The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine whether or not the capabilities of college students in query formation and presentation could be improved through systematically designed instruction. The investigation employed a quasi-experimental method that consisted of a pretest/posttest design. The subjects were students in sections of a library-sponsored undergraduate bibliographic instruction course. The experimental group received a self-directed instructional text on forming and presenting queries; a control group received no instruction in query formation and presentation. / Within the limitations of this single field experiment conducted at one college, the findings indicate that instruction can be systematically designed to teach college students selected rules of query formation and presentation. Such instruction is effective in improving students' capabilities in query formation and presentation. / The hypotheses stated that college students who received instruction in query formation and presentation would demonstrate greater capabilities in the following areas than college students who did not receive such instruction: (a) distinguishing between ready reference and research queries, (b) generating ready reference queries that match information needs, (c) generating research queries which match information needs, (d) generating research queries that contain presentation elements, and (e) stating the major functions of reference librarians in assisting information seekers. / Analyses of covariance were applied to posttest scores; pretest scores were used as covariates. The hypotheses were supported at the .10 level of significance. / A follow-up evaluation conducted ten weeks after the posttest with five members of the experimental group, revealed that the instruction helped to clarify the role of the librarian and that skill levels demonstrated on the follow-up test were similar to skill levels demonstrated on the posttest. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-09, Section: A, page: 2472. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75633 |
| Contributors | BROADWAY, MARSHA DENISE., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 205 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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