Information Literacy Education for First-Year Composition Students

2018 ◽  
pp. 85-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica D. T. Rysavy ◽  
Russell Michalak ◽  
Kevin Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Literacy Assessment ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Composition Students ◽  
First Year Composition ◽  
Composition Course ◽  
International Graduate

This chapter describes how the researchers at a small private Master's level college examined how different delivery modes—face-to-face (F2F), hybrid, and online instruction—may impact first-year students' perceptions of their information literacy (IL) skills compared to their test-assessed information literacy skills using the students perception of information literacy-questionnaire (SPIL-Q) and information literacy assessment (ILA) instruments. These instruments were developed and deployed to international graduate business students in two previous studies: Michalak and Rysavy and Michalak, Rysavy, and Wessel. The students (n=161) in this study were enrolled in a first-year English composition course in the Spring 2017 semester. This iteration achieved an overall response rate of 87.04% (n=141). Overall, results demonstrated the greatest achievement were demonstrated by students in hybrid course sections.

scholarly journals First Year University Students Arrive with Some Search Skills, But Struggle with Scholarly Sources

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Cari Merkley
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Information Source ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Scholarly Literature ◽  
Information Literacy Skills

A Review of: Salisbury, F., & Karasmanis, S. (2011). Are they ready? Exploring student information literacy skills in the transition from secondary to tertiary education. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 42(1), 43-58. Objective – To determine what existing information literacy skills first year students possess upon entering university. Design – Quantitative survey questionnaire. Setting – A research university in Australia. Subjects – 1,029 first year students in the health sciences. Methods – First year students enrolled in the health sciences were asked to complete a paper questionnaire in their first week of classes in 2009. The 20 question survey was distributed in student tutorial groups. The first 10 questions collected information on student demographics, expected library use, and existing information seeking behaviour. The remaining 10 questions tested students’ understanding of information literacy concepts. Data collected from the survey were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS. Main Results – Most of the students who responded to the questionnaire were between the ages of 16 and 21 (84.3%) with only 2.2% over the age of 40. Approximately 15% of respondents had completed some postsecondary university or vocational education prior to enrolling in their current program. The students ranked Google, a friend, and a book as the top three places they would go to find information on something they knew little about. Google was also the most popular choice for finding a scholarly article (35% of respondents), followed by the library catalogue (21%). A large proportion of students correctly answered questions relating to identifying appropriate search terms. For example, one third of the students selected the correct combination of search concepts for a provided topic, and 77% identified that the choice of search phrase could negatively impact search results. Students also demonstrated prior knowledge of the Boolean operator AND, with 38% correctly identifying its use in the related question. Most students were also able to identify key markers of a website’s credibility. Questions relating to ethical information use and scholarly literature proved more challenging. Almost half (45%) of the students said that they did not know the characteristics of a peer reviewed journal article. Twenty five percent of respondents indicated that citing an information source was only necessary in the case of direct quotes, with only 28% correctly identifying the need for citing both quotes and paraphrasing. Only 23% were able to select the example of a journal citation from the list presented. Conclusion – Students enter university with existing strengths in concept identification and basic search formulation, but require the most assistance with locating and identifying scholarly literature and how to cite it appropriately in their work. The findings will inform the development of an online information literacy assessment tool to assist incoming students in identifying areas where they may require additional support as they transition to university.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Course Integrated Library Instruction in an Undergraduate Nursing Program

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Farrell ◽  
Janet Goosney ◽  
Karen Hutchens
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Nursing Program ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Undergraduate Nursing ◽  
Literacy Training ◽  
Literacy Methods ◽  
Information Literacy Skills

