Information Literacy in Higher Education: Research Students’ Development in Information Search Expertise

Abstract

A comparative analysis of the results of two longitudinal studies conducted a decade apart, among research post-graduate students, with the purpose of understanding the progress in their information literacy (IL) skills, forms the content of this report. The analysis is based on the application of the Research and Information Search Expertise (RISE) model, which traces students’ progression across four stages of expertise. Such progression was measured across two dimensions of knowledge: that of information sources/databases and that of information search skills. Both studies adopted basic interpretive qualitative methods involving direct observation, interviews, think-aloud protocols, and survey questionnaires, during each of the five interventions, which were spread over a one to one-and-half year period. Scaffolding training was provided at each meeting and data were collected to assess the influence of such training on development of search expertise. A comparison of the findings reveals that students in both studies advance in their IL skills largely in a similar manner. Scaffolding support was found to help both dimensions of knowledge and that lack of one or the other type of knowledge could hinder their ability to find relevant sources for their research. The studies make evident the need for training programs for higher education students, to improve both their knowledge of information sources and their search techniques, tailor-made to closely correlate to their specific information needs. The studies provide insights into student behaviors in the development of IL skills, and the RISE model offers a framework for application to other similar research.