學術研究問題解決過程之不確定性分析 Uncertainty in the Process of Scholarly Problem-Solving

Abstract

本研究在於探討學術研究人員研究過程之不確定。研究以Wilson(1999)問題解決模式作為研究之架框,以探索研究人員之不確定性。研究問題涵蓋:研究問題涵蓋:(1)學術研究人員對於解決問題各個階段不確定性的反應情形如何?(2)在學術研究進行過程中,研究人員以資訊資源管道解決問題之重視程度如何?(3)在解決問題的過程中,研究人員經歷不確定因素之過程如何?本研究進行過程透過問卷調查蒐集134份問卷資料,並深入訪談14位研究人員。依據本研究探族群之反應,研究人員對於以各種資訊資源管道解決問題之重視程度以專業發表之文獻資料最高,包括:學術性電子期刊、學術論文所提供之參考文獻、資料庫系統之文獻資料都得到相當高的評分。研究過程中的不確定感,以「問題確認」與「問題定義」階段之勾選人次較多;但就不確定程度的分析而言,「陳述結果」與「問題解決」階段之不確定程度顯著高於「問題確認」與「問題定義」階段(pIn this study, uncertainty in information seeking for research among scholarly researchers was explored.Wilson’s problem-solving model (1999) was used as a research framework for identifying uncertainty among researchers.Research questions were covered: (1) How did researchers react to various uncertainties along with various problem-solving stages in their research? (2) How did researchers react to the use of information resources in solving the research problems? (3) How did researchers experience various uncertainties in their research? A set of questionnaire items was used to collected quantitative data from respondents (134 valid data).Interview was also used to collect in-depth information from 14 respondents.The findings of this study indicate that scholarly researchers rated highly about the use of scholarly electronic journals, bibliographical information from literatures, and scholarly information databases to solve research problem.In response to perceived uncertainty toward various research stages, more were obtained from “identifying problems” and “defining problem” stages. However, mean uncertainty ratings in “problem resolution” and “solution statement” were significantly higher than those in “identifying problems” and “defining problem” (p < 0.05). Specifically, high uncertainty level was found in following items: “I was uncertain about whether sufficient in-depth data were covered”, “I was uncertain about whether the data collected reflected my research hypotheses”, “I was uncertain about whether my research findings contributed to the field”, “I was uncertain about whether sufficient data were collected”.Interview data revealed various internal and external experiences attributed to uncertainty in research process. From their research experiences, researchers considered “belief for breakthrough” and “free access to library and information resources” critical for achieving their research goal.