“THIS EVER-INCREASING ASSAULT UPON OUR EARS”

Information Literacy for High School, College, and Beyond

Lauren Magnuson

Trine University

An Analogy

“When Mozart was composing at the end of the eighteenth century, the city of Vienna was so quiet that fire alarms could be given verbally, by a shouting watchman mounted on top of St. Stefan’s Cathedral. In twentieth century society, the noise level is such that it keeps knocking our bodies out of tune and out of their natural rhythms.

This ever-increasing assault upon our ears adds to the

stress load of civilized beings trying to live in a highly complex environment.”

Steven Halpern

Info Lit for High School & College

Information literacy challenges are shared by high school educators and academic librarians

College readiness of high school graduates is an important issue for academic librarians

I needed to know more!

A Few Numbers

74% of Indiana 4-year college students pay in-state tuition (NCES, 2008)

More students from Indiana are going to college: Indiana’s college-going rate grew from 51% in 1992 to 63% in 2005 (LearnMore Indiana, 2009)

In national surveys, 63% of university survey respondents said preparedness for college has declined in the last ten years, while 59% of college instructors are dissatisfied with the ability of high school graduates to do research (Cengage, 2008, Owen, 2010)

High School Library Use: a sample

Very often14%

Occasionally62%

Never24%

Reported Frequency of High School Library Use Trine University Freshmen, Fall 2010

N=190

College Readiness IS Information Literacy

“At the heart of college readiness is development of the cognitive and metacognitive capabilities of incoming students. These include analysis, interpretation, precision and accuracy, problem solving, and reasoning.”

David T. Conley, Rethinking College Readiness, 2008

The Questions

How are ACRL Information Literacy Standards different from Indiana State Curriculum Content Standards?

How do Indiana academic librarians perceive the information literacy skills of incoming freshmen?

Do high school educators (library media specialists) feel they have time, funding and institutional support to integrate information literacy skills into curriculum?

Indiana Curriculum Standards vs. ACRL Standards : Parallels

Indiana Content Standards

1. The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively

2. The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.

4. The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.

ACRL Standards

ACRL Standard 2: The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently

ACRL Standard 3: The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.

Indiana Curriculum Standards vs. ACRL Standards : Parallels

Indiana Content Standards

3. The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.

6. The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation (generates knowledge)

9. The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information (shares and collaborates).

ACRL Standard

ACRL Standard 4: The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

Indiana Curriculum Standards vs. ACRL Standards : Parallels

Indiana Content Standards

7. The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and recognizes the importance of information in a democratic society

8. The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology

ACRL Standards

ACRL Standard 5: The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally

Difference 1

Indiana Curriculum Standard 5:The student who is an independent learner

is information literate and appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.

Difference 2

ACRL Standard 1: The information literate student determines the

nature and extent of the information needed.

Performance Indicators include:1. The information literate student defines and

articulates the need for information2. The information literate student identifies a variety

of types and formats of potential sources for information

3. The information literate student considers the cost and benefits of acquiring the needed information

Research Design

Goal: to gather qualitative information from high school educators and college librarians to illuminate shared issues

RQ1: Do academic librarians in Indiana perceive incoming freshmen to be proficient in the information literacy skills required for college research?

RQ2: Do high school instructors feel they have time and institutional support to integrate information literacy skills into class curriculum?

Research Method: Academic Librarians July – September 2010, an 8 question survey was

sent to several Indiana-based academic librarian email listservs

In particular, the study sought levels of agreement with the following statements:

1) First year students at my institution arrive proficient at accessing information effectively and efficiently (Ind. Cont. St. 1)

2) First year students at my institution arrive proficient in evaluating information and sources critically. (Ind. Cont. St. 2)

3) First year students at my institution arrive proficient in using information accurately and creatively. (Ind. Cont. St. 3)

50 responses were received

Findings: Academic LibrariansRespondents’ organizational positions:

Frequency of contact with first-year students:

First year students at my institution arrive proficient at accessing information effectively and efficiently. (Academic Librarians)

Strongly Disagree 19 38%

Disagree 30 60%

Agree 1 2%

Strongly Agree 0 0%

First year students at my institution arrive proficient in evaluating information and sources critically. (Academic Librarians)

Strongly Disagree 22 44%

Disagree 26 52%

Agree 1 2%

Strongly Agree 0 0%

First year students at my institution arrive proficient in using information accurately and creatively. (Academic Librarians)

Strongly Disagree 16 32%

Disagree 30 60%

Agree 4 8%

Strongly Agree 0 0%

What should high school teachers and library media specialists know about preparing students for college-level work? (Academic Librarians)

What should high school teachers and library media specialists know about preparing students for college-level work? (Free Response – Academic Librarians)

information literacy for life skills

constructing a search

how to ask for help

emphasizing the necessity/centrality of library resources

defining research topics

using databases/INSPIRE

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

1

1

1

1

2

4

4

4

7

8

8

19

Coded free response frequency

Research Method: High School Teachers and Media Specialists

From July – September 2010, a survey was distributed across several email listservs for Indiana Library Media Specialists and High School Educators

Special interest in the perception of institutional support and impact of standardized testing

Research Method: High School Teachers and Media Specialists

Owen (2010) cites 5 areas of skill weakness identified in previous research: General knowledge, Research Process & Questions, Searching for Information, Evaluating Information, and Using Information

In particular, I was interested in how library media specialists or high school teachers incorporate the following skills: Accessing information effectively and efficiently (Ind. Con.

St. 1) Evaluating information and sources critically (Ind. Con. St.

2) Using information accurately and creatively (Ind. Con. St.

3) 28 responses received

High School LMSs & Teachers Survey Responses: Organizational Positions

Classroom Teacher 2 7%

Library Media Specialist 23 82%

High School Administrator 0 0%

Other 3 11%

Media Specialist Classroom Teacher

[2]

High School Administrator [0]

I directly teach or promote the following skills with students (check as many as apply): (LMSs & Teachers)

Accessing information effectively and efficiently. 28 100%

Evaluating information and sources critically. 28 100%

Using information accurately and creatively. 27 96%

I have institutional support for my efforts to prepare students for college-level research work. (LMSs & Teachers)

Strongly Disagree 0 0%

Disagree 8 29%

Agree 17 61%

Strongly Agree 3 11%

Standardized testing requirements affect my ability to prepare students for college-level research work. (LMSs & Teachers)

Strongly Disagree 0 0%

Disagree 14 50%

Agree 10 36%

Strongly Agree 3 11%

How does standardized testing affect students? – Elaboration / Free Response (LMSs & Teachers)

How does standardized testing affect students? – Elaboration / Free Response (LMSs & Teachers)

Testing does not affect me because:

• The grade levels I teach are not impacted by testing requirements very much

• I am able to incorporate information literacy into test prep

• because I experience limited teacher cooperation regardless of testing requirements

Testing affects me because:

• The library is closed throughout the year for testing

• Teachers do not feel they have time to incorporate information literacy and library instruction

• Too much time is spent on remediation for improving test scores

• Too much time is spent on test prep

Use of INSPIRE

Yes95%

No5%

Do you promote the use of INSPIRE databases? (LMSs & Teachers)

N=20

Library Media Specialists are essential for teaching and promoting information literacy skills at the high school level. (LMSs & Teachers)

Strongly Agree81%

Agree14%

Disagree5%

N=20

Lack of funding for Library Media Specialists at the high school level has a detrimental effect on the information literacy skills of high school graduates (LMSs & Teachers)

Strongly Agree90%

Agree10%

N=20

What should college librarians know about the preparedness of high school graduates? (Free Response – LMSs & Teachers)

1. Inadequate staffing levels in school libraries

2. Students do not see importance in IL skills

3. Teachers do not know how to or do not require students to use evaluated

sources

5. College librarians need to assess incoming student knowledge

4. IL curriculum is not standardized enough

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Coded Free Response Frequency

Analysis/Discussion

Responses illuminate problem areas with regard to staffing and funding issues for high school LMSs

However, there are also opportunities like relatively strong institutional support and the ability for IL skills to be incorporated into testing requirements

Responses from both high school educators and college librarians indicate many shared concerns: emphasizing critical evaluation of

information teacher training/faculty buy-in

Recommendations

It is especially important for Education subject librarians to persuade Education faculty to incorporate information literacy skills in teacher education

Academic librarians should be aware of the funding and staffing issues in school libraries, and support funding and collaboration with community schools

School of Education

Teacher Graduate

High School

Graduate

Further Research Needed

Further research is needed in exploring the actual performance indicators of information literacy curriculum guidelines

Discourse is needed to structure and standardize IL instruction: What precisely should the high school graduate

know? What skills are the sole responsibilities of

academic librarians? What are some effective ways to collaborate,

given limited time to do so?

More Information

For more information about the “College Ready, College Bound” event focusing

on project-based learning, contact Rhonda Huisman (IUPUI):

rhuisman@iupui.edu

For questions about this presentation or the survey data, contact Lauren

Magnuson: magnusonl@trine.edu

Bibliography

American Library Association. ACRL Information Literacy Standards. Web. Accessed 5/19/2010. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm.

Cengage Learning (2008). Cengage Learning Survey Reveals College Instructor Views on Challenges Facing First-Year Students. Web. http://www.cengage.com/press/release/20080422.html.

Conley, D.T. (2008). Rethinking College Readiness. New England Journal of Higher Education, 24-26.

Indiana Department of Education. Information Literacy (ALL): Information Literacy. Standards – Indiana Standards & Resources. Web. http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/StandardSearch.aspx. Accessed 5/19/2010.

LearnMore Indiana (2009). Improving College Access and Success: Indiana’s Strategies Getting Results. Web. http://www.collegeaccessmarketing.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=1660

NCES College Navigator. http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ Accessed 10/15/2010. Owen, P. A Transition Checklist for High School Seniors. School Library Monthly (26)

8, 2010.