Research:Peer mentorship and snuggle
Project Summary[edit]
In this study, we'll interview Snuggle users and other English Wikipedians about their mentoring and other newcomer socialization activities. We'll also demo the current version of Snuggle and ask for feedback.
Methods[edit]
We'll perform a mixed semi-structured interview and demonstration session with Wikipedians who have shown an interest in mentorship. We'll be aiming to perform 20 interviews. We'll select users to contact from en:Wikipedia:Snuggle#Sign_up and activities at en:WP:Adopt-a-user.
These sessions will consist of:
- A semi-structured interview about mentoring activities on Wikipedia
- A 15-minute demonstration of the software that includes the Wikipedian using the software on their own
- A semi-structure debrief about their use and perception of Snuggle
We expect the sessions to take from 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the amount of discussion around the interview questions.
Dissemination[edit]
A report will be posted here on meta. It will most likely appear on this very page. A paper submission may be made to a top-tier ACM conference (CHI or CSCW) that allows for open-access green archiving.
Wikimedia Policies, Ethics, and Human Subjects Protection[edit]
Recruitment message & Consent form
The IRB: Human Subjects Committee determined that the referenced study is exempt from review under federal guidelines 45 CFR Part 46.101(b) category #2 SURVEYS/INTERVIEWS; STANDARDIZED EDUCATIONAL TESTS; OBSERVATION OF PUBLIC BEHAVIOR. Study Number: 1307E39941 Principal Investigator: Aaron Halfaker Title(s): IIS 11-11201 SoCS: Collaborative Research: Supporting Newcomer Socialization in Online Production Communities
Benefits for the Wikimedia community[edit]
Snuggle is a tool that's built for English Wikipedia mentors. The primary goal of this study is to understand the needs of Wikipedia mentors and to adapt Snuggle to fit into their work practices.
Timeline[edit]
The surveys and interviews will take approximately two weeks.
Funding[edit]
This project is funded by the NSF grant, IIS 11-11201, through the en:GroupLens Research lab at the en:University of Minnesota.
Contacts[edit]
The best way to contact the author of this study is through his wiki persona, User:EpochFail. He can also be contacted through email at ahalfaker@wikimedia.org.