC (Information seeking in context) Information behaviour conference 2024
• Conference Location: Aalborg, Denmark
• Acceptance Date: Mar 1, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jun 18, 2024
• Publication Date: Jun 30, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jul 18, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 18, 2024
• Journal: Information Research
• Electronic ISSN: 1368-1613
• Publisher: University of Borås, Information Research
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 602-610
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.47989/ir292850
• Keywords: Transitions; Prison; Diary method
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2413496