FRANCA, ZENETE MARIA PEIXOTO DA SILVA; PHD
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK, 1983
INFORMATION SCIENCE (0723)
Statement of the Problem. The problem was to identify and compare existing strategies
and mechanisms
for the diffusion of scientific and technical information through an analysis
of selected doctoral
dissertation. Research Procedures. A search of the Dissertation Abstracts International
(DAI) computer
database for relevant dissertations produced 64 studies. Review of these for
topical relevance and
comparability reduced the number of suitable studies to 32. Using a Data Collection
Form designed for
the study, information on the dissertations' methods, theoretical basis, sample,
and conclusions were
collected. Six research questions were answered on the basis of this data, and
a model representing the
entirety of the diffusion process as it occurs between developed nations and
end-users and the less
developed countries was constructed. The major results of the study were as
follows: (1) On the basis of
Lewin's three-phase paradigm for planned change, seven types of information
strategy were identified:
Delivery, Information Network, Adoption-Diffusion, Decision-making, Direct Foreign
Investment,
Research, Development and Diffusion, and Social Behavioral. These were subsequently
classified into
four clusters by pairing Delivery with Information Network, Adoption-Diffusion
with Decision-making, and
Direct Foreign Investment with Research, Development, and Diffusion. (2) A wide
variety of mechanisms
were noted. Mechanisms as defined in this study are the sources and/or channels
which carry the
message within the information diffusion process. (3) Chi-square testing showed
that personal
mechanisms were significantly (p < .05) more effective than other types of
mechanism. (4) Direct Foreign
Investment tended to be used with personal channels, while the Delivery and
Network cluster tended to
study impersonal channels. (5) No significant relationship was found between
mechanisms and the user
group with which they were employed. (6) A non-significant trend (p = .06) was
seen for Delivery and
Research, Development and Diffusion cluster strategies to be used with the most
informed users. (7) A
model was constructed which reflected the variation in communication sources
and channels as well as
the role of social cultural pressures and decision-making functions at all three
levels of information
dissemination. This model is applied to the communication process between developed
nations to
end-users in less developed countries.
Social
Systems Simulation Group
P.O. Box 6904 San Diego, CA 92166-0904 Roland Werner, Principal Phone/FAX (619) 660-1603 |