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 | [email protected]