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Longitudinal Information Literacy Research Study Toolkit: Spring 2024 Pilot

This guide is designed as a toolkit for the MC Library to share our longitudinal research study plans focused on student information literacy learning practices.

Transfer Student Interview Pilot

The pilot study was conducted in the spring term 2024. The pilot study gathered insights from students about their Information Literacy experiences while attending Montgomery College (MC) and how well they were prepared for their academic work at their transfer institution. The pilot project was presented at the American Library Association Annual Conference in July 2024 as a panel program for CJCLS titled Resilient Learning Landscapes. The results will be used to prepare for a larger longitudinal study and also be included in grant applications to fund the longitudinal study,

Intended subjects: Five male, black and/or indigenous, students of color (BIPOC) enrolled at University of Maryland College Park (UMD), University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Towson University, and the Universities at Shady Grove in spring 2024. We plan to interview a minimum of 1 student at each location.

Actual subjects: We did interview 5 male students who self-identified as African, African American, or Hispanic. One also identified as a first-generation student. However, only 3 attended MC for multiple semesters prior to transfer. The 4th student had only taken summer classes at MC while attending their university. The 5th student was a current Montgomery College student, who left their university to attend MC instead. Interview questions were adapted as necessary for the 5th student since they had not yet transferred. Despite the recruiting difficulties, the students interviewed were from each of the 4 universities we targeted. 

Spring 2024 Transfer Student Information Literacy Pilot Study
Semi-Structured Interview Questions (scheduled for 90 minutes)


Opening Questions:

How long have you been at [name of institution]?
What is your current major or area of concentration?
Before going to [name of institution], how long did you attend MC? 
What was your major or area of concentration at MC?

Exploring Library Educational Experiences at MC:

How well prepared did you feel for the assignments at your new institution based on what you learned at MC?
When you were attending MC: 
Did you use the library to do research?
If so, can you describe what you preferred to use to do your research?
Were you familiar with library services, like getting research help from a librarian?
Did you get help from a librarian, either online or in person while at MC?
If so, what do you remember about that experience?
Do you remember a time when a librarian taught your class about doing research or you attended a workshop that a librarian taught at MC?
If so, please tell me what you remember about that experience.
Is there anything you learned from using the library at MC that has stuck with you when working on assignments at your new institution?

Exploring Information Literacy Experience:

Do you think you received sufficient training from MC on doing college research assignments successfully?
Can you remember what you learned about:
How to develop a topic? 
How to find sources? 
How to evaluate sources? 
How to cite sources?
Is there anything you wish you had learned about the library/research at MC that would’ve better prepared you for research at [new institution]?
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced when completing research projects at your new institution?
Can you try to describe how you wish you could have learned how to do those things when you were at MC?
Would you have wanted someone to teach you that in a class?
Or would you have preferred to learn it online?
What would that learning experience look like for you? 
Please describe your ideal environment and preferences for how you wish you learned those things.

Exploring Last (or recent) Research Assignment Practices:
Tell me about your last (or any recent) experience writing an academic paper.
What process did you use to choose a research topic?
Do you remember what types of resources you included in that paper? 
Can you describe at least 3 (or any) of the sources you cited?
Can you please describe how you found the sources you used for that paper?
How did you decide which sources were reliable or unreliable sources to use in that paper?
Where did you learn these techniques?

Closing:

If a new student asked you for advice, what would you tell them about research or using the library? 
Is there anything we didn’t discuss that you’d like to share with me?
Do you have any questions for me about this interview or the study?
 

The following details were provided as part of the IRB approval process.

Overview: This is a pilot study that will be conducted in the spring term 2024. The pilot study will gather insights from students about their Information Literacy experiences while attending MC and how well they were prepared for their academic work at their transfer institution. The results will be used to prepare for a much larger longitudinal study. The results of this pilot study will also be included in grant applications to fund the longitudinal study, they will also be presented at the American Library Association Annual Conference in 2024.

Subjects: Five male, black and/or indigenous, students of color (BIPOC) enrolled at College Park (UMD), UMBC, Towson, and the Universities at Shady Grove in spring 2024. We plan to interview a minimum of 1 student at each location.

Recruitment: An OIRE request has already been submitted to obtain a list of BIPOC male students that attended MC for a minimum of 1.5 years and transferred to the selected institutions. Using the list provided, the P.I. will select students using random samples from each institution to recruit them for the pilot study. Students will be emailed to solicit their participation. If they confirm they are interested, they will be sent further information, including the informed consent. The P.I. and interviewer will work together to schedule the interview at their transfer institution. The P.I. will work with a librarian at the transfer institution to secure an interview space. The P.I. will accompany the interviewer and ensure that the recordings are set up, and the informed consent is signed before commencing the interview.

Objective: Toward the end of their first year at their transfer institution after leaving MC, when it comes to the Information Literacy skills the student learned and used during their time at MC –

  • In what ways were they prepared for the assignments/responsibilities they needed to complete?
  • In what ways were they not prepared?
  • What did they do when they were not prepared?
  • Did what they learned at MC influence the approach they took to solving problems they encountered?

