Information informing design: Information Science research with implications for the design of digital information environments

This debut curated ‘virtual special issue’ of JASIST is on the theme of ‘information informing design.’ It comprises several excellent scholarly research articles previously published in JASIST with important implications for the design of digital information environments. It covers articles that motivate the need for Information Science research to inform design and those that have empirically examined information-related concepts such as information behavior, practices, interaction and experience and, based on their findings, proposed recommendations or posed questions for design. This article argues that as JASIST exists at the intersection between information, systems and users, it is natural to want to understand how people engage with information to inform design and, by doing so, Information Science research can build bridges between Information Science and computing disciplines and make contributions that transcend its discipline boundaries. It argues that Information Science research not only has the potential, but also the duty to inform the design of future digital information environments

Special Issue Introduction: We Can Do More: Challenges and Opportunities for Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Guest editors Susan Tortolero Emery and Kimberly Johnson Baker introduce Volume 8, Issue 1 of the Journal of Applied Research on Children

International Journal Population Data Science: development and future directions

Background and rationale The International Journal of Population Data Science (IJPDS) was launched in April 2017. It is an electronic, open-access, peer reviewed journal, publishing articles on all aspects of research, development and evaluation connected with about people and populations. It represents an internationally unique vehicle for publishing a broader range of articles than most journals in related fields by including in scope: working papers, methodological developments, informative reports, and other pieces of interest, in addition to more traditional manuscripts. As such, it provides a focal point (and a home) for all areas of Population Data Science. The creation of the IJPDS was inspired by the IPDLN, and places great importance on the viewpoints and activities of Network members to guide the development of the journal. Objective Information dissemination – stakeholder consultation – informing future directions The main objective of this collaborative session is to present the audience with an up-to-date summary of journal strategy and progress to date, and to use this forum to gain further viewpoints to better target future directions of the journal to meet the needs of those working in Population Data Science. Plan The session will comprise 5 sections: • A short presentation overviewing the journal, its historical origins, its remit and relationship to the IPDLN and Network members. Primary objectives of the journal and performance metrics from the first 18 months of operation will be presented. • Gauging audience opinion on: • What they like/dislike about the journal • What is working well/not so well • Feedback and discussion on the survey results • Discussions with audience in groups, each focusing on some/all of the following questions, and a question of their own choice if something arises: • How can we make IJPDS articles more accessible to the general reader/non-specialist researcher? Example options: short video/audio; general reader summaries; infographics; other • How can we increase the reach of, and interest in, the journal? Open answers • What would you suggest as a special issue? These topics for group discussion will be posed to the session audience with the aim of using the feedback in defining our priorities for the coming year. • Feedback and summing up The groups will be asked to give their feedback. Feedback from the discussions and voting will be used to inform the next steps for IJPDS. Facilitators Kerina Jones, Founding Editor-in-Chief, Swansea University, Wales  Kim McGrail, Deputy Editor, University of British Columbia, Canada Claudia Medina Coeli, Editorial Board member, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Brazil Rainer Schnell, Editorial Board member, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany Stephanie Lee, Journal Director of Operations, Swansea University, Wale

Discrimination against Mixed-Status Families and its Health Impact on Latino Children

Background and Objective: Restrictive immigration policies and discrimination are associated with negative health outcomes for immigrant and Latino families. Mixed-status families represent a unique subpopulation of Latinos affected by restrictive immigration policies. This qualitative study explored discrimination against mixed-status families and its potential health impact on Latino children from the perspective of Latina mothers. Methods: In 2017, twenty in-depth interviews with Latina mothers of mixed-status families living in northwestern North Carolina were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed. Constant comparison, an approach to grounded theory development, was used. Results: Nine themes emerged that reflected experiences with discrimination and its negative impact on children. Themes included more frequent and severe discrimination during and after the 2016 US presidential election, determination to stay together and remain in the US, experiences of discrimination in multiple settings, the impact of discrimination on child health and well-being, the impact of fear and stress on meeting the needs of children, the burden on children serving as liaisons between families and services, the inability of citizenship to protect against the effects of discrimination, positive and hopeful responses to discrimination, and the potential role of education in building a foundation for reducing discrimination (and thus promoting the health and well-being of Latino children) in the future. Conclusions: Discrimination against mixed-status Latino families constitutes a critical threat to the health and well-being of Latino children. Further research should inform immigration policies that support (rather than threaten) the health, well-being, and health care practices that mitigate the stresses experienced by Latino children

Towards a user-centric and multidisciplinary framework for designing context-aware applications

Research into context-aware computing has not sufficiently addressed human and social aspects of design. Existing design frameworks are predominantly software orientated, make little use of cross-disciplinary work, and do not provide an easily transferable structure for cross-application of design principles. To address these problems, this paper proposes a multidisciplinary and user-centred design framework, and two models of context, which derive from conceptualisations within Psychology, Linguistics, and Computer Science. In a study, our framework was found to significantly improve the performance of postgraduate students at identifying the context of the user and application, and the usability issues that arise

Introducing Foster Care: Challenges and Opportunities to Reducing Health Disparities

Guest editor Dr. Anu Partap introduces Volume 9, Issue 1 of the Journal of Applied Research on Children

Contextual analysis: a multiperspective inquiry into emergence of complex socio-cultural systems

This paper explores the concept of organizations as complex human activity systems, through the perspectives of alternative systemic models. The impact of alternative models on perception of individual and organizational emergence is highlighted. Using information systems development as an example of management activity, individual and collective sense-making and learning processes are discussed. Their roles in relation to information systems concepts are examined. The main locus of the paper is on individual emergence in the context of organizational systems. A case is made for the importance of attending to individual uniqueness and contextual dependency when carrying out organizational analyses, e.g. information systems analysis. One particular method for contextual inquiry, the framework for Strategic Systemic Thinking, is then introduced, The framework supports stakeholders to own and control their own analyses. This approach provides a vehicle through which multiple levels of contextual dependencies can be explored and allows for individual emergence to develop