No description available.

No description available.

Information literacy is a relatively new concept in Turkey and is most accessible to English Language Learners. This article-format dissertation identifies the information needs and habits of English Language and Literature majors at a major Turkish university, discusses the development of an online intervention to teach information literacy to these students, and tests the efficacy of using Turkish subtitles to teach information literacy skills to these English majors. Article 1 surveyed students majoring in English Language and Literature about their attitudes towards library usage and sources. Student attitudes revealed a preference for internet sources over library sources and a belief that internet sources are more likely than library sources to provide students with the information they need. In response to the need for increased information literacy instruction, an online tutorial was developed to teach information literacy skills that focus on the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Article 2 discusses the design and development of this tutorial. Article 3 tests the most effective language configuration for students to learn these information literacy skills, finding that students that completed the tutorial with an English-language soundtrack and Turkish subtitles finished tasks at a statistically significant faster pace than other groups and with statistically significant more success. Overall, Turkish English majors showed a need for increased information literacy skills. A subtitled tutorial is one way to provide this information literacy training.

This applied dissertation study utilized the 2007 version of Stufflebeam’s Context Input Process Product Evaluation Model to evaluate the library training program for graduate psychology students at a not-for-profit university in south Florida. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the library training to determine the extent to which desired institutional outcomes and students’ needs were being met. During the 2007-2008 academic year, students received library training by completing an online tutorial known as the e-train module in their first year of study at the university. Data from 14 interviews conducted with librarians, faculty, and students; 100 graded etrain modules; student responses to an online library questionnaire regarding the e-train module; a document containing background information about the library training program for psychology students; and a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools library training report were reviewed and analyzed during the course of the study. Results indicated that the library training needed significant modifications, and students were not acquiring essential library skills. The institution’s librarians and faculty were also dissatisfied with the library training. Based on the study findings, recommendations for changes were provided to the school of psychology and the library. Recommended changes included developing more interactive training that incorporated multimedia elements and integrating library training into the psychology curriculum. In addition, library activities should be tied to specific assignments, and students should receive library training that builds sequentially and developmentally throughout the course of their programs. Study findings played a significant role in the implementation of changes planned for the library training for the following 2008-2009 academic year.

Distance learners are expected to conduct research in fulfilling their coursework. However, they possess varying skill levels and many lack the information literacy skills necessary to access, locate, evaluate and use the information effectively. Numerous academic libraries are increasingly using nontraditional methods such as computer-assisted instruction (CAI) designed to provide instruction. This dissertation aims to address the following research questions: How successful are CAI methods in equipping distance learners with the skills necessary to become information? What are the attitudes of distance learners regarding information literacy? To what extent are they able to locate resources relevant to a research topic? To what extent are distance learners able to identify and cite sources correctly? The study included a sample size of 114 distance learners drawn from writing, communications, psychology, sociology, and business courses. Each of the courses selected had multiple sections which were randomly assigned to the two groups. Participants in the treatment group received computer-assisted instruction, while similar classes from each discipline served as the control group with no change in their instruction. Four instruments were selected to address the research questions. A questionnaire was utilized to gather data on the learners’ attitudes and perceptions regarding information literacy and their own skills. Each participant completed a bibliography which was examined to determine the extent to which students are able to locate, identify, and cite sources correctly. A test was administered to measure the baseline levels of information literacy of distance learners and the extent to which their information literacy knowledge improved upon completion of the Web-based tutorial. The data were analyzed using a number of statistical procedures. SPSS and Excel software were used to obtain descriptive statistics and t tests of independent means. In addition, the one-parameter Rasch model of item response theory (IRT) was conducted to determine the average information literacy skill levels of participants. The findings support the belief that computer-assisted instruction is effective in developing information literacy competencies of students. The results of the test indicated that there are diverse levels of information literacy knowledge and skills among distance learners at the college and that pedagogical intervention is necessary. The participants who took the online information literacy tutorial demonstrated substantial improvement in their information literacy skills, as reflected in the SAILS test and bibliography scores. The survey, when compared with the results of the Critical Thinking Rubric and the SAILS test, confirmed the hypothesis that students overestimate those skills. The findings indicate that the students’ perceptions of their information literacy competencies are not accurately aligned with their demonstrated competencies.

The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to determine whether instruction librarians in the United States and Canada were using instructional design (ID) methods, and to identify potential explanations for their adoption or rejection of those methods. The theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985) served as the theoretical framework for the study. Research questions examined the relationship between respondents’ reported use of ID methods and the following factors: (a) behavioral, normative, and control beliefs, (b) demographic factors, and (c) professional identity as teachers. A survey adapted from Ajjan and Hartshorne (2008) and from Julien and Genuis (2011) was distributed to members of the American Library Association’s Information Literacy Instruction Discussion List. Quantitative data from 101 subjects were analyzed using χ2 and t tests for independent sample means. Qualitative data from seven volunteers were compared to the quantitative data to identify areas of validation or disconnect. Pearson correlations between use scores and behavioral, normative, and control beliefs revealed that control construct scores (r = .59) had the strongest correlation with ID use, followed by behavioral (r = .56) and normative (r = .53) scores. Qualitative data supported the conclusion that there was a strong relationship between ID use and both behavioral and normative scores, but not between ID use and control scores. Chi-square analysis found no relationship between subjects’ use of ID methods and the length of time they had worked in libraries (χ2 = 5.14). A significant relationship was found between ID use and the length of time subjects had taught information literacy (χ2 = 7.91) and reported type of training in ID (χ2 = 24.59). Subjects who identified primarily as teachers used ID more than those who did not (t = 2.61).

