Using protocol analysis to explore the creative requirements engineering process

Protocol analysis is an empirical method applied by researchers in cognitive psychology and behavioural analysis. Protocol analysis can be used to collect, document and analyse thought processes by an individual problem solver. In general, research subjects are asked to think aloud when performing a given task. Their verbal reports are transcribed and represent a sequence of their thoughts and cognitive activities. These verbal reports are analysed to identify relevant segments of cognitive behaviours by the research subjects. The analysis results may be cross-examined (or validated through retrospective interviews with the research subjects). This paper offers a critical analysis of this research method, its approaches to data collection and analysis, strengths and limitations, and discusses its use in information systems research. The aim is to explore the use of protocol analysis in studying the creative requirements engineering process.<br /

Knowledge Elicitation Methods for Affect Modelling in Education

Research on the relationship between affect and cognition in Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd) brings an important dimension to our understanding of how learning occurs and how it can be facilitated. Emotions are crucial to learning, but their nature, the conditions under which they occur, and their exact impact on learning for different learners in diverse contexts still needs to be mapped out. The study of affect during learning can be challenging, because emotions are subjective, fleeting phenomena that are often difficult for learners to report accurately and for observers to perceive reliably. Context forms an integral part of learners’ affect and the study thereof. This review provides a synthesis of the current knowledge elicitation methods that are used to aid the study of learners’ affect and to inform the design of intelligent technologies for learning. Advantages and disadvantages of the specific methods are discussed along with their respective potential for enhancing research in this area, and issues related to the interpretation of data that emerges as the result of their use. References to related research are also provided together with illustrative examples of where the individual methods have been used in the past. Therefore, this review is intended as a resource for methodological decision making for those who want to study emotions and their antecedents in AIEd contexts, i.e. where the aim is to inform the design and implementation of an intelligent learning environment or to evaluate its use and educational efficacy

Using Think Alouds, Think Afters, and Think Togethers to Research Adolescents’ Inquiry Experiences

This article presents three research methods—Think Alouds, Think Afters, and Think Togethers—as ways of gathering data to describe the experiences of adolescents during instructional activities. These verbal report methods were used in two studies that examined the information-seeking processes of adolescents in Inuvik, Northwest Territories and Beaumont, Alberta. The first study revealed that participants needed both mediation (instruction and support) and practice to develop the skills and strategies needed for full-text searching of electronic encyclopedias. The second study revealed that students needed mediation (instruction and support) throughout an inquiry-based learning experience and that using Kuhlthau’s (1993) Information Search Process model as a guide for cognitive and affective mediation was useful. The Think Alouds, Think Afters, and Think Togethers allowed the researcher to collect data about the adolescents’ experiences of information-seeking; the data-gathering processes also provided the participants with a deeper understanding of their own experiences of instructional activities. I conclude the article with recommendations to enhance researchers’ use of verbal report methods with adolescents.Cet article présente trois méthodes de recherche – Think Alouds, Think Afters et Think Togethers (Réfléchir à haute voix, Réfléchir par la suite et Réfléchir ensemble) – comme façons de recueillir des données pour décrire les expériences que vivent les adolescents pendant des activités pédagogiques. Nous avons employé ces méthodes basées sur les rapports verbaux au cours de deux études portant sur les processus de recherche d’information auxquels ont eu recours des adolescents à Inuvik, aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest et à Beaumont, en Alberta. La première étude a révélé que les participants avaient besoin de médiation (directives et appui) et de pratique afin d’être en mesure de développer les habiletés et les stratégies nécessaires à faire des recherches en texte intégral dans des encyclopédies électroniques. La deuxième étude a révélé que les élèves avaient besoin de médiation (directives et appui) tout au long d’une activité pédagogique reposant sur l’enquête. L’emploi du modèle de Kuhlthau sur le processus de recherche d’informations comme guide lors de la médiation cognitive et affective s’est avéré utile. Les Think Alouds, Think Afters et Think Togethers ont fourni au chercheur les moyens de recueillir des données sur la recherche d’informations par les adolescents. La cueillette de données a également fourni aux participants l’occasion de mieux comprendre leurs propres expériences lors d’activités pédagogiques. Des recommandations quant à l’emploi, par les chercheurs, de méthodes reposant sur les rapports verbaux lors d’activités avec des adolescents viennent conclure l’article