Information Research, Vol. 10 No. 1, 2004

Assignment information processes: what's 'enough' for high achievement?

Nicola Parker
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
Nicola.J.Parker@uts.edu.au. Phone: (+61)-2-99 38 13 60 Fax: (+61)-2-99 38 13 60

The concept of 'enough' is central to productivity and success in an information saturated world and a critical part of students' experiences of Assignment Information Processes (AIP). In the face of information abundance, the continuous question of 'What is enough?' moves beyond a series of quantitative judgements, to complex negotiations that are fluid and always highly contextually and personally embedded. How the concept of 'enough' interacts with postgraduate students' approaches to their AIP is investigated over the course of an assessed research paper, using phenomenographic methods. This research indicates that these practised information seekers experience 'enough' in five different ways. These go beyond judgements about information to include intentions, strategies and individual meaning. In addition six different types of 'enough' have been identified (Personal Resonance; Professional Proof; Evolving Content; Academic Expectations; Project Management and Assignment Task), each altering the criteria students prioritise. The highly achieving students integrated 'enough' into their holistic information behaviour, which includes: information utilisation, skills enhancement, meaning creation, writing and learning. In complex ways 'enough' both moderates and drives learning and production processes. By looking at intensive and successful information experiences we can begin to see the concept of 'enough' as generative and exploratory, rather than just in terms of difficulties, gaps, and 'stopping'. This is a useful step towards clarifying a key concept for information seeking in context.