Objectives: This study is an examination of the state of citation manager use and instruction by medical librarians across the United States and US territories. It focuses on librarian preference for citation managers and related instruction. The purpose of this study is to reveal barriers to and preferences for citation managers and citation manager instruction in hospital and academic libraries. Methods: A literature review performed prior to undertaking this project revealed minimal current literature on citation manager instruction in health sciences and medical libraries. Citation managers evolve quickly, negatively impacting the relevancy of older literature. In effort to capture current reflections on citation manager use and instruction in health science and medical libraries, a qualitative survey was devised and disseminated via medical library listservs in late summer 2017. Questions included in this survey as well as the survey platform and data collection procedures were approved by East Tennessee State University’s Institutional Review Board. Questions discussed librarian citation manager use preferences, instruction styles, barriers to instruction, and perception of value. RedCap was utilized for survey dissemination and analysis. Survey recipients received two weeks to respond to survey questions after which data was compiled and analyzed by researchers to reveal trends. Results: This survey garnered 238 responses, 61% from academic librarians, 27% from hospital librarians, and 12% from other librarians. Respondents identified Zotero as the most utilized free citation manager and EndNote as the most utilized paid citation manager. Lack of patron interest was the most significant barrier identified by hospital librarians while lack of citation manager awareness was the greatest barrier for academics. Although 97% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that citation manager use instruction falls within library instructional domains, 82% of librarians surveyed report that they did not receive citation manager instruction while pursuing their library degrees. Conclusions: As librarians assume responsibility for citation manager instruction and use, time must be dedicated to training of librarians to utilize citation managers and effectively teach them to others. Whether this training should occur in school or on the job is debatable and subject to circumstance. Additional recommendations include increased promotion of citation manager availability, purpose, and instruction opportunities in institutions where this is feasible. Limitations of this study include a small sample size with a bias towards respondents familiar with citation managers working in institutions with citation manager subscriptions.

Academic libraries are increasingly re-envisioning their services to provide expanded outreach and segmented programming for specific user groups. Many academic libraries offer segmented services and programming for undergraduate groups such as first-year experience programs and general education programs. Currently, academic libraries are also identifying and expanding their services and programming to meet the unique needs of graduate groups. In conjunction with this focus, the roles of academic librarians are also expanding in the area of outreach. In essence, academic librarians are becoming more directly involved in aligning library services and programming with academic programs and promoting change within their institutions. Faced with the challenges of outreach and promoting change it is essential that librarians gain deeper insights about the perspectives and needs of graduate programs and graduate groups to effectively plan and align library services. The purpose of this design research study was to explore the organizational factors that influence how library services and library instruction are utilized in two doctoral programs in education at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Using a sequential mixed methods approach, quantitative data was collected in an online survey and qualitative data was collected in audio recorded interviews conducted with students enrolled in two doctoral programs in education, as well as program faculty, and academic librarians. Findings from this study were then used to describe a conjecture for an asynchronous online learning resource that applies elements outlined in Sandoval's (2014) conjecture map model. Findings were also used to make recommendations about future planning for library outreach and the utilization of library services in the doctoral programs.

No description available.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Rosemary S. Talab / The purpose of this study was to assess the professional development needs of academic instruction librarians required to improve information literacy instructional effectiveness in higher education institutions within the state of Kansas. The population in this correlational study was the 84 academic librarians with instruction duties at Kansas two-year colleges, four-year colleges, and universities. The majority of the population included administrators, staff, and specialized librarians. Most of the participants held a faculty rank, were between the ages of 41 and 55, and had served as academic librarians for less than fifteen years. Data was collected through twelve closed-ended and twelve open-ended questions on an electronic survey. The data was used to answer the primary research question of this study: “What professional development opportunities are needed in order to improve information literacy instructional effectiveness?” Three sub-questions were included in order to identify professional development needs on the various means by which information literacy is delivered, the content areas addressed during information literacy instructional sessions, and the assessment practices employed to determine the effectiveness of information literacy instruction. Data analyses for the quantitative measures of the study were conducted through the use of frequency distributions (in order to identify professional development needs of the total population) and chi-square tests (in order to identify professional development needs of the individual sub-populations). Due to the low number of answers to open-ended questions, responses to these questions were analyzed for codes and developed into categories. Analyses of the data indicated that the sub-populations shared a preference for library instruction delivered via face-to-face means; all institutions represented in this study offered considerably more instruction than what was required by their parent institution; Kansas academic instruction librarians addressed a wide variety of services, resources, search techniques, and information literacy skills during information literacy instructional sessions; and Kansas academic instruction librarians were cognizant of ensuring instruction practices were designed to include content that met the guiding information literacy standards as defined by the American Library Association. The study found Kansas academic librarians with instruction as a function of their job duties would benefit from professional development opportunities designed to develop proficiency in teaching skills, instructional design skills, assessment and evaluation skills, information literacy integration skills, and presentation skills.