Method: Interview

Interviewer Name Provided Later: Due to the recent research I’ve read concerning culturally responsive research practices, I plan to hire and train either an MC student employee or an intern to conduct the interview who is BIPOC male. This strategy is recommended because BIPOC students are more comfortable sharing their experiences with someone within the same demographic context. Whereas, librarians are predominantly older, white, women. We need the student subjects to feel at ease with their interviewer.

Analysis of Results: The P.I. will provide access to the recording and zoom transcript to research assistant Amy Trost to review the recording and transcript for accuracy. Then Amy Trost will organize the transcript into the format required by Clary Brown. Clary Brown will complete the analysis from the file that Amy Trost provides to Clary. Clary will provide the results of his analysis to the P.I. The P.I. will then review the report and revise any details that may provide too much information about an individual subject to increase anonymity prior to external use.

Use of Results: The aggregate results will be used to strengthen a forthcoming grant proposal to fund a longitudinal, multi-institution, mixed methods Information Literacy assessment project.  I am also already approved to present at the American Library Association Annual Conference in June 2024, where I will include the aggregate results of this pilot study in my presentation.

Transfer Student Information Literacy Pilot Study: Informed Consent
Spring 2024


Thank you for participating in Montgomery College (MC) Library’s Transfer Student Information Literacy Pilot Study! We will use insights gained from the experiences you share to enhance the design of a multi-year study of MC student Information Literacy learning experiences and apply for grants to fund that project. The results of the study will only be shared in the aggregate and fake names will be used when referring to participants. Any related results report, publication, or presentation of the results will contain no identifying information that would link your answers to you.


During the 90-minute interview you will be asked questions to discover how well MC Library prepared you for your continued education at your transfer institution. We look forward to hearing anything you would like to share with us and please know there are no right answers. We want to learn from your unique education journey. Only the interviewer and the principal investigator will know your name. None of your answers to interview questions will be able to be connected with you in our final report.


Because the interview requires recording your voice in order to create an accurate transcript, there is a small foreseeable risk of harm to participants if the recordings are disclosed outside of the research setting. The principal investigator believes this risk is substantially mitigated by safeguards put in place to store the recordings securely online in the password-protected account of the principal investigator. Recordings and any notes will be deleted within 30 days of completing our analysis, which will be no later than 6/30/2024. The data collected will be confidential.
Anticipated benefits of participating include: 

  • Contributing to the growing body of research on how to support BIPOC male student success in college and potentially learning more about the importance of Information Literacy during the process of the interview.
  • MC will benefit from learning more about the educational experiences of students after they have completed some classes at their transfer institution and how well we prepared students for their upper-level education. MC will also benefit by increasing the potential for a successful multi-year national grant award by utilizing the results of this pilot study in our application. 
  • Librarians will benefit from learning from our example at the American Library Association Annual Conference in July 2024. 
  • Future MC students will benefit from the ways we use the results to improve their educational experiences while at MC.

Participation in this study is voluntary. Refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of benefits. You may discontinue participation at any time without penalty or loss of benefits.


If you have any questions, please ask the person conducting the interview or the principal investigator Jessame Ferguson (jessame.ferguson@montgomerycollege.edu or 301-602-8566). You may also contact the Montgomery College Institutional Review Board with any questions or concerns: irb@montgomerycollege.edu.

 

I understand the study described above and have been given an additional copy of this informed consent document. I am 18 years of age or older and I agree to participate.

Participant Signature: ______________________________ and Date: _________________

The following is a summary of Clary L. Brown's analysis and recommendations report on June 17, 2024:

  • When asked about their use of the MC Library, two used the library's databases to access scholarly articles, two said they used the library as a quiet place to study, one student mentioned working with someone in the Writing Center, assuming this was part of the library.
  • One of the students also recalled working with a librarian who gave him instruction on how to use an online database.
  • Findings indicate that the library should continue to maintain equivalent services and resources tailored to both in-person and online, due to the variety of student preferences.
  • Two students recalled a librarian coming to their class or attending a workshop with a librarian. The things they remembered the librarian talked about were library services, appointments, and developing their topic. Other students' answers indicated uncertainty if it was a librarian, an ATPA coach, or someone from the Writing Center who talked to their class.
  • When prompted with specific types of information literacy skills, students could recall learning and using those skills, such as evaluating information, finding sources, using databases from the library site, and citation practices. Example quote: "I remember learning about looking into the author, trying to find their biases and also trying to understand what type of argument they're saying."
  • 100% of the interviewees stated they'd received sufficient training from MC on how to conduct college research assignments.
  • When asked about challenges they face one student explained that finding credible sources takes a long time and they wish that was smoother. Another student mentioned organizing their thoughts on what they will write about, such as brainstorming ideas and putting together a set of bullet points.
  • When discussing a recent research assignment students were able to provide a wealth of information, indicating they
    • cited a variety of sources
    • used peer reviewed journals, Google, Google Scholar, and government sites
    • vetted source credibility
  • When asked about advice they would give to new students, all subjects mentioned recommending students use the library or library website, and some mentioned asking for help from librarians to save time.

Research and Teaching Associate Director

Profile Photo
Jessame Ferguson
Contact:
Germantown Campus
Humanities and Social Sciences Building (HS)
Office 106
240-567-7137

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