Date of Award
2007
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Education
Program
Education
Supervisor
Dr. Robert Sandieson
Abstract
The Pearl Harvesting Information Retrieval Theory (PHIRT) was investigated as a comprehensive hihliographic searching method. Relevant articles pertaining to social interactions and peer friendships among individuals with developmental disabilities (IDD) were retrieved using a list of essential terms harvested following six analytical steps. English journal articles within the years 1995-2006 were investigated in the databases ERIC and PsychInfo. Eleven essential terms were located. The results indicated that the PHIRT had a high retrieval rate when both essential topic terms and essential population terms were applied, yielding a comprehensive collection of relevant journal articles on the topic of social interactions and peer friendships among individuals with IDD. PHlRT produced four essential terms that were not classified within the thesauri terms. Limitations of the PHIRT sampling procedure are discussed
Recommended Citation
Boyd, Suzanne T., "EXAMINING THE METHODOLOGY OF THE PEARL HARVESTING INFORMATION RETRIEVAL: COLLECTING INFORMATION ON SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND PEER FRIENDSHIPS IN AN INCLUSIVE SETTING" (2007). Digitized Theses. 5088.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/5088