Type of Presentation
Individual paper/presentation (20 minute presentation)
Target Audience
Higher Education
Location
Room 1002
Proposal
The affective dimension of learning considers emotions, feelings, and attitudes as a student makes sense of a subject. In several studies surrounding the information search process, Carol Kuhlthau (1991) emphasized the importance of feelings when students take on a research project, including their confidence. Confidence is one trait that has been used to measure affective learning connected with information literacy abilities. Quantitative analysis has shown student confidence levels do increase after library instruction (Rimland, 2013). However, high confidence does not necessarily indicate ability, and less competent students may even have an inflated sense of their information literacy skills (Gross and Latham, 2012). This presentation will explore student confidence, including the causes and constraints, and to what extent librarians should consider these feelings during instruction.
The presenter will share findings from a qualitative research study that used grounded theory analysis to examine more than 500 student comments regarding confidence in their research abilities. This research complements quantitative data to better understand where student confidence stems from, and what causes a lack of confidence. The new Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education incorporates affective dimensions of learning. This presentation will provide the opportunity to reflect and discuss student confidence in light of the Framework.
Gross, M. & Latham, D. (2012). What’s skill got to do with it?: Information literacy skills and self-views of ability among first-year college students. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 63, 574-583.
Kuhlthau, C.C (1991). Inside the search process: Information seeking from the user’s perspective. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42, 361-371.
Rimland, E. (2013). Assessing affective learning using a student response system. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 13, 385-401.
Short Description
The affective dimension of learning considers emotions, feelings, and attitudes as a student makes sense of a subject, and this dimension has been incorporated into the new Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Confidence is one trait that has been used to measure affective learning, including learning connected to information literacy. This presentation will share findings from a qualitative research study that involved analysis of more than 500 student comments regarding confidence in their research abilities. The presenter will encourage reflection and discussion as she explores confidence in research abilities, including the causes and constraints, and how librarians should consider these feelings during instruction.
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Brooks, Andrea, "Confident or Not: How Students Explain Their Confidence Regarding Research Abilities" (2015). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 60.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2015/2015/60
Confident or Not: How Students Explain Their Confidence Regarding Research Abilities
Room 1002
The affective dimension of learning considers emotions, feelings, and attitudes as a student makes sense of a subject. In several studies surrounding the information search process, Carol Kuhlthau (1991) emphasized the importance of feelings when students take on a research project, including their confidence. Confidence is one trait that has been used to measure affective learning connected with information literacy abilities. Quantitative analysis has shown student confidence levels do increase after library instruction (Rimland, 2013). However, high confidence does not necessarily indicate ability, and less competent students may even have an inflated sense of their information literacy skills (Gross and Latham, 2012). This presentation will explore student confidence, including the causes and constraints, and to what extent librarians should consider these feelings during instruction.
The presenter will share findings from a qualitative research study that used grounded theory analysis to examine more than 500 student comments regarding confidence in their research abilities. This research complements quantitative data to better understand where student confidence stems from, and what causes a lack of confidence. The new Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education incorporates affective dimensions of learning. This presentation will provide the opportunity to reflect and discuss student confidence in light of the Framework.
Gross, M. & Latham, D. (2012). What’s skill got to do with it?: Information literacy skills and self-views of ability among first-year college students. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 63, 574-583.
Kuhlthau, C.C (1991). Inside the search process: Information seeking from the user’s perspective. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42, 361-371.
Rimland, E. (2013). Assessing affective learning using a student response system. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 13, 385-401.
