The information needs and the information requirements of senior citizens who are social dancers (SCSDs).

摘要

The information needs and information requirements of senior citizen who are social dancers (SCSDs) are not clearly identified in the literature. However, (1) the social and physical relevance of dancing for senior citizens (i.e., 15% of the US population), (2) the relevance of access to information in general, (3) the problem of information overload, (4) discrimination against senior citizens, (5) discrimination against male dancers, (6) elder fraud, and (7) the learning methods of senior citizens are well documented in the literature. The literature also indicates that (8) the information needs and information requirements of dancers are very specific, and that (9) the information needs and information requirements of dancers and senior citizens are largely, unethically, and unlawfully unaddressed. Using ethnographic methods (including in-depth interviews, participatory observations, and field notes) and a participatory design, this qualitative narrative research study identifies the information needs and information requirements of four SCSDs (i.e., co-researchers) in the Philadelphia Area. The data collected was analyzed using (1) Debons' ADIK (Augmentation, Data, Information, and Knowledge) model, (2) Creswell's theme analysis method, and (3) the co-researchers' data analysis methods. The analyses suggest that (1) the information needs (i.e., demands of life, problems, and decisions) of SCSDs are created by physical and social events of the world, (2) the information requirements of SCSDs are to (a) create dance goals, (b) select dance environments, (c) prepare for selected dance environments, (d) travel to selected dance environments, and (e) enter selected dance environments, (3) social dancing is an ADIK system, because it allows SCSDs to (a) effectively react to events of the world, (b) address their information needs, and (c) achieve their security, development, and well-being goals, (4) SCSDs prefer people, printed material, and audiovisual materials as media, (5) the information-seeking behavior and (6) the way SCSDs learn is by interacting with fellow dancers, using printed and audiovisual material, and interacting with dance instructors and coaches, and that (7) SCSDs follow some basic guidelines to prevent scams and (8) accidents. Product and service providers could use this research as a marketing tool to create goods/services that address the information needs, information requirements, preferred media, information-seeking behavior, and learning style of SCSDs and of various specific populations (e.g., football players and the blind).