Student Information Literacy in the Mobile

Environment

A Critique of:Yarmey, K. (2011). Student Information Literacy in the

Mobile Environment. 1-8. http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/StudentInformationLiteracyinth/225860

Israel Butler May 16, 2012

EDET 780

Searching for information effectively Critical evaluation of information Incorporation of new information into one’s

knowledge base

Purpose

Study conducted fall 2010 Electronic survey on Internet-capable phone

use Random sample of 832 University of

Scranton undergraduates Ages 18-24, representing 22% of

university’s undergrad population. Survey consisted of 35 multiple-choice

questions

Methodology

69% of respondents (229 students) owned smartphones

iPhone – 11% Android – 12% BlackBerry – 20% Other brands – 57%

Phone Ownership

Academic Use of Smartphones

(Yarmey Figure 2)

Different phone users search for information in various ways

Majority of smartphone users used typed keywords

iPhone and Android users used alternative input methods

Info Gathering on Smartphones

Yarmey’s survey found that the majority of students reviewed search results less than twice

Less than 25% reported checking more than five initial search results

Verifying Search Results

25% of respondents did not question reliability of sites

<10% reported visiting a website’s “About Us” page

Varmey’s theory: Loading additional web page on phone would demand

more time: speed of data connection

Mobile Website Reliability

73% of iPhone users and 86% of Android users used app reviews to judge reliability

Less than 7% of iPhone users and 11% of Android users did not question validity of apps

Evaluation of Mobile Apps

Information literacy instructors should become familiar with new search methods to aid students

Students should review a number of serach results

Instructors should help students understand how to evaluate info when presented in nontraditional forms, i.e. mobile apps

Students may need help applying information literacy skills learned while searching on a desktop/laptop

Conclusion

Mobile technology such as iPads and other tablet devices were beginning to surface in the mainstream

Certain Academic apps (Scranton’s Angel system) were not as userfriendly during the time of survey

Research was limited in scope due to single-site survey

Problems

Searching for information effectively in the mobile environment

Critical evaluation of mobile resources Exploring different methods information was

retrieved through smartphones

Focus of Study

How has information literacy changed with the emergence of recent technological advancements in mobile devices and tablet computers?

Since academic mobile apps have been improved since the time of this study, are postsecondary students more information literate with user-friendlier apps?

Future Research

Yarmey, K. (2011). Student Information Literacy in the Mobile Environment. 1-8. http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/StudentInformationLiteracyinth/225860