Introduction: Many faculty in two Schools of Nursing found that students in the fourth year of the Bachelor of Nursing program were not well equipped to perform information literacy activities efficiently and effectively, such as doing research to support their daily work. A course-integrated information literacy program was implemented at both sites, which left some students having very little information literacy training, whereas others who started the program in later years had information literacy training in all or most years of the curriculum. This study sought to evaluate students as they gained more experience with information literacy. Methods: To determine if increased exposure to information literacy training improved students' levels of competency and confidence, the authors compared first-year students with two groups of fourth-year students who had differing exposures to information literacy. Results: Acceptable response rates for data analysis were acquired at only one site. It was found that overall, fourth-year students were more confident and tested better with information literacy competencies than first-year students, but there was not as much improvement as was hypothesized. Discussion: The results of this evaluation have demonstrated a need to improve the information literacy teaching in certain areas. The data have also indicated that students do indeed retain information literacy skills with an increased number of sessions. Further areas for study are outlined as well as the limitations and strengths of the study design.

scholarly journals Charting Success: Using Practical Measures to Assess Information Literacy Skills in the First-Year Writing Course

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Elizabeth Donahue
Keyword(s):  
Program Evaluation ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Literacy Skill ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Library Research ◽  
Information Literacy Skills ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective – The aim was to measure the impact of a peer-to-peer model on information literacy skill-building among first-year students at a small commuter college in the United States. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is the state’s flagship public university and UNH Manchester is one of its seven colleges. This study contributed to a program evaluation of the Research Mentor Program at UNH Manchester whereby peer writing tutors are trained in basic library research skills to support first-year students throughout the research and writing process. Methods – The methodology employed a locally developed pre-test/post-test instrument with fixed-choice and open-ended questions to measure students’ knowledge of the library research process. Anonymized data was collected using an online survey with SurveyMonkey™ software. A rubric was developed to score the responses to open-ended questions. Results – The study indicated a positive progression toward increased learning for the three information literacy skills targeted: 1) using library resources correctly, 2) building effective search strategies, and 3) evaluating sources appropriately. Students scored higher in the fixed-choice questions than the open-ended ones, demonstrating their ability to more effectively identify the applicable information literacy skill than use the language of information literacy to describe their own research behavior. Conclusions – The assessment methodology used was an assortment of low-key, locally-developed instruments that provided timely data to measure students understanding of concepts taught and to apply those concepts correctly. Although the conclusions are not generalizable to other institutions, the findings were a valuable component of an ongoing program evaluation. Further assessment measuring student performance would strengthen the conclusions attained in this study.

scholarly journals First-Year Library Student Assistants Have Better Information Literacy Skills, and Demonstrate a Larger Increase in these Skills, Compared to Their First-Year Peers

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 227
Author(s):  
Elaine Sullo
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
The Other ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Fall Semester ◽  
Perfect Score ◽  
Information Literacy Skills ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Student Assistants

A Review of: Folk, A. L. (2014). How well are we preparing them?: An assessment of first-year library student assistants’ information literacy skills. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 21(2), 177-192. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10691316.2013.829377 Objective – To examine the information literacy skills of first year library student assistants, in comparison to first year students who are not library assistants. Additionally, the study investigates whether information literacy skills of library student assistants increased more than those of the general student population during their first semester at college. Design – Pretest/posttest. Setting – Two regional campuses of a research university in the United States of America. Subjects – First-year students, including library student assistants and students in the Freshman Seminar course. At one regional campus, 103 first-year students, including 5 library student assistants, completed the pretest. At the same campus, 75 first year students, including 5 library student assistants, completed the posttest. At the other campus, 30 first-year students, including 3 library student assistants, completed the pretest, and 26 first-year students, including 2 library student assistants, completed the posttest. Methods – The researcher distributed a pretest and posttest that included demographic questions and 11 items related to information literacy to first-year students. The pretest was given within the first two weeks of the fall semester, before the students attended library instructional sessions. At one campus, the library student assistants took the pretest at the beginning of their first shift, while at the second campus, the library student assistants completed the pretest within the first two weeks of the semester. The posttest was given to participants within the last two weeks of classes during the fall semester. Main Results – On the pretest, the library student assistant scores ranged from 6 to 10, out of a maximum of 11 points. For the posttest, these students had scores that ranged from 8 to 11. Both of these score ranges were higher than the mean score of the general first-year students. The mean of the pretest scores of the general first-year students was 5.95 points out of 11 points with a mean score of 54.1%, while the mean of the pretest scores for the library student assistants was 8.13, or 73.9%. The mean of the posttest scores for the general first-year students was 7.29, or 66.3%, while the mean of the posttest scores for the library student assistants was 9.43, or 85.7%. No students earned a perfect score on the pretest. On the posttest, 29% of the library student assistants scored a perfect 11 points, while only 4% of the general first-year students earned a perfect score. In comparing pretest to posttest scores, the general first-year students’ mean score increased 1.34 points, while the mean score of the library student assistants increased by 1.3 points. The library student assistants scored higher than the general first-year students on both the pretest and posttest; these numbers are statistically significant. The author reports that the increase in the mean scores from the pretest to the posttest for the library student assistants is not statistically significant. On the other hand, the increase of the mean scores from the pretest to the posttest for the general first-year students is statistically significant (p. 186). Conclusions – The author concludes that the information literacy skills of first-year library student assistants are better than general first-year students. This information is valuable to librarians who wish to gauge how well they are doing in regards to teaching information literacy skills to library student assistants. Additionally, librarians can better understand how their instruction is contributing to the library student assistants’ educational experiences in general as well as their future as lifelong learners.

scholarly journals Evidence vs. Anecdote: Using Syllabi to Plan Curriculum-Integrated Information Literacy Instruction

2008 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 566-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy VanScoy ◽  
Megan J. Oakleaf
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Academic Departments ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Information Literacy Skills

Many academic library instruction programs seek to integrate information literacy skills into the curriculum of academic departments. Previous literature on this topic generally recommends a “tiered” approach to curriculum-integrated instruction (CII); these tiered approaches suggest teaching basic skills to first- and second-year students and advanced skills to third- and fourth-year students. Many authors identify skills to teach at each level; however, their recommendations appear to be based on anecdote and common sense. While both anecdote and common sense are useful as starting points, librarians who plan CII programs should use evidence to make instructional decisions. To provide evidence for CII planning, this syllabus study investigated the research skills required of first-year students in their first semester at college. The results demonstrate that most first-semester students are required to find articles and Web sites to support their assignments, and many students are required to find books. Some must also find reference books as well as data and statistical sources to complete their course assignments. These results suggest that previous recommendations regarding tiered instructional approaches should be investigated further and revised.

scholarly journals First-Year Students’ Understanding of Research and Their Information Literacy Skills Change Over Time and in Four Different Ways

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-176
Author(s):  
Alisa Howlett
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Dissonance ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Emotional Labour ◽  
Information Literacy Skills ◽  
Over Time

A Review of: Kirker, M. J., & Stonebraker, I. (2019). Architects, renovators, builders and fragmenters: A model for first year students’ self-perceptions and perceptions of information literacy. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 45(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2018.10.009 Abstract Objective – To explore students’ perceptions of their information literacy skills and how these change during the first-year experience. Design – A longitudinal qualitative study using cognitive dissonance theory. Setting – Two large public universities in the United States of America. Subjects – Students enrolled in research methods and information literacy-based courses in their first semester. Methods – Students were required to submit two written self-reflections as part of their course; the first was completed in the first two weeks of the semester and the second at the end of the semester. Informed consent was obtained for all reflections used for the study. The authors selected 12 students (6 from each institution) to participate in semi-structured interviews at the end of their first year. A total of 178 self-reflections were included in the analysis. Main Results – The study found that students’ understanding of research changed during the first-year experience, and that students had four main journeys related to their information literacy skills and perceptions. Instances of cognitive dissonance were observed. Students can consider themselves both good and bad researchers at the same time. The study also revealed the research process as an emotional labour, not just an intellectual one. Conclusion – The study concluded that a shared understanding of “research” between librarians and students is needed in order to teach information literacy effectively. It is also important to recognise that students transform their information literacy over time (not just from a single class or program) and that teaching needs to meet students where they are on their journey, depending on their “developmental paths.”

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