what do you want to see? assessing students’ skills
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What do you want to see? Assessing students’ skillsPh.D. candidateYusuke Ishimura
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GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
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Connection to This Class
Students’ research process
in a real environment
Very personal, messy process
How? Why?
What IL skills?
Complete picture of
the research process
Implications for librarians
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
3+Research Questions
What are Japanese students’ information
behaviours during their research tasks as
compared to Canadian students?
• What factors (e.g., personal, social, and linguistic) are
involved in information behaviour during the research
task?
• What are their actual behaviours in relation to
information literacy standards?
• What differences and similarities in behaviour exist
between the two groups of students?
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GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
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Conceptual Framework
Information literacy standards(Quality oriented)
Information needs
Information seeking
Information use
Information behaviour model (Process oriented)
Corresponds with
Outcomes Outcomes Outcomes
Potentialeffects
Users’ context- Cultural- Educational- Linguistic- Personal- Psychological- Social
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
5+Data Collection
Interviews• Reveal context of behaviour
Portfolios• Collect evidence
Flowcharts• Visualisation of entire process
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GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
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Data Collection Timeline
Assignment schedule
Portfolio(Ongoing)
Interviews
Flowchart
Analysis
1st interview- Guidance for the study- Past experience
2nd interview- Contemporary experience- Reflection on meaning
EndStart
Start Assignment submission
Making flowchart
Full analysis starts
Portfolio analysis
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
Gender Selected paper discipline Length of stay
Japanese
Female Psychology 5 years
Male Economics 6 months
Female Political Science 5 years
Female Marketing 6 months
Female Religious Studies 6 months
Canadian
Female Education -
Female English literature -
Male History -
Female History -
Male History -
Female Political Science -
Female Linguistics -
Female Political Science -
Male History -
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GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
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Sample Flowchart
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GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
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Information Behaviour & Literacy
Information needs
Information
seeking
Information use
Feedback
Low
IL
skill
s
Information needs
Information
seeking
Information use
Feedback
Hig
h IL
skill
s
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
10+Finding Focus
Starting points• Class topics• Previous knowledge• Personal interests
Process characteristics• Often vague• Start with brainstorming• Information availability is key
Action• Searching catalogues• Searching databases• Searching Google• Searching Wikipedia• Talking with instructors
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
11+Starting Points: Quote
“I picked that one [out of 15 topics provided by the
professor] because Diefenbaker and Eisenhower are both
very long names. If I write a paper that uses those names
a lot, it makes [my paper] longer.” [P20]
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
12+Characteristics: Quote
I think I'm thinking more in terms of keywords than anything
else, not in
full sentences, at least not at first.
For example, thinking of things like:• historiography of conservation
• Utah
• John Muir
• Parrots (Southern USA)
[P12]
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
13+Action: Quote
“To start my research, I went to Wikipedia to get a general
overview and see what kinds of references they used. On the
Wikipedia webpage for 'preventive diplomacy' it lists the UN
mission to Macedonia as a notable example of successful
preventive diplomacy.” [P16]
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
14+Action: Quote
“Yeah. The best strategy, I've always found, is to find 1 book, at
least. Papers are really good, they're various focused and
everything, but if you have 1 book that something to do with
your topic, it gives you this big background . . . I just read it
really quickly because I can sort of you can skip through
something or skim really, really quickly through some parts…
Yeah, just read the big bulk of it and from there, that gives you all
the issues or things you are looking for. And theoretically, it
would give you the articles where he [the author] went to. If it’s a
good book, it will mention the other people who talked about it
and like the other rival scholars or something.” [P10]
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
15+Locating Information
Searching library catalogue• Single/multiple/changing keywords• Browsing by LCSH
Searching journal databases• Single/multiple databases• Single/multiple/changing keywords• Advanced search options
Browsing shelves
Searching Google (including Scholar & Books)
Citation chaining
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GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
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Sample Search
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
17+Reasons: Quote
[Y] It’s interesting you’re searching for subject headings. Where did you learn this kind of stuff?
[P10] I was on the classic catalogue and I saw “subject begins with.” I clicked on it. It makes a lot of sense.
[Y] I see. You just noticed the option is there. And then OK, like what this function is. And just try it?
[P10] Yeah.
[Y] And then you realize.
[P10] Also like from there, I, that’s sort of, that’s in my mind and I tried that a few times, like Poland history. Like OK. So there’s the Poland history page. Then later, I see a book and noticed a LC subject like Poland socialism and something else, I cannot remember what found this one. And then it would be like, oh click on that and go to the subject I was looking at. This was great and this is nice. [Y] I am just wondering are you familiar with LC subjects, what a LC subject is?
[P10] I have no idea.
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
18+Reasons: Quote
[P13] Yes. Thank you. I learned a bit about Boolean, I’m not very versed in Boolean, but I learned it in high school.
[Y] OK. So at least you learned how to search.
[P13] It was a bit more advanced training, it was a good high school, I guess. I know that a lot of people have to learn that a lot in a university, but I didn't take any of courses specifically.
[Y] I see. When you came to McGill, did you look at all the online tutorials to learn how to search?
[P13] I was worried about my research skills being bad and I took 1 and they again told me about Boolean and then they also explained McGill's facilities. It was like a "welcome to the library" thing. We have online journals, here's how to access online journals, and we can go through departmental studies if you want. Here's Canadian history and here's a list of journals and then you search multi-journals. I think that's valuable...and I think I was lazy in my past research in that I typically go straight to JSTOR if I am in history or English. Just go straight to JSTOR but I know that doesn't have access to everything. And recently I've been kind of been falling on a crutch of using Google Scholar a little much. It's getting better for something.
19+Information Selection
Relevance to students’ paper content
Content quality
Content coverage
Looking at book elements• Title• Table of contents• Index
Looking at content of journal articles• Title• Abstract• Main text• Citation count
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
20+Information Extraction/Organisation
Highlighting
Using sticky notes as markers• Colour coding by themes/topics• Specific kinds of sticky notes
Typing notes• Summarising• Paraphrasing• Copying
Making digital notes
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
21+Writing Process
Writing paper based on outline
Writing paper section by section
Filling in information based on own ideas
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
22+Writing Process: Quote
[Y] I see. I kind of feel you have specific ideas in your head, but you don’t know where you want to put it in. [P18] Yeah, Yeah. [Y] At least you know what you want to use. Just put information and then at later stage, print out and think about flow and structure? [P18] Yeah, because like I was staring the computer screen for so long, sometimes it's so hard, and scrolling and just all looks the same. So to have it on paper I find, you know, OK I don’t need any of this... so then if I have the sheets laid out--well, like this paragraph on page 8 and then like this paragraph on page 2, so like they need go together. So I can see that better when it’s laid out. And sometimes not for this paper but sometimes I have really in trouble do like highlighting and color code organization, but this was, I didn’t find this like super hard to kind of put together because I kind of all along kind of knew the things I was gonna talk about. So it’s just like you know, I wanna like a logical order. So.
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
23+Factors Affecting Research Process
Trial & error
Motivation toward research
Serendipity (or by chance)
Past learning experience• High school• Past classes/assignments at McGill
Time management skills
Librarians(?)
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GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
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Time allocation
Information needs
Information seeking
Information use
Information needs
Information seeking
Information use
Hig
h IL
skill
sLo
w IL
skill
s
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
25+Findings (so far)
Process and IL skills are not isolated• Seeking information versus using information
Students shows certain levels of IL skills
If certain approaches work…• Students don’t change until the approach fails
Librarians’ presence rarely seen
GLIS 679 Y. Ishimura Nov. 11, 2010
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What are your questions?
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