Truth Be Told: How Today’s Students Conduct Research

Alison J. Head24 April 2014 | LILAC

TeachAdviseTrainDevelopPromoteDiscussPracticeAdvanceStudy

Information Literacy

1746Articles and books about IL published in 2013

ALONE

Search of all databases at University of Washington Libraries, “information literacy,”4 April 2014

Source: Top 50 most relevant books and peer-reviewed articles from search, 4 April 2014

What was the IL discussion about last year?

What can we learn

from students?

7 Takeaways

from Students

About TheirInformation Literacy COMPETENCIES

#1Students say

research is more difficult

than ever before.

Adjectives that describe how you feel when you get a research assignment . . .

fear,angst, tired,dread,excited, anxious, annoyed, stressed,disgusted, intrigued, confused, andoverwhelmed.

2009, n = 86 | 7 campuses

#2 Getting started--

the hardestpart of

course research

Task Definition

Search Usinginformation

Taskdefinition

Search Selfassessment

69% 41% 30% 25%

What is most difficult?

2010 Survey, n = 8353 | 25 campuses

Getting startedDefining a topic

Narrowing a topic

#3 Frustrations

beginwith

finding context

Informationneed

Course research

Everyday lifeResearch

1. Big PictureSummary,

backgroundAlmost always

Often

2. Information Gathering

Locating relevant sources

Often Sometimes

2009, n = 2,318 | 6 campuses

Modeling the search for context

PIL’s Context Typology

Informationneed

Course research

Everyday lifeResearch

3. LanguageMeaning of

words, terms Sometimes Sometimes

4. Situational

How far to go, surrounding

circumstancesSometimes Sometimes

2009, n = 2,318 | 6 campuses

PIL’s Context Typology

Modeling the search for context

#4 Students use the

same few go-to

sources.

2010 Survey, n = 8,353 | 25 campuses2009, n = 2,318 | 6 campuses

Course research

Librarians 30% (2010); 47% ( 2009)

Everyday life research

2010 Survey, n = 8353 | 25 campuses2009 Survey, n =2,318 | 6 campuses

Librarians 14%( 2010); 33% (2009)

Satisficing

Situational & informationgathering contexts

Big picture / language contexts

A well-trodden path

#5 Wikipedia is

“my presearch tool”

Why Wikipedia?

2010 Wikipedia, First Monday, n = 8353 | 25 campuses

#6 Instructors

are “my research coaches”

1. Majority recommend a “place-based source” (60%)

2. Few recommended consulting librarians (13%)

3. Few defined what “research” is or means (16%)

2010 Handout Study, n = 191 handouts | 28 campuses

Handouts offer little guidance

#7 The

library is “my refuge”

How is the library used?

2009 Survey, n = 2318 | 6 campuses

Why ask a librarian for help?

2009 Survey, n = 2318 | 6 campuses

Language / information gathering contexts

What’s a librarian to do?

Interpreting change Implications

Shift from information scarcity to abundance.

• Evaluation is 21st competency

Information is disembodied from the whole source.

• More results > abstracts matter

Connectivity = “always on, always notifying.”

• Libraries as refuge > different needs

PIL Finding Solutions

Overloaded, busy, and doing things at last minute.

• Offer on-demand info services

Using same sources, many from high school experience.

• Go beyond “one shots,” e.g., three shots

Defining a topic is harder than finding sources.

• Fewer lessons on “search,” embed in courses

Truth Be Told: How Today’s Students Conduct Research

Alison J. Head24 April 2014 | LILACalison@projectinfolit.org