Many first-year students enrolled in higher education have never lived in a world without a web browser, even if they didn’t not have regular access to one. How could the constant presence of the internet change assumptions students make about information? With the help from Dervin’s Ten Information Assumptions, we explore how Generation Z students are approaching information and how to adapt our Information Literacy Instruction to meet their needs in the classroom.
As noted by the authors of the original study done at Eastern Kentucky University, one of the major limitations was the small size of the sample; though the preliminary data was interesting, it was not sufficient to generalize to a larger population. This is where we at Newark saw an opportunity. With a larger and more diverse Freshmen class, and a relationship that allowed us into the mandatory freshmen course offered by The Ohio State University, we knew there was a chance to gain a larger perspective that may be more applicable to other institutions.
Research Design
This study made use of the survey instrument which was designed to examine the assumptions generation Z students, as defined to include anyone born during or after 1994, make regarding information.
Sample
The population sampled for this study was first-year students enrolled in University Survey at the Ohio State Newark campus. In the initial study conducted by Cole et al., the researchers identified 1994 as the beginning year for generation Z; this study used the same cut-off year in order to compare similar data points. Surveys collected from participants who indicated they were born prior to 1994 will not be included in the data analysis. Study participants were recruited through email; an invitation to the survey was sent to every student enrolled in University Survey during the Autumn 2017 semester. Participation in the survey was voluntary, and students who participated were entered into a drawing for a gift card to the campus bookstore.
1,526 students were invited to participate, with 179 students completing the survey; our response rate was 11%.
Measurement/Instrumentation
This study used a modified version of the Generation Z: Information Facts and Fictions survey instrument developed by Cole et al. The modifications included the elimination of a few statements due to redundancy, minor edits to statements in order to make them clearer to students, and the addition of two questions addressing when students began using technology.
Detailed Study Procedures and Data Analysis
The Qualtrics survey itself consisted of a series of statements related to information and information use; for each statement, participants were asked to use a likert scale to include the degree to which they agree or disagree with each statement.
Data from the survey was exported into Excel; the data was then be calculated to determine the percentage of students who responded to each question with totally disagree (1), moderately disagree (2), slightly disagree (3), neither agree nor disagree (4), slightly agree (5), moderately agree (6), or totally agree (7). Data was then compiled into Agree, Neutral, and Disagree in order to better test for significance with a Chi-square table.
Internal Validity
To avoid a scenario where the answers to previous statements influenced future statements, participants were only exposed to no more than five statements at a time.
Significant Findings
Dervin‘S 10 Assumptions about Information And INformation seeking
HOW DO WE APPLY THE FINDINGS IN THE CLASSROOM?
Research is Messy
We discovered the overwhelming majority of students surveyed believe that every question has an answer. An opportunity to challenge this idea is to provide space for students to practice answering research questions that not only have more than one answer, but possibly no answers.
Scenario:
Students are broken into groups, each group with a question that they need to research. These questions will be repeated among the groups. Students have already been shown how to get to the primary database for their level of course; they are given a time frame to find an answer to the question, and have assigned one person in the group to speak on it once the time is done. The hopes are that the groups that had questions that have been duplicated will have found different answers, and those who have found none, will be justified by others finding none as well.
RESEARCH is still Messy
Students find themselves overwhelmed by the amount of information at hand. A way to help them identify stopping point in searching, helping them identify when they have met their information needs, could be to have them map their own research process, and then revise including stopping points for personal check-ins.
Scenario:
Having talked with your students about the research cycle, ask them to create their own, and to pinpoint where they stress, procrastinate, or unconfident in their process. Talk about how this process is cyclical, not a straight line to finding sources, finding answers, or coming to conclusions. Finally, guide them in revising their initial research cycle, putting in check-points with reflective guiding questions surrounding these pain-points. Ensure the inclusion of a question to address the overwhelming amount of information being found.
Do you have too much information coming back at you? Sit back and think for a moment, Have you narrowed your question enough? Are you looking in the right place? Should you be in a specialized database instead? Are you using the right Boolean for the type of search you are doing?
Information isn’t always freely avaliable
Students very strongly agree that any information they need is already available and free. Needless to say this is problematic and puts us in a corner as information professionals. Interlibrary Loan often leads us to telling our students that we can find anything they want, but never addressing fully that this is a privilege they have because of the tuition they pay, rather than something that is free for all.
Scenario:
Ask students to search for known articles in a database, and in Google; and ask if they are able to locate the full text of articles in both venues. Discuss why access to articles might differ between user populations, and how this can create barriers to information. Ask them to consider their own information searching outside of the classroom: do they favor free articles over article behind a paywall? How do they navigate that paywall?
Letting your question lead you
We found that students strongly prefer sources who have some sort of authority attached, an author, professor or scientist. This can be problematic because they also tell us they are turning to Google first, and often deciding the credibility of a source based solely on the credentials of authors.
Scenario:
Give examples of research questions paired with scenarios. Give your students time to discuss, and then bring forward a decision on what types of information would best help them answer each questions. Ensure they are prepared to answer why they consider different types of information useful or pertinent, and how that changed depending on the question and it’s context.
Your mom is worried about the next vacation you have planned. She tells you there are sinkholes there and want you to buy specialty boots for your travels. What would be an appropriate resource to ease your mom’s mind and ensure you don’t have to buy costly boots?
References
Cole, A., Napier, T., & Marcum, B. (2015). Generation Z: information facts and fictions. In T. A. Swanson and H Jagman (Eds.), Not just where to click: teaching students how to think about information (107-137). Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries.
Dervin, B. (1976). Strategies for dealing with human information needs: information or communication. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 20 (3), 324-333
Looking for opportunities to collaborate or just want to know more?
Contact Katie Blocksidge at Blocksidge.3@osu.edu OR Hanna Primeau at Primeau.8@osu.edu
Credits:
Created with images by Nicole Honeywill - "IDS_UNTITLED_PHOTO_NAME" • rawpixel - "desk work business" • MichaelGaida - "news daily newspaper press" • geralt - "books question mark student" • JOSHUA COLEMAN - "IDS_UNTITLED_PHOTO_NAME" • ElasticComputeFarm - "library books knowledge" • terimakasih0 - "ask sign design" • TeroVesalainen - "question mark hand drawn solution" • andrew_t8 - "library la trobe study" • Abhijith S Nair - "IDS_UNTITLED_PHOTO_NAME" • Nick Miller - "IDS_UNTITLED_PHOTO_NAME" • Mikael Kristenson - "IDS_UNTITLED_PHOTO_NAME" • Tim Gouw - "IDS_UNTITLED_PHOTO_NAME" • Pexels - "brush color colors" • Delphotostock - "Shoes and arrows pointing in different directions on asphalt floor" • Robert Bye - "IDS_UNTITLED_PHOTO_NAME" • NEW DATA SERVICES - "IDS_UNTITLED_PHOTO_NAME" • ndemello - "sign stop warning" • freestocks.org - "IDS_UNTITLED_PHOTO_NAME" • Tobias Carlsson - "IDS_UNTITLED_PHOTO_NAME" • Priscilla Du Preez - "IDS_UNTITLED_PHOTO_NAME"