| This research explores the role and implications of reference group theory in relation to phenomena occurring within the social world of Jeanes Supervisors. Reference group theory is based upon the principle that people take the standards of significant others as a basis for making self-appraisals, comparisons, and choices regarding the need and use of information. Jeanes Supervisors were Negro female educators who initiated the first supervisory programs in rural Southern public schools. They served from 1909 to the late 1960s, and performed their duties under often adverse circumstances. Implications are promising that knowledge gained from this research can be beneficial in helping educators and information professionals better understand the role that theory, more specifically, reference group theory, plays in examining the ways in which people seek information and manage their information worlds. Thus, this study of reference group theory and Jeanes Supervisors could be useful in helping contemporary information providers develop systems that more appropriately meet the information needs of America's growing multi-cultural populations. |
