Contextualizing everyday data literacies: The case of recreational runners

Abstract

Data literacy is typically described in a decontextualized manner, and many data literacy frameworks are detached from the “messy” realities of everyday life. In the present study, we selected a specific context (recreational running), specific data technology (self-tracking devices), and specific viewpoint (accuracy of data and analyses) to construct a substantial theory of (one form of) contextual data literacy. The research question is: How do recreational runners’ everyday data literacy appear in relation to the accuracy of measurements and analyses of self-tracking devices? Through a grounded theory-inspired analysis of qualitative survey data (N = 997), we identified the data literacy actions that runners engaged with when assessing the accuracy of data in relation to their subjective needs, objectives, and life situations. The first-order data literacy actions (comparison and evaluation) captured how runners assessed and analyzed the accuracy of data, and they took place mainly in the immediate context of running. The second-order data literacy actions (acceptance, adaptation, and optimization) were the result of the runners’ reflections of what they sought from running and how they valued data, as well as their broader life situation.