Reading between the lines: An examination of first-year university students' perceptions and confidence with information literacy

Beverly Dann; Anne Drabble; Janet Martin

doi:10.11645/16.1.3106

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Reading between the lines: An examination of first-year university students' perceptions and confidence with information literacy

Journal article

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Reading between the lines: An examination of first-year university students' perceptions and confidence with information literacy

Beverly Dann, Anne Drabble and Janet Martin

Journal of Information Literacy, Vol.16(1), pp.50-69

2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.11645/16.1.3106

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Abstract

Education systems

Higher education

transition to university

information literacy

first-year students

tertiary success

Australia

first-year undergraduates

higher education

The aim of this paper is to explore how first-year university students at a regional university in Australia perceive and use Information Literacy (IL) as they transition from school to university. A survey method was used to gather data through pre- and post-intervention surveys with 1,333 first-year students enrolled in their first semester of study across all disciplines at the university. The study identified between 25-35% of students did not enjoy reading, with many students preferring not to read. Students arrived at university with largely misguided confidence in their personal IL skills, especially the skills needed to meet the demands of university level coursework, with up to 47% of students unlikely to have experienced well-resourced libraries at school. The study concludes that implications for university teaching include gaining an early understanding of the IL skills students have when they arrive at university, and the explicit teaching of IL skills, given the identified impact of IL skills on student success and retention rates.

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Title: Reading between the lines: An examination of first-year university students' perceptions and confidence with information literacy
Authors: Beverly Dann (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre - Legacy
Anne Drabble (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre - Legacy
Janet Martin (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education - Legacy
Publication details: Journal of Information Literacy, Vol.16(1), pp.50-69
Publisher: Information Literacy
Date published: 2022
DOI: 10.11645/16.1.3106
ISSN: 1750-5968
Copyright note: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Grants: Reading between the lines: Developing first year education students' information literacy through instruction and scholarly engagement, 0980025343, University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia, Sunshine Coast) - UniSC
Organisation Unit: Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; School of Education and Tertiary Access; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99607208802621
Output Type: Journal article

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