Developing a Framework for Interactive Information Retrieval of Digital Libraries Based on Bandura's Social-Cognitive Theory

It is necessary to pay attention to the dimensions of interaction as a basic concept in computer environments to understand and draw the psychological function and users’ behaviors and the optimal design of Interactive Information Retrieval systems. Also the issue of interaction, due to its complex nature, requires the simultaneous attention of personal-cognitive, behavioral, environmental factors of users related to the process of information retrieval and correct understanding of these components. Hence, the main aim of this study is presenting a framework for main and sub elements of information retrieval interaction based on social-cognitive theory and to develop a checklist for Interactive Information Retrieval based on this theory in digital libraries. The present study was conducted using library and survey methods. In this regard the survey of experts and Delphi panels were used in two stages. Initially, the extraction and evaluation of various components of Interactive Information Retrieval in digital library systems as well as the effective components of social-cognitive theory were done via the study of different texts. Then, the dimensions and components of interaction, based on social-cognitive theory were calculated using academic experts’ opinions. These elements were set and validated in a five-option Likert scale questionnaire. The main components include three dimensions of interaction with information, interaction with interface and interaction with tasks and sub-components, each of which forms the effect group and social-cognitive theory with the three main components of personality, environment and behavior form the causes group. The community of experts included 17 experts in the field of information retrieval based on the snowball sampling method. Considering the high values of Kendall consensus coefficient in two components of personality and behavior of about 0.77 and the coefficient of 0.72 in the environment component, a total of 60 components in these three dimensions were agreed. Based on the research findings and in addition to the two stages of Delphi and after removing the components with an average of less than three in the Likert scale, 21 components in the personal dimension, 20 components in the behavior dimension and 19 components in the environment dimension were approved by the research experts. The results indicated that the authenticity item of all three components of personality, behavior and environment and comprehensiveness, objective work task complexity items of environment and subjective work task difficulity item of behavior dimension were recognized as unimportant items according to the opinion of research experts and were eliminated. The framework obtained from this study can be used as the basis for future research to apply these components with emphasis on three basic aspects of user behavior in the optimal design of Interactive Information Retrieval